Great Britain’s leading theatre designer from the early 1930s to the mid 1950s, Oliver Messel (1904-1978) won international acclaim for his lavish, painterly and poetic designs informed by period styles. His work spans ballet, drama, film, musical, opera and revue. Messel’s traditional style of theatre design became unfashionable from the mid 1950s onwards, and he increasingly concentrated on painting, interior and textile design, including designing luxury homes in the Caribbean.

Messel’s first work on Broadway was Peter Glenville’s production of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet at the Broadhurst Theatre, New York, 1951. His costumes and sets were inspired by Italian Renaissance painting and were faithful to the conventions of an Elizabethan stage. The New York critics found the designs colourful and atmospheric, but the direction received mixed reviews. The production ran for forty-nine performances.

The Prince of Verona wants to be put a stop to the feud between the Montague and Capulet families. He is dressed in a suit of armour with an orange-red cloak. Messel’s design shows front and back views of the costume to assist costume makers.