Go Behind the Seams of The Great Gatsby's Broadway Costumes With Dresser Kimberly Lennox
Dresser Kimberly Lennox reveals how Eva Noblezada’s dazzling Daisy wardrobe stays pristine through quick changes and eight shows a week
What to Know
- Behind the scenes of The Great Gatsby on Broadway, dresser Kimberly Lennox maintains Eva Noblezada’s Daisy Buchanan costumes while executing seamless quick changes
- Lennox keeps the production’s intricate, Tony-winning costumes pristine, managing delicate white dresses and wear from sweat, makeup and eight performances a week
- Quick-change precision is key, with techniques like magnetized necklaces and pre-set gowns ensuring fast, flawless transformations that support the show’s Jazz Age spectacle
One of the many dazzling components of The Great Gatsby on Broadway are the Tony-winning costumes. The Jazz Age musical does not skimp on spectacle and Linda Cho's creations are no exception, with a glittering parade of beaded flapper dresses, showgirl plumage and three-piece suits. It takes a talented backstage crew to make sure the costumes continue to sparkle. The Broadway Show correspondent Perry Sook spoke with Daisy dresser Kimberly Lennox about the ins and outs of maintaining Eva Noblezada's onstage wardrobe.
Lennox has worked on The Great Gatsby since it opened on Broadway in 2024. Noblezada was an original cast member and returned to the production in March. "We just have a vibe and we know what each other's thinking," Lennox says of working with Noblezada. "We'll literally look at each other and say the same thing at the same time. There's no greater thing and I feel so lucky. The same went with my other girls, Aisha Jackson and Sarah Hyland. They were both so wonderful. I've felt so lucky to have such incredible leading ladies.”
From F. Scott Fitzgerald’s description of the stifled socialite in his novel to the subsequent film adaptations, Daisy is a character often associated with striking sartorial choices. As such, her stage incarnation is costumed in a series of intricately assembled ensembles, some of which appear fleetingly. “She has a different shoe change for every costume,” shares Lennox. “One of my favorite pieces is a coat that gets put on her when she's leaving. It's so stunning and you only get to see it for a quick second.”
The primary challenge for Lennox is keeping Daisy’s ivory frocks in pristine condition. “She has two white dresses, which is the biggest nightmare I could ever think of. For eight shows, there's sweat, makeup that gets on it, so I'm making sure they're clean all the time. I know all the other dressers on Broadway have the same problem with anything white.” Another challenge is navigating Daisy’s quick change. “She's only in three dresses in Act One and there's usually seven to eight minutes in between those numbers. Then in Act Two, we have one quick change when she changes out of this debutante dress into her plaza dress.”
Two years into the gig, Lennox has Daisy’s quick change on lock. She runs through the process: “Her necklace is magnetized so that it doesn't tangle. I hang up her dress—I make sure the belt is all the way out, so that when she steps through it, it doesn't get stuck. I hang it facing me, because I take it off the hanger and I hand it to her, so that way it's ready to go. Then this shawl goes over top, it's the last thing I put on her.”
Broadway audiences may not see the work that goes on behind the scenes, but they do get to witness the fruits of the costume crew’s labor when the cast takes to the stage. “They're beaded, they're gorgeous. They're dancing so hard in them that the beads go flying off almost every night. But everyone just looks stunning," Lennox says. "It's this huge spectacle, and I feel so incredibly lucky to get to work with it every single day.”
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