The Caribbean term 'play mas' (meaning to participate in a parade or carnival ) originated when enslaved people in the Caribbean, predominantly from West Africa, started to satirise the elaborate 'mas' or masquerades of 18th century plantation owners. Banned from practising their religion and traditions in day-to-day life, the enslaved incorporated their African culture into the characters they dressed up as whilst dancing, singing and playing (improvised) musical instruments. After the abolition of slavery in 1834, carnival took to the streets and formerly enslaved people celebrated their freedom and commemorated their ancestors.

Mustapha Matura's satirical play, tracing the rise to power of a tailor's apprentice, is a political comedy, set at carnival-time during the Independence celebrations. It examines the effects of Trinidadian independence, the importance of carnival in Caribbean culture and how it can be appropriated by the state. Matura (b.1939) was born in Trinidad but came to England in 1961. His first full-length play As Time Goes By was staged at Edinburgh's Traverse Theatre Club in 1971 and The Royal Court Theatre Upstairs. Play Mas opened at the Royal Court on 10th July 1974, winning that year's Evening Standard Award for Matura as the Most Promising Playwright, and transferred to the West End opening at the Phoenix Theatre on 21st August. Designer Peter Minshall (b.1941) is one of the most important contemporary designers of carnival costumes and bands, using the form to comment on general or social conditions. He was born in Guyana but moved to Trinidad as a small child and designed costumes for carnival even before he left school, after which he studied theatre design at London's Central School of Art and Design. While his designs for Play Mas captured the riotous extravagance of carnival, they also posed the question: 'If carnival and playing mas can change the character of the wearer then what effect would such a costume have on whoever chooses it?'

The cloak uses a mix of lurex fabrics decorated with a wild selection of objects such as might be used in carnival costumes from bottle tops to budgerigar mirrors often found objects that will catch the light and make the costume alive.