This is not Paul Tazewell’s first trip down the yellow brick road. “I’ve probably done five, six productions of The Wiz,” he says, of the cult 1974 adaptation of L. Frank Baum’s classic novel, for which he won a Primetime Emmy for its live TV production in 2016. “I did my first production when I was in high school,” he adds, grinning. “It means I have been immersed in this culture and the world of The Wizard of Oz for such a long time.”
The Oscar-nominated and Tony Award-winning costume designer, has now spun his magic on the movie adaptation of Wicked. It is perhaps one of the more famous chapters in the universe of The Wizard of Oz; based on the novel by Gregory Maguire and the blockbuster stage musical. Tazewell’s knowledge of, and reverence for, the source material, undoubtedly made him the ideal candidate for the job.
We speak the day after its European premiere in London, where the emerald-green carpet was populated by scores of fans in pink tulle or black pointed hats and brooms. So how does an esteemed costume designer, perhaps most famous for innovating original costumes – like his award-winning work on Hamilton – approach such established cultural characters?
Up first was probably one of the The Wizard of Oz’s most iconic sartorial ‘moments’ – the ‘bubble dress’ of Glinda the Good Witch – almost as light and spherical as the orb she famously arrives in. “Oh, the bubble dress, the bubble dress,” Tasewell laughs. “It’s iconic. It is all pink, with butterflies. Very graceful. It’s meant to feel caught in the air or airborne itself.”
“Glinda was probably the most fun to do,” he continues. “Over the two movies I think we did about 25 looks for her. And her clothes were so important. She’s this sartorial expert, if you will – a woman who uses femininity and style and elegance to her advantage.” In one scene, Glinda, played with dizzying relish by a revelatory Ariana Grande, flounces about her university dorm room in a dusty pink gossamer dressing gown that looks almost like candy floss. “Many of her looks are based on Hollywood icons,” Tazewell explains. “Like those 1930s noirs where they wear a lot of teddies. They can be very elegant, but the way she ends up performing with it, it becomes funny and irreverent.”
Our central character, Elphaba, may seem a more straightforward challenge for a costumier – and certainly no one expected a deviation from her cult look: one that may have defined more than any other what we picture when we think of a witch. Yet Tazewell imbued intentionality in his creations for Cynthia Erivo, whom he had previously dressed for the 2019 film Harriet.
“I was inspired by the Wicked Witch from the 1939 MGM Wizard of Oz film and I used that as my springboard,” he says. “Then I set about defining why she’s in black, which is the fact that her mother passed away at a very young age, and so she was in mourning, and just making sure that there’s a tie back to the Wicked Witch of the West. So, her silhouettes reference that as well – more of a turn of the century 1890s shape, albeit it’s still from the lens that feels more contemporary.”
The Wicked Witch in the 1939 ’Wizard of Oz’ film
Tazewell knows the power of costume to tell a story and also to serve as a means by which its central characters develop. “My priority was creating a balance between Elphaba and Glinda, and both are armoured, in a way,” he says. “They dress the way that they, as young women, deal with life.”
With Glinda, he discloses the persona she creates through her clothes and how, as she matures, her hemlines drop. She moves (in a way which will become more pronounced in the second film) into full blown couture, as she evolves into a more symbolic, public figure. For Elphaba, the biggest change occurs in part one.
“Her school uniform is very restrictive and tailored and it’s telling the story about Elphaba very directly – creating a silhouette that’s strong and, although reserved, has a very direct sense of style,” he says. “She is very contained until the last few scenes. Then it is the first time we see any fluidity in her clothes, as she sort of breaks free and…” Defies gravity? I suggest. “Exactly,” he responds, with a knowing smile.
Wicked marks the perfect set piece for Tazewell, the bulk of whose work has been on stage. Adapting one of the most famous Broadway musicals of all time meant the opportunity to mine a familiar world while taking full advantage of the benefits of screen. “There are so many close ups on small details,” he says. “I loved that, being able to be really intricate with what I was creating.” Chief among these details were perhaps some of the most cult accessories – the slippers, the hat, the broom. “You can go into the sort of detail you would never see on stage,” he says, before adding. “Though I like going into that detail anyway, if I’m honest. It’s important world-building.”
Populating this astonishing universe – the vision of director Jon M. Chu and set designer Nathan Crowley – are not just Grande’s Glinda and Erivo’s Elphaba, but a bustling chorus of fantastic characters. Tazewell dressed them all, from the “complete showman” of Jeff Goldblum’s deliciously camp Wizard and the “royal blue palette” of Prince Fiyero, played by Jonathan Bailey. “But it’s impossible to make him look bad,” Tazewell adds.
The result is a movie experience that is a magical feast for the eyes and, Tazewell confirms, “the dream gig” for any costume designer. Enough to finally win him that Oscar? He knocks on the wooden table between us: “You never know…”
