Do you think they're going to give Esme a skirt for Seymour and Rachel a Bobo skirt now?
( @madrigalsandmaximoffs answering here. I swear I got another ask or two about this but for the life of me can’t find them in my inbox so hopefully y’all see this.)
It’s possible. There are two considerations: whether it’s logistically feasibly and whether they want to do it from a design perspective.
Let’s start with logistics and exactly why Esme likely got a new Boleyn. Costume makers are booked MONTHS in advance. West End recast was booked back in the spring. So they’re not always available to make a costume immediately if it’s not planned for quite a while in advance (which I talked about as being a likely factor in why Jessica Niles got her UKT costume so late and why Rebecca Wickes might have joined later too). That’s why I usually don’t expect we’ll get random variations significantly into the timeline of a show running. But in this scenario, those logistics actually might provide an argument for actors to get a new costume.
UK costume makers typically function like most other freelance contract-based jobs, where you’re booked in advance to spend a certain amount of time working on a project before a certain deadline. For instance, Six might contact the usual Boleyn maker and say “hey, we would like to book you to make two Boleyn costumes, ideally starting in August and finishing by October 1st,” and then would work out the details from there. But because costume makers can fill up quickly, you sometimes need to book significantly in advance. From what we know about the timeline, Six usually books the costume makers for the next cast change before the current actors are finalized as staying or leaving. But because it’s better to have costume slots booked with each of the needed makers than not and they might not know who all needs a costume, it’s easier to err on the side of caution and book costume makers for a full cast change (or very close to it). Depending on how many of the actors stay, that might mean there are unused costume slots that were booked but Six now doesn’t need. With this West End cast change, Claudia Kariuki stuck around as Seymour, Dionne Ward Anderson as Cleves, Roxanne Couch as Parr, Rachel Rawlinson as black alt, Esme Rothero as silver alt, Danielle Rose as B/H/orange alt. That means they had likely booked slots for a:
- Boleyn (alt)
- Seymour
- Cleves
- Howard (alt)
- Parr (principal)
- black alt
- silver alt
- potentially an orange alt or vague alt costume
that they now didn’t need for new West End actors. But those slots could also be used to replace any existing costumes that needed to be replaced, and that’s not necessarily constrained to purely West End. In fact, it seems like they used those slots to replace costumes for several actors in the UK Tour who needed new ones:
The Boleyn slot could have been used to make a new costume for Jennifer Caldwell, the Howard for Rebecca Wickes, and the Parr for Alana Robinson.
The silver alt slot was likely used to provide any needed updates to Esme’s costume. That obviously means they had the chance to make a new Boleyn skirt. It also could mean replacements for existing pieces or even another new variation.
That of course leaves Seymour, Cleves, black alt, and orange alt/vague alt unaccounted for. Those slots may have been cancelled, rescheduled for a different time,* and/or there could be costumes in progress that we just haven’t seen. With black alt specifically that would mean something like Esme’s silver, where Rachel might get any updates or replacements that is needed and maybe, just maybe, we could see a new variation.
And that brings me to a design perspective. Honestly, I’m not sure if they’d do either. Rachel has always had the full set of variations that Collette Guitart had before her - an open skirt for Aragon/Howard, a Seymour skirt, full Cleves with shorts used for Boleyn with the primary top, and Parr pants. This also means that Rachel and Esme now both have nearly a full set for one of their primary covers: an Aragon/Howard skirt, a Boleyn or Seymour (Boleyn for Esme likely as it’s her first cover, Seymour for Rachel as it’s hers), full Cleves, and Parr pants.
So….. though she doesn’t have a Boleyn skirt, black alt has used shorts for Boleyn long enough now that they might count that as a full set. But shorts for Boleyn doesn’t work for silver alt, so that may be why Esme got one but Rachel still might not.
With that in mind, I do think that Esme will only get a Seymour skirt if Rachel gets a Boleyn (and vise versa). I’m just not convinced that they’ll decide it’s definitely needed.
TL;DR: possible logistically, but they might not feel it’s necessary from a design perspective.
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*Claudia Kariuki and Jessica Niles both get some new costume pieces over this past summer. There’s a chance those were those slots but moved up.
Rachel’s Aragon skirt photo is by Pamela Raith. The rest are from the queens’ own Instagrams.
As always:
- There are likely some mistakes. I only have limited information from social media.
