Bobby Pearce (designer)
Encyclopedia
Bobby Pearce is a Tony Award
nominated American
costume designer
for stage
, film
and television
.
and the Outer Critics Circle Award
for Outstanding Costume Design for the 2003 production of Taboo starring Boy George
. He also designed; Sign, Sealed, Delivered at the Venetian Hotel in Las Vegas, the award-winning production of The Syringa Tree
(New York and London), the National Tour of Tommy, three gowns for Liza Minnelli
's appearance in Michael Jackson's 30th Anniversary Celebration, The Rosie O'Donnell Show
, (Halloween 1999-2001) and Broadway's Betrayal starring Juliette Binoche
(Associate Costume Designer). In addition he designed the films Let It Snow starring Bernadette Peters
and The Big Gay Musical
. Pearce also designed Chita Rivera
's concert tour Chita, And All That Jazz and Off-Broadway's Behind the Beat starring Vicki Sue Robinson
.
Pearce designed the wigs and costumes for the long running Off-Broadway Hit The Marvelous Wonderettes
which has numerous regional productions. His work has often received critical acclaim, The Washington Post commented that his costume design for L'incoronazione di Poppea at Wolf Trap Opera "makes references to the Italy of Caesar and the Italy of Versace but keeps them in a state of suspended animation. Poppea has clearly enjoyed the ministrations of a 20th century couturier." For Mark Dendy's Altogether Different at the Joyce Theatre in New York his costumes were called "enjoyably splashy and sexy" (The New York Times), "excellent costumes" (The Village Voice) and "a smashing revue parade of 13 separate numbers, all stylishly costumed by Bobby Pearce" (Clive Barnes, The New York Post). Reviews for Taboo include; "What the show does have and could not exist without - is a great sense of style - on top of this come nonstop outlandish, freaky and beautiful costumes" (New York Newsday), and "flagrantly stylish and outrageously sexy" (Ben Brantley, New York Times).
Pearce also designs the costumes for world champion American ice dancers Maia and Alex Shibutani as well as outfits for personal appearances and club acts of numerous celebrities including Bea Arthur, Petula Clark
, Bebe Neuwirth
, Faith Prince
, Larry Gatlin
, Martin Short
, Madeline Kahn
, Elizabeth Ashley
, Cyd Charisse
, Glenn Close
, Sheena Easton
, Leslie Uggams
, Laurie Beechman
and Tracy Ullman. He has designed over 30 gowns for Marla Maples
, many of which have been featured in numerous magazines. His favorite "Diva" to date was the late Gwen Verdon
for whom he designed over a dozen gowns. Pearce also designs the costume for The Big Gay Sketch Show
on The Logo Channel and begins its third season in 2010.
Pearce has a long time association with Rosie O'Donnell
. He has been featured in the magazine "Rosie" and has made over a dozen appearances on The Rosie O'Donnell Show
doing crafts and singing songs with Rosie. He appears as a regular on Rosie Radio (O'Donnell's daily morning radio show) on Sirius and XM Radio.
