Show Curtains

[Gypsy9]

When I walk into a theatre I feel like I am in a special space.In pre-1990 theatre the house curtain, made of rich brocade or velvet- like material was always down, standing as a border between the here and now and the delights lying behind the curtain.One could look around and admire the architecture and murals. Then the house lights would dim and the overture would start and sometimes the house curtain would then go up revealing a show curtain that was sometimes a scrim so that at the end of the overture the back lighting of the scrim/showcurtain would reveal the actors for the first time. Show curtains such as these were not used in all shows.I remember the first one I saw was in 1958's GOLDILOCKS which had sumptuous sets and costumes (and Elaine Stritch).Beginning in the 1990's it was rare to see the house curtain, although the Shubert's beautiful house curtain was used for CRAZY FOR YOU in the 1990's, remaining in place until the end of the overture.
NOw show curtains are in place, front lit, from the time the audience comes into the theatre,usually revealing some aspect of the show one is about to see. Personally I prefer the old way, with the house curtain in place until the overture begins(if indeed there is an overture).

An innovation for its time was the opening of Gower Champion's CARNIVAL(1961). When the audience arrived it saw no house or show curtain, but rather a bare, dark stage. Ever so slowly the stage lights would brighten, revealing the cast setting up the carnival just as a traveling circus would do in the early morning.Only then would the overture begin, leading directly into the action of the first scene. It was magical. One should buy the CD to hear in their prime Jerry Orbach, Anna Maria Alberghetti, and Kaye Ballard. It received rave reviews. CARNIVAL deserves to be revived.

[MistressoftheHouse]

This is a bit of a threadjack, and I'm probably asking for trouble here, but I'm going to do it anyway.

I know it's horribly illegal to take pictures of a show. I have never done that, nor would I. But what's the policy on these curtain pics? Probably still illegal, but just a little more PC? Seeing pictures posted here with disclaimers are what made me think about it.

[James2]

Did The Threepenny Opera have a curtain?

[AshleyBrownFan123]

More pics please!


I love the Drowsy curtain.

[ben1986]

Does anyone have a pic of the original Evita curtain or the curtain of the revival in London. I know that the original curtain had a montage of people on it from the workers to descamisados.

[AshleyBrownFan123]

Does anyone have a pic of the following curtains?:
Millie
Seusical
Sound Of Music revival
Lion King
Into The Woods revival
Gypsy w/Bernadette

[vmlinnie]

I love this thread, really good idea.

I personally love show curtains, the atmosphere the theatre gets from them, the whole scene. And yes, I love a good old fashioned overture too!

However, for some reason, My favourite shows are probably Billy Elliot and Les Mis, and neither really has a curtain. Mary Poppins has a great one, and so does Wicked. Miss Saigon I can't remember, I think it was just those blinds that they used on the sides and back of the stage, but I do remember liking it.

[jv92]

The original curtain from Hal Prince's production of Evita was breathtaking. It's in a book on Andrew Lloyd Webber. There's a great chapter n Evita.

[BJC899]

I don't have pictures. BUT.

The ITW revival curtain was like a shelf in a bookcase. It was the side of each of the stories covered in the show. it really tied in the sets.

The Sound of Music revival was a red curtain with a snowglobe?

[firescape]

Every Les Mis production I have seen on Broadway and tour had a scrim with the Les Mis girl on it. I saw Miss Saigon in NYC at the Broadway theater and it was only a red curtain.

[morosco]

[morosco]

42nd Street revival.

[morosco]

I think the show curtain for Epic Proportions takes the cake!

[RentBoy86]

I don't get the Evita one. Is it suppose to look like a person?

[ben1986]

Thanks for the pic, I think te original broadway show had a different design. This one though I found confusing, I mean there really is no over arching them from Evita. It looks more like a collage of people who were second nature to the show.

[morosco]

"...I think te original broadway show had a different design..."

I think so too. I don't remember what the Broadway Evita curtain looked like. I don't think I like this one as it seems so out of character with the rest of the design of the show. I remember seeing this from the tour of the show about 10 years ago. It wasn't as bright as it appears here. This looks like it might be the designer's rendering. It was very dimly lit as the audience entered the theatre if I recall correctly.

[Julian2]

LOVE the Little Women Show Curtain

[CATSNYrevival]

I despised that evita show curtain. For the recent tour it was that brightly lit and even more hideous in person. It would definitely make my list of ugliest show curtains ever.

[alterego]

GYPSY9 That first paragraph of yours is so evocative of theatre going in my past it made me smile. Thank you.

Morosco, what is Epic Proportions. The curtain is brilliant!

[morosco]

Now I'm more confused. This is a detail of the Natalie Toro tour of EVITA show curtain which looks nothing like the one I originally posted.

[morosco]

alterego: Here's a review of Epic Proportions which will shed some light on it's plot. Not a good show, btw.
New York Times

[alterego]

Morosco, I've just dragged out my original London (197 Evita program and the illustration on the back cover is of the Tim O'Brian showcurtain however, the bottom third of the curtain is different. Similar but the figures are in different poses.

[RentBoy86]

The first one - the collage - is the same curtain I saw when I saw the tour last Febuary. I didn't get it then, and I still don't. What's the London revival curtain look like?

[javertim]

A couple years back, the touring company of Kopit and Yeston's Phantom had a really awesome curtain. Somewhat similar to Wicked's curtain (I was immedidately put in mind of the Phantom curtain when I saw Wicked), it showed a cross-section of the Paris Opera with the various floors of the theatre and the mass of the cellars beneath the playhouse. I'm pretty sure it was a painted scrim, too, so during the overture parts of it were backlit and showed the inner workings of the theatre and such. I loved it!

[James2]

How do you post a picture?

[Yero]

Just paste the URL into the message.