Costume worn by Dominic Moon in the title role of a dance production of Edward Scissorhands. The production was directed by Matthew Bourne and designed by Lez Brotherston, 2005.

S.2332:1-2014 - Body Stocking

Full length mottled dark brown body stocking, undergarments on a lycra base which fits closely to the body from the shoulder up to, and including, the feet. The bodice has a ‘v’ shaped neckline at the front and a round neckline at the rear. It fastens at the centre back with a long covered vertical plastic YKK zip some 59cms in length.

The unitard is printed in graduated tones of brown, with dark brown tones used for the body and legs and lighter tones used for the feet and lower arms.
The sleeves fit closely to the arms and are padded, with decorative top stitching used to create raised sections resembling flames. This decoration all align with that one the over-garment but the two-part construction allows greater freedom of movement.

Sections of pale brown net have been inserted into the base of the sleeves, just above the wrist. Each sleeve ends in a hook to fix over a digit to hold the sleeve taught under the gloves.
Angled panels of thick brown corduroy have been added to the side hip and rear ‘seat’ of the unitard.

The body stocking is largely plain, but semi-circular gold and silver metal ‘D’ shaped hoops have been added to the rear and front shoulder line. Six at the front and six at the rear. A further twelve hoops have been added at the hip and upper thigh of the body suit, framing the top and base of the corduroy panel. Two layers of the costume are laced together using elasticated cord which runs through this series of hoops at the hips and shoulders.

S.2332:2-2014 - Body Suit

Sleeveless leather bodysuit on a net ground. Unlined. The bodysuit encloses the chest and legs of the wearer with a semi-circular cut out at the hip and upper thigh. It is designed to fit over and lace to the body stocking worn underneath, continuing the decoration used on this undergarment and giving the viewer the impression that it is one piece. This outer body suit is covered with brown leather patches to give the illusion that it is made from an old sofa.

The bodice and leg covers are joined at the crotch and waist. The bodice laces closed at the centre front with 22 pairs of metal eyelets and stiff brown cotton laces.
Both the net ground and leather panels are dark brown in tone. The leather panels are appliquéd in layered sections. They have been decorated with oversized stitches embroidered in cream thread which has been used to outline further details on the bodice.

The leg sections are also secured with lacing and feature curved cut outs at the knees. Texture has been added to the leather panels with top stitching and oversized cream and brown embroidery.

Lines of semi-circular metal hoops have also been used to at the knee, hip and upper thigh. These hoops were used when lacing this outer suit to the body stocking worn beneath.

S.2332:3-2014 - Gauntlet (right)

Pale brown leather glove onto which five halves of scissors made in fibreglass have been mounted. Only one blade and handle of each of the scissors have been attached to the glove. The blade length and handle design of each of the scissors are different in style (with one maroon, two black and two silver in colour). The glove has a leather ground onto which wide panels of dark brown Velcro have been stitched (providing a point at which to attach the wrist support). The fingertips and upper hand of the gloves are enclosed within metal panels. Coiled metal springs and metal loops have been used to join the scissor blades to these metal panels.

S.2332:4-2014 - Gauntlet (left)

Pale brown leather glove onto which five pairs of fibreglass scissors have been mounted. Only one blade (supported on a metal rod) and handle of each of the scissors have been attached to the glove. The blade length and handle design of each of the scissors are different in style (with one maroon, two black and two silver in colour). The glove has a leather ground onto which wide panels of dark brown Velcro have been stitched (providing a point at which to attach the wrist support). The fingertips and upper hand of the gloves are enclosed within metal panels. Coiled metal springs and metal loops have been used to join the scissor blades to these metal panels.

S.2332:5-2014 - Wrist support (right)

Cone shaped wrist support, formed from leather, fibreglass and Velcro, with metal detailing. The support fits closely to the wrist and is formed from panels of fibreglass, one panel being textured (with a finish resembling wood) and the other smooth and dull gold in tone. The fit of the wrist support can be adjusted with the three dark brown leather straps which run around the exterior of the support. These are secured with Velcro and feature decorative metal studs.

