Costume Design
1971 (made)
Artist/Maker | |
Place of origin |
Cynthia Tingey trained at the Regent Street Polytechnic where she won a medal for theatre design. She began working in the theatre in 1952. Her career included a five-year period as house designer for the theatrical costumiers, Bermans, as well as work on West End productions, department store exhibitions, and designs for over fifty films, but it was as a costume designer for pantomime, variety and cabaret that she became best known. She designed 15 of the London Palladium's annual Christmas pantomimes, providing costumes for well-known artistes such as Arthur Askey, Cilla Black, Cliff Richard and Tommy Steele. Throughout the 1950s, '60s and '70s she was responsible for the costumes for cabarets at many of the major London nightclubs and hotels, and she also designed summer variety shows, ranging from the London Palladium's extravaganzas to seaside specials at Blackpool and Great Yarmouth.
Object details
Categories | |
Object type | |
Materials and techniques | Pen and ink and gouache on paper |
Brief description | Design by Cynthia Tingey for the Ugly Sisters in Cinderella, London Palladium, 1971 |
Physical description | Design for the Ugly Sisters in Cinderella, showing two full length female figures. The left hand figure is tall and thin and wears a full length, low cut evening dress, the white skirt overlaid with long hanging strips of yellow material, each ending in a yellow tassel, the yellow bodice trimmed with tassels round the neck and hanging yellow strips ending with tassels at the shoulders. Her hair is decorated with jewels, a yellow ribbon and tall yellow feathers to accentuate her height. The right hand figure is short and dumpy and wears a vast yellow, full length, low cut evening dress, the hem and shoulders decorated with layers of yellow scallops, and a jewelled hair decoration to which is attached a yellow feather. The background is painted in grey-brown gouache. The design is signed and dated and on the reverse is inscribed with the names of the actors and the pantomime. |
Dimensions |
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Production type | Unique |
Marks and inscriptions |
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Credit line | Given by the artist |
Object history | This is one of a collection of designs for pantomime and cabaret, given to the Theatre Museum by the designer, Cynthia Tingey, who created the costumes for 15 of the annual London Palladium pantomimes. This design was made for the pantomime, Cinderella, at the London Palladium, 21 December 1971. The production was directed by Albert J. Knight. The Ugly Sisters, here called Teresa and Julia Hardup, were played by Terry Scott (Teresa) and Julian Orchard (Julia). Historical significance: An example of pantomime costume design of the second half of the 20th century and of the work of a designer who specialised in pantomime and variety design. It is also an example of a design for a pantomime dame. |
Subjects depicted | |
Literary reference | Cinderella |
Summary | Cynthia Tingey trained at the Regent Street Polytechnic where she won a medal for theatre design. She began working in the theatre in 1952. Her career included a five-year period as house designer for the theatrical costumiers, Bermans, as well as work on West End productions, department store exhibitions, and designs for over fifty films, but it was as a costume designer for pantomime, variety and cabaret that she became best known. She designed 15 of the London Palladium's annual Christmas pantomimes, providing costumes for well-known artistes such as Arthur Askey, Cilla Black, Cliff Richard and Tommy Steele. Throughout the 1950s, '60s and '70s she was responsible for the costumes for cabarets at many of the major London nightclubs and hotels, and she also designed summer variety shows, ranging from the London Palladium's extravaganzas to seaside specials at Blackpool and Great Yarmouth. |
Collection | |
Accession number | S.71-1999 |
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Record created | April 12, 2000 |
Record URL |
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