ABSTRACT
Just before dress rehearsals of the Broadway show All Shook Up, the creative team decided to rework one of the numbers, changing the chorus in “The Devil in Disguise” from nuns to ladies dressed for church. The choreographer wanted the women to wear little hats that would perch securely on their heads, but also be easy to take on and off during the dance. Although the orchestra would actually provide the sound, the church ladies would beat the hats as if they were tambourines. The milliner built some sturdy hats on a rush commission, flat-crowned with a small brim, reminiscent of tambourines. The designer, David C. Woolard, and the milliner deliberated on the best method to secure the headwear, and finally they decided to use magnets: one in the wig and one in the hat. They did a few trials to ensure they had enough magnet strength to hold, but not so much it pulled off the wig along with the hat. Since the project was on such a tight timeline, the desired hat decoration resembling bells or jingles had to be purchased; there was no time for a custom order. Although actual tambourine jingles at first seemed the obvious choice, they were too difficult to attach to the hats. The final solution was to buy brass discs at a scrap metal store that were thinner than the real jingles, and bend them like tacos. The milliners could then secure them to the hats by putting a strap of ribbon along the bend, giving the illusion of pairs of discs protruding from the hat. Odd, but all in a day’s work for a theatrical accessories artisan.