When designing the costume Brotherston and the dancers worked with a physiotherapist to find ways in which the weight of the gloves would not damage the wrists of the performer. These wrist supports were created to help mitigate the strain the long blade trimmed gloves placed on the dancer’s hands and wrists.

S.2332:6-2014 - Wrist support (left)

Cone shaped wrist support, formed from leather, fibreglass and Velcro, with metal detailing. The support fits closely to the wrist and is formed from panels of fibreglass, one panel being textured (with a finish resembling wood) and the other smooth and dull gold in tone. The fit of the wrist support can be adjusted with the three dark brown leather straps which run around the exterior of the support. These are secured with Velcro and feature decorative metal studs.

S.2332:7-2014 - Trainer (right)

One of a pair of black split sole air cushioned dance trainers, made in China for Capezio. The trainers have been painted a dark brown and have a thick moulded sole which has been deliberately flattened at the front toe. They are formed from synthetic fabrics, with a net upper, and secure with a pair of thick laces.

S.2332:8-2014 - Trainer (left)

One of a pair of black split sole air cushioned dance trainers, made in China for Capezio. The trainers have been painted a dark brown and have a thick moulded sole which has been deliberately flattened at the front toe. They are formed from synthetic fabrics, with a net upper, and secure with a pair of thick laces.

Given by the designer

This costume originates from a dance production of Edward Scissorhands produced by Matthew Bourne and designed by Lez Brotherston. It was created for Bourne’s company, New Adventures, and first performed at Sadler’s Wells, London, on 22 November 2005. The production was designed by Bourne’s regular designer, Lez Brotherston, with Howard Harrison as lighting designer and Paul Groothuis as sound designer. The costume was made by Phil Reynolds/Costumes and worn by Dominic Moon.

Matthew Bourne’s production was inspired by the 1990 Tim Burton film and over the period 1997 and 2004 Bourne gained permissions from screenwriter, Caroline Thompson, film score composer, Danny Elfman, and Burton to create his dance, the narrative of which is similar. The score by Terry Davies incorporated material by Elfman from the film.

The production is set in the 1950s (rather than the film's 1980s) but tells a Frankenstein-like narrative of a boy created with only scissors for hands. The boy is orphaned when he frightens his creator and moves away from his Gothic castle when he is adopted by Peg Bloggs. The action moves to a ‘Desperate Housewives’ suburbia where Edward's loneliness increases further as he comes to be viewed as 'the freak' who wants to be human.

Bourne and Brotherston were determined not simply to replicate the film onstage and chose to put more of Edward’s backstory on stage. Instead of Edward wearing Gothic black. his costume is brown and the idea is that he is made from things found around a home. The 2005 Sadler’s Wells programme quotes Brotherston as saying ‘we’ve created an anatomical figure out of old brown leather that is stitched together.’ When creating the costume Brotherston and the dancers worked with a physiotherapist to find ways in which the weight of the gloves would not damage the wrists of the performer. These wrist supports were created to help mitigate the strain that the long blade-trimmed gloves placed on the dancer’s hands and wrists. Discussing the designs further in Time Out, London 23 -30 November 2005 (p.20), Brotherston said: ‘We had to find a logic for why he looks the way he does. So we decided that his inventor created him from the things around him, and the material comes from the brown leather sofa.’ In reply to the question ‘And how do you transform soft furnishings into a human?', he replied ‘Somehow you have to incorporate the muscles and then elasticate them.’

During the original rehearsal period workshops were held to discover how to manipulate the hands. ‘Prototypes were too heavy and clunky or too light-weight and breakable’ but eventually fibreglass blades supported by a central rod were made that, according to one of the roles creators, Sam Archer, were ‘amazingly responsive, flickering lethally with the subtlest of gestures…They have personality, they express emotion. The tiniest twitch is enlarged as the blades catch the light. Sometimes, nothing on stage is moving except the hands.’

S.2332:1 to 8-2014