- If you use this information, please credit and tag. sixcostumerefs here, six.costume.refs on Insta.
Chlöe Hart: 370 performances
- 349 in the UK and Ireland
- 21 in South Korea
Jennifer Caldwell: 384 performances
- 361 in the UK and Ireland
- 21 in South Korea
- 2 performances on the West End
Casey Al-Shaqsy: 352 performances
- 328 in the UK and Ireland
- 21 in South Korea
- 3 performances on the West End
Rebecca Wickes: 168 performances
- 147 in the UK and Ireland
- 21 in South Korea
Alana M Robinson: 346 performances
- 333 in the UK and Ireland
- 13 in South Korea
Harriet Caplan-Dean: 88 performances
- 85 in the UK and Ireland: 11 A, 9 B, 17 S, 8 C, 20 H, 20 P
- 1 in South Korea (Parr)
- 2 as E/C on the West End (Parr)
- Total: 11 A, 9 B, 17 S, 8 C, 20 H, 23 P
Grace Melville: 181 performances
- 115 as a regular alternate in the UK and Ireland: 64 A, 4 B, 46 C, 1 P
- 4 in South Korea: 2 Aragon, 2 Cleves
- 60 performances as T/R (Cleves)
- 2 as E/C on the West End (Cleves)
- Total: 66 A, 4 B, 110 C, 1 P
Leesa Tulley: 221 performances
- 160 as a regular alternate in the UK and Ireland: 2 A, 51 B, 11 S, 1 C, 93 H, 2 P
- 4 in South Korea: 2 Boleyn, 2 Howard
- 57 Howard performances as T/R
- Total: 2 A, 53 B, 11 S, 1 C, 152 H, 2 P
Natalie Pilkington: 174 performances
- 157 as a regular alternate in the UK and Ireland: 2 A, 3 B, 72 S, 12 C, 1 H, 67 P
- 11 in South Korea: 2 Seymour, 9 Parr
- 6 as E/C on the West End (2 A, 1 S, 3 P; this only includes the E/C shows performed during the 22-23 UKT performance period)
- Total: 4 A, 3 B, 75 S, 12 C, 1 H, 79 P
Emergency Covers:
Elena Gyasi: 5 performances (Parr)
Harriet Watson: 3 performances (Cleves)
Roxanne Couch was also on standby for 7 performances but did not perform
Alright, it’s (no longer) that time of year again! Summary of all 2022 calendar year performances stats!!
- This was a CRAZY year full of cross-production covers + emergency cover chaos so very fun to write up. It also made it a bit of a challenge with organization. If an actor was primarily with one production but served as an emergency cover for another, I listed them with their primary or initial production.
- Yearly disclaimer that some errors and/or disparities could exist.
- And as always, if you repost/use these stats anywhere, please credit me @sixcostumerefs (or six.costume.refs on Insta)
And as always....a shoutout to Dionne Ward-Anderson, who featured in the largest number of performances this year, at a whopping 353 shows! Runner up is Andrea Macasaet at 327 shows, with Brittney Mack a very close third with 322! Most performing Aragon was Phoenix Jackson Mendoza (270), Seymour was Claudia Kariuki (293), Howard was Samantha Pauly (314.5), and Parr was Meesha Turner (267.5, but Alana Robinson was at 267).
2021-22 West End
Amy di Bartolomeo: 242 performances
Amanda Lindgren 255 performances
Tsemaye Bob-Egbe: 233 performances
Meesha Turner: 267.5 performances
Paisley Billings: 114.5 performances (55 A, 44.5 C, 14 P)
2022-23 West End
Rhianne-Louise McCaulsky: 81 performances
Baylie Carson: 78 performances
Koko Basigara: 65 performances
Monique Ashe-Palmer: 14 performances (7 A, 1 B, 6 C)
Leah Vassell: 40 performances (20 S, 1 C, 19 P)
2021-22 UK Tour
Lauren Drew: 71 performances
Maddison Bulleyment: 62 performances
Caitlin Tipping: 68 performances
Shekinah McFarlane: 60 performances
Vicki Manser: 63 performances
Elena Gyasi: 66 performances (61 regular prior to cast change + 5 emergency cover post-CC)
Cassy Lee: 22 performances (8 A, 14 C)
Cherelle Jay: 7 performances (1 B, 1 S, 2 C, 3 P)
2022-23 UK Tour
Chloe Hart: 269 performances
Casey Al-Shaqsy: 252 performances total (249 on UKT + 3 as E/C for WE)
Aiesha Pease: 7 performances
Jessica Niles: 237-245 performances total (19-27 performances with Breakaway 2.0, 218 performances with UKT)
Jaina Brock-Patel: 110 performances
Rebecca Wickes: 72 performances
Alana M Robinson: 267 performances
Harriet Caplan-Dean: 72 performances (10 A, 9 B, 13 S, 7 C, 18 H, 15 P)
Grace Melville: 153 performances total w/ 151 performances on UKT (55 A, 4 B, 91 C with 60 of those performances as T/R, 1 P) + 2 as E/C for WE (2 C)
Leesa Tulley: 186 performances (1 A, 35 B, 11 S, 137 H with 57 of those performances as T/R, 2 P)
2021-22 Broadway (+ Aug replacements)
Adrianna Hicks: 202 performances
Bre Jackson: 123 performances (two of these were half shows)
Andrea Macasaet: 327 performances
Abby Mueller: 117 performances
Keri Rene Fuller: 183 performances (59 as T/R, 1 as early debut, the rest as principal)
Brittney Mack: 322 performances
Samantha Pauly: 314.5 performances
Anna Uzele: 97 performances
Joy Woods: 146 performances
Brennyn Lark: 85 performances
Mallory Maedke: 67.5 performances (16.5 A, 47 S, 4 H)
Nicole Kyoung-Mi Lambert: 95 performances (39 A, 26 B, 30 C; two A were half-shows)
Courtney Mack: 99.5 performances (25 B, 57.5 H, 17 P)
Keirsten Hodgens: 107 performances total. 104 on Bway + 3 as emergency cover for Aragon Tour (Bway was 33 S, 25 C, 46 P; Tour was 3 C).
Ayla Ciccone-Burton: 20 performances total. 12 pre-CC + 8 post-CC (pre-CC was 2 B, 3 C, 7 P; post-CC was 2 B, 3 C, 3 P)
Holli’ Conway: 18 performances total. 9 pre-CC + 9 post-CC (pre-CC 3 C, 6 H; post-CC 5 A, 4 H)
Hana Stewart: 2 performances (1 A, 1 P)
2022-23 Broadway
Hailee Kaleem Wright: 27 performances
Leandra Ellis-Gaston: 30 performances
Bella Coppola: 30 performances
Nasia Thomas: 29 performances
Zoe Jensen: 19 performances
Taylor Iman Jones: 29 performances
Kristina Leopold: 2 performances (all as S)
Aubrey Matalon: 9 performances (all as H)
Aragon Tour
Khaila Wilcoxon: 258 performances
Storm Lever: 267 performances
Jasmine Forsberg: 267 performances
Olivia Donalson: 263 performances
Didi Romero: 261 performances
Gabriela Francesca Carrillo: 257 performances
Cassie Silva: 41 performances total. 4 with Broadway + 37 with Aragon Tour (Broadway 3 B, 1 H; Aragon Tour 10 B, 13 C, 14 H)
Kelly Denice Taylor: 29 performances total. 3 with Boy + 26 with Aragon Tour (Bway 3 S; Aragon Tour was 12 A, 7 S, 7 C)
Kelsey Kimmel: 43 performances (16 A, 12 S, 15 P)
Erin Ramirez: 34 performances (9 B, 11 H, 14 P)
Boleyn Tour
Gerianne Perez: 95 performances
Zan Berube: 96 performances
Amina Faye: 89 performances
Terica Marie: 93 performances
Aline Mayagoitia: 91 performances
Sydney Parra: 96 performances
Cecilia Snow: 18 performances (4 A, 11 S, 3 C)
Tay Pearlstein: 13 performances (5 B, 7 H, 1 P)
Jana Larell Glover: 20 performances (5 A, 8 C, 7 P)
Aryn Bohannon: 13 performances (3 B, 4 S, 6 H)
Australia Tour
Phoenix Jackson Mendoza: 270 performances
Kala Gare: 283 performances
Loren Hunter: 291 performances
Kiana Daniele: 269 performances
Chelsea Dawson: 267 performances
Video Makan: 254.5 performances
Karis Oka: 137 performances (13 A, 28 B, 1 S, 26 C, 38 H, 31 P)
Shannen Alyce Quan: 86 performances (9 A, 14 B, 30 S, 2 C, 6 H, 25 P)
Chiara Assetta: 93 performances (29.5 A, 3 B, 3 S, 32 C, 18 H, 6.5 P)
Cristina D’Agostino: 7 performances (all as P)
Madeline Fansler: performances (with Breakaway 3.0: . 16 with Aus Tour: 7 A, 4 S, 5 P)
Actors who primarily continued with their initial productions:
Claudia Kariuki: 293 performances
- 231 pre-CC
- 62 post-CC
Dionne Ward-Anderson: 353 performances
- 269 pre-CC
- 84 post-CC
Roxanne Couch: 178 performances
- Totalling 1 A, 5 B, 61 S, 13 H, 98 P
- 122 pre-CC (1 A, 5 B, 61 S, 13 H, 42 P; two of the P were half performances)
- 56 post-CC as principal Parr
Rachel Rawlinson: 166 performances
- Totalling 44 A, 13 B, 51 S, 29 C, 16 H, 13 P
- 142 pre-CC (40 A, 12 B, 37 S, 29 C, 13 H, 11 P; 1 C + 1 S were mid-show swing-ons)
- 24 post-CC (4 A, 1 B, 14 S, 3 H, 2 P)
Esme Rothero: 153 performances
- Totalling 19 A, 32 B, 19 S, 16 C, 27 H, 40 P
- 129 pre-CC (17 A, 31 B, 19 S, 16 C, 19 H, 27 P)
- 24 post-CC (2 A, 1 B, 8 H, 13 P)
Danielle Rose: 192 performances
- 152 pre-CC (6 A, 51 B, 4 S, 3 C, 87 H, 1 P)
- 40 post-CC (15 B, 21 H, 4 P)
Jennifer Caldwell: 289 performances total
- Totalling 296 as B, 11 H, 3 P
- 21 pre-CC as alt (7 B, 11 H, 3 P)
- 287 post-CC as principal Boleyn
- 2 as E/C Boleyn for West End
Natalie Pilkington: 142 performances total
- Totalling 8 A, 3 B, 65 S, 12 C, 2 H, 52 P
- 130 performances with 22-23 UKT (2 A, 3 B, 64 S, 12 C, 1 H, 48 P)
- 3 performances w 21-22 UKT (1 A, 1 H, 1 P)
- 9 performances as E/C for WE (5 A, 1 S, 3 P)
Standby swings:
Harriet Watson: 78 performances total
- Totalling 2 A, 19 B, 21 S, 14 C, 6 H, 14 P
- 42 performances as alt for the 21-22 UKT (10 B, 11 S, 4 C, 5 H, 12 P)
- 3 performances as E/C on the UKT (3 C)
- 17 performances as E/C for the WE (6 B, 6 S, 2 C, 1 P)
- 6 performances as standby swing for 21-22 WE (2 B, 3 S, 1 H)
- 10 performances as standby swing for 22-23 WE (2 A, 1 B, 1 S, 5 C, 1 P)
Marilyn Caserta: 5-7 performances total
- all as Aragon
- 2-4 Bliss 3.0 (all as A)
- 3 Bway (all E/C as A)
Emergency Covers
Courtney Bowman: 1 performance (WE)
"Five down, I'm the final wife
I saw him to the end of his life
I'm the survivor, Catherine Parr
I bet you wanna know how I got this far
I said I bet you wanna know how we got this far
Hey!"
[Shimali de Silva; Izuka Hoyle; Maiya Quansah-Breed; Anna Uzele; Viquichele Cross; Danielle Steers; Athena Collins; Amelia Walker; Vidya Makan; Megan Leung; Elena Gyasi; Meghan Dawson; Meesha Turner; Alana Maria Robinson; Jarynn Whitney; Joy Woods; Gabriela Francesca Carillo; Aja Simone Baitey; Brennyn Lark; Elena Breschi; Sydney Parra; Roxanne Couch; Taylor Iman Jones; Yoo Ju-hye; Hong Ji-hee; Aoife Haakenson; Amanda Lee; Lauren Mariasoosay; Eloise Lord; Natalia Kujawa; Moniką Veres; Nikolett Gallusz; Janiq Charles; Adriana Scalice; Amelia Atherton]