THE NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS THE BILLY ROSE THEATRE COLLECTION

Transcription

1 THE NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS THE BILLY ROSE THEATRE COLLECTION PACKARD, ALBERT, COSTUME DESIGNS FOR THE ROXY THEATRE AND RADIO CITY MUSIC HALL, 1930 S AND UNDATED *T-VIM EHE, 12/97

2 MAIN ENTRY: TITLE: SIZE: ACCESS: Packard, Albert Costume designs for The Roxy Theatre and Radio City Music Hall, 1930 s and undated 355 designs (3 oversized boxes) Unrestricted SOURCE: Gift of Regina Packard, BIOGRAPHICAL STATEMENT: DESCRIPTION: Albert Packard was the business manager of the costume shop for both the Roxy Theatre and Radio City Music Hall from 1930 until his retirement in The collection consists of costume design drawings in gouache for various Roxyette and Rockette performances as well as for featured performers and the Radio City Corps de Ballet. Most are unsigned, undated and lack titles though research indicates that the bulk of the drawings are from the 1930s.

3 INTRODUCTION The Albert Packard collection of costume designs for the Roxy Theatre and Radio City Music Hall were given to The Billy Rose Theatre Collection of The New York Public Library by Regina Packard in ARRANGEMENT NOTE It appears that most productions were assigned a number which is written on the back of the designs. The lower numbers are for costumes for the Roxyettes and the higher are for the Rockettes. It is in this numerical order that the designs have been arranged. The unnumbered are at the end of the collection, by alphabetical order by designer in the rare case that they are signed, and after that, the unnumbered and unsigned are grouped by like costume i.e. women s long traditional, short ballet, men s, animals, etc. BIOGRAPHICAL/HISTORICAL NOTE ON THE ROXYETTES AND ROCKETTES

4 AND THE THEATERS WHERE THEY PERFORMED Founded in 1925 by Russell Markert as the Missouri Rockets, this troupe of sixteen precision dancers debuted at the Missouri Theatre in St. Louis and were soon touring the country. Their success at the Rivoli Theatre in New York City led to rehearsals for a Broadway show, RAIN OR SHINE, as well as appearances at the Roxy Theatre. To meet the demand, two chorus lines were created, one, renamed the Roxyettes, became the resident performers at the Roxy. The doubling of the line for an Easter show finale was such a hit that a line of 30 to 36 dancers became the norm. The Roxyettes were at Radio City for its opening and have been part of the music hall productions ever since. In 1934, they were renamed the Rockettes. Markert directed the troupe until retiring in The Roxy Theatre at 50 th Street and 7 th Avenue in New York City was New York s most lavish combination movie and stage showplace when it opened in Built by theatrical impresario, Samuel Lionel Rothafel, or Roxy, in an exuberant mix of Renaissance, Gothic and Moorish styles, the theater had three pipe organs raised and lowered on elevators, a 110 piece orchestra, a ballet corps of fifty and a chorus line, the Roxyettes. Ultimately taken over by Rockefeller Center, it was demolished in 1960, sacrificed to Rockefeller Center s expansion. On December 27, 1932 Roxy Rothafel opened Radio City Music Hall. Now a part of Rockefeller Center and designated a national historic landmark, the entire Art Deco theater was designed as a stylized representation of a sunrise. The opening show had nineteen acts and lasted for five hours. Subsequently the format was changed to feature film debuts with live shows of fifty minutes. This theater still has the famous chorus line of high-kicking Rockettes, and until the 1970s, had a ballet corps as well. Roxy resigned from its management in 1934 and died in Albert Packard was the business manager for the costume shop of the Roxy Theatre and Radio City Music Hall from 1930 until his retirement in It was he who saved this collection of costume design drawings which were given to the library by his family some years after his death in SCOPE AND CONTENT NOTE

5 The Roxy Theatre and Radio City Music Hall costume design drawings executed in gouache provide detailed and colorful documentation of many Roxyette and Rockette performances. Most of the materials are unsigned, undated and lack titles, though some character names are given making the stories recognizable for Alice in Wonderland, Hansel and Gretel, Madame Butterfly and Scheherazade among others. Some designs are labelled for the Christmas or Easter shows. The collection also includes costumes for individual featured performers such as Patricia Bowman and for the Radio City Corps de Ballet. The designs have penciled notations on fabric type, and sometimes, the names of the chorus line performers. Some have fabric swatches attached. Monte Montadoro drew the designs for Alice in Wonderland and some others. Box List Box 1: All Roxy Theatre or Roxyettes, numbered 4-43 includes Alice in Wonderland (#34) Patricia Bowman (#35, 36 and 39) one date given, 1933 Box 2: numbered Roxyettes: Scheherazade (#46) Glory of Easter (#59) Madame Butterfly (#63) 1 st Rockette (#84) Hansel and Gretel (#87) one date given, 1938 Box 3: numbered and unnumbered no number, but a letter code--large group of Spanish/Italian style, religious processional signed Guy Kent for O Halloran s Luck signed Mostaller signed SonderRine unsigned, unnumbered, grouped by costume type

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