Mary Pettinato of Clarkston already counted added than 900 items of accouterment acclimated in the anniversary assembly of Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol.”
“That includes socks, tights and T-shirts,” says Pettinato, apparel artisan for the show. “There are caroler dresses; the ladies accept petticoats, and girls accept bloomers. The gentlemen carolers abrasion apron coats.”
The best busy apparel are those of the changeable carolers because “there’s so abundant that goes into the bodices, skirts, capes, bonnets and muffs,” the artisan says. “They accept to abrasion dress gloves. It’s a accomplished look.”
Those carolers acceptable admirers in advanced of the date and in the aisles as the comedy runs Nov. 10-Dec. 24 at Meadow Brook Theatre in Rochester Hills.
The Meadow Brook assembly is now in its 36th year. Thomas D. Mahard of Flint allotment as Ebenezer Scrooge, and two bounded accouchement allotment the role of Tiny Tim. Ari Bigelman of Bloomfield Hills and Ethan Sharp of Clarkston anniversary accept several turns as the boy who helps Scrooge acquisition his Christmas spirit.
The casting additionally includes Mark Rademacher of White Lake Township (Ghost of Jacob Marley and the Spirit of Christmas Present); Sara Catheryn Wolf of Grosse Pointe (Spirit of Christmas Past); Brendan Lindberg of Hartland (Spirit of Christmas Future); Tobin Hissong of Dexter and Jean Lyle Lepard of East Lansing as Bob and Mrs. Cratchit; and Chip DuFord of Flushing and Stephanie Nichols of Troy as the blithe Fezziwigs.
Travis Walter, MBT’s aesthetic director, says this is the better casting of the season.
Pettinato addendum that the apparel accept been fabricated or purchased by several altered designers over the years.
“We accept to boring accommodate pieces that abatement apart,” she says. “Sometimes we accept to absolutely clean new apparel from scratch. Last year, we replaced Mr. and Mrs. Fezziwig’s costumes, and this year, they accept new wigs.”
In addition, Scrooge has a new vest, she says. For best of the play, he wears a “cream-colored bathrobe clothes that we replaced six years ago,” explained Pettinato. “Most of his pieces are in abundant shape.”
And there is one new changeable caroler costume.
“We additionally redid Christmas Accomplished this year,” Pettinato says. “In the past, it’s been a adorned nightgown fabricated of cotton. We absitively to cull her aback into the accomplished a little added by giving her a Christmas angel attending to her dress — added flowy and a little beneath time-period specific.”
Pettinato accelerating from Oxford High School in 1989. She formed at MBT for a brace of seasons, from 1993-94, acceptable the breathtaking artist, active backdrop — befitting clue of them and handing them to actors — and actuality a dresser, who takes affliction of them apparel and helps actors get in and out of them.
In 1995 she confused to New York City, area she formed as a chiffonier for bristles years on and off. She formed on the Off-Broadway shows “I Do! I Do!” and “The Boys in the Band,” again formed on Broadway as a chiffonier for the agreeable “Rent” (1996-99), came aback to Detroit for “Footloose” at the Fisher Theatre and the Rockettes at the Fox, again aback to Broadway for “Riverdance” in 2000.
“Then I confused aback home because I was homesick, and I did a abbreviate assignment affairs hockey goalie accessories afore accepting a full-time job at the MBT apparel shop,” she says.
Happily settled, Pettinato has a husband, Jim, a son, Teddy, and a daughter, Rowyn, and has been designing for “A Christmas Carol” the accomplished 11 years. She has been the aboriginal duke (head seamstress) for all shows for the accomplished 15 years, and assists in authoritative and altering all apparel afterwards fittings.
The Meadow Brook Theatre adjustment was accounting and originally staged by Charles Nolte. MBT Associate Administrator Terry W. Carpenter directs this season’s production, with aboriginal choreography by Jan Puffer. Breathtaking architecture is by Peter W. Hicks, lighting by Reid G. Johnson, and complete architecture by Michael Duncan.
• If you go: “A Christmas Carol” runs Nov. 10-Dec. 24 at Meadow Brook Theatre, 2200 N. Squirrel Road, Rochester Hills, on the campus of Oakland University. Tickets are $28-$43 at the Meadow Brook Theatre box office, 248-377-3300 or at Ticketmaster.com. Groups of eight can get accumulation discounts at 248-370-3316.
