Meryl Streep made her Broadway debut 50 years ago in this dress
Meryl Streep’s gorgeous Broadway debut dress will be available to view by the public for the first time at the Museum of Broadway, opening November 15, 2022, reported Vanity Fair.
“[Meryl Streep] probably doesn’t even know it still exists,” costume curator Michael McDonald recently told the outlet over Zoom interview. Streep wore the ensemble for her role as Imogen Parrott in the Public Theatre’s 1975 production of Trelawny of the ‘Wells’ at the Vivian Beaumont Theater and now the public can admire the craftsmanship that went into its creation when the museum opens its doors in the coming days.
The veteran actress made her Broadway debut nearly 50 years ago. Streep was clad in an ivory-coloured Edwardian costume, carefully sewn with trapunto lace and antique point de gaze as she stepped on the Broadway stage, the outlet detailed.
“Isn’t it amazing, all this super-intense, beautiful detail?” chimed in McDonald’s colleague, Lisa Zinni, the museum’s curator of costumes and props. However, they also noted that before the dress was out on display, a ripped sleeve had to be repaired and restored.
“It is the workmanship that goes into this dress that makes it spectacular,” added McDonald. “There’s all this lace and appliqué lying on top. It was clever the way they created several jackets and long coats for her to wear over the same dress to give different looks throughout the play.”
The look was created by the late legendary costume designer Theoni V. Aldredge, who was also the mastermind behind some of the most memorable costumes for the original productions.
