Get yourself over to the Nederlander Theatre to see Amazing Grace for the experience of hearing Erin Mackey’s gorgeous, soaring soprano and seeing the stunning gowns she wears while she sings.
The Chaplin, Anything Goes & Wicked alum stars as Mary Catlett, a progressive British socialite who finds herself in a love triangle with Josh Young’s John Newton & Chris Hoch’s Major Gray.
Below, Erin Mackey takes us backstage to get a closer look at each of her beautiful and elaborate Toni-Leslie James gowns and provide some LOLs with the captions.
Mary At The Docks
All of my costumes require panniers (the “big side hip” looking things), a corset and a petticoat for my undergarments. My first look is “Mary At The Docks.” It’s a gorgeous jacket with a double skirt all in autumnal colors (and I have another skirt underdressed, heavy!). The fur muff I’m wearing got cut in the Chicago out of town tryout, but it has a dedicated place on the props shelf still, so I thought I’d wear it anyways for the picture. Toni-Leslie James (our FABULOUS costume designer) makes me feel like a million bucks.
Mary At Home
My next look is “Mary At Home.” I call this incredibly beautiful, feminine, intricate dress, Mary’s equivalent of a Juicy Couture tracksuit—just her "hanging out at home” outfit. The pink ruffle detail in the front is a work of art. Excuse the strange pose by the red pole—I was trying to be creative :-/
Mary At The Christmas Ball
Then, “Mary At The Christmas Ball." The roses on this dress are individually handmade. It’s crazy. Also, this is the time in the show where I take a candy stash from our sweet wardrobe supervisors, Robert and Michael. All in a day’s work…
Mary Tries To Catch A Husband/(Secretly Spy On) Major Gray
Next, “Mary Tries To Catch A Husband/(Secretly Spy On) Major Gray” dress. Technically, my “mom” (played by Elizabeth Ward Land seen photo-bombing this picture) is supposed to have “made” my dresses in the show. Clearly, she outdid herself on this one to make sure I got a high-class man. Between the pink bows, the trim, the tassels et al. I feel like a cupcake—in the best way.
Mary Goes To St. Mary’s Church
Time for the second act…First dress up, “Mary Goes To St. Mary’s Church” (no relation). A sage green delight, and the lace on the sleeves is like snowflakes—gorgeous. And it weighs almost nothing compared to my other dresses so that’s a nice perk…excuse my demon eyes.
Cape Mary
My favorite cape that goes on over my “St. Mary’s” dress. It’s simply stunning. I have several capes in the show and this is my favorite. Also, demon eyes...
Mary Goes To The Prison/Writes A Letter
Almost there…second to last costume…a lavender spring dress for “Mary Goes To The Prison/Writes A Letter." My current favorite (though it’s almost impossible to choose). This is me taking a break on Josh Young’s couch while he’s onstage since he has the dressing room closest to the stage. And this is what I always look like when I rest….not….).
Mary Goes To The Guild Hall To Give the Prince A Piece Of Her Mind
And last costume! “Mary Goes To The Guild Hall To Give the Prince A Piece Of Her Mind” dress. Gold, cream, and silver. The bodice is to die for and I particularly love the “hair jewelry” I get to wear. (Note: Elizabeth Ward Land is the photo-bombing queen and my dear cast mate, Vince Oddo, is clearly trying to get to his quick change while we are goofing off…). And, thank you to my ROCKSTAR dresser, Marissa Marlborough, for taking pictures for me throughout the show and for making sure I go onstage with everything hooked, snapped and tied, so that Toni-Leslie James’s costumes can shine!
Get front row seats to the Erin Mackey fashion show at ‘Amazing Grace’, running at Broadway’s Nederlander Theatre.
