Welsh National Opera return MK Theatre from Tuesday (March 29) with a feast of Figaro for you - three productions will be played out on stage. The amount of work that goes into each opera is incredible.
Costume designer Sue Blane is in charge of dressing the three Figaros who will feature next week, and she has had quite the task – seeing as how the trio of operas are all set in different periods, have different tones and different directors.
“It is a big challenge, because all three operas have the same set which is very contemporary, quite minimalist and very striking, which means the costumes need to story-tell visually,” she explains.
“The costumes need to make each production stand out on its own while also making the very strong connections between all three.
“The Barber of Seville is the funniest of the three with Figaro a really larger than life character so I wanted this production to have a bit of the variety hall about it.
“The costumes are actually quite classic, but if you asked me to state a period I would say the 1950s.
“Samy brown the director and I felt very strongly they should have plenty of colour so they are incredibly colourful.”
In a career dating back decades, Sue has worked for English National Opera, National Theatre, Birmingham Royal Ballet, Disney and plenty more.
She is also responsible for creating the iconic Rocky Horror costumes.
While the costumes ensured she made her mark as a designer, it was a double-edged sword.
“Rocky Horror Show haunted me for a while,” she admits
“I had done work for all kinds of theatre companies, people like Citizens Theatre and Scottish Opera, but I was still typecast as the woman who did the costumes for Rocky Horror Show.
“I did then get to a point where it was just one of the many productions I had worked on, but for a time I felt I couldn't escape it. But now I can appreciated it and it can never be regretted.
“I am incredibly proud of it and amazed to see that it still works brilliantly as a piece of theatre.”
And Sue knows better than most the effects of wearing the right clothes...or the wrong ones: “What you wear is so important – it's what keeps you grounded. If you go out in the morning and you realise you've got the wrong pair of shoes on, you think about it all day, and it affects how you feel about yourself.
“It's the same with the characters on stage. No matter how drab the costume or the part they are playing they still need to feel sexy and confident.
“Even if you are playing the part of a sloppy old gardener, you need to feel right.
“You need the confidence to know you look good and then you can really give something to the audience.
“Good clothes and good costumes are essential – if you know you look good, you can face the world.” To book tickets for WNO at MK Theatre visit www.atgtickets.com/miltonkeynes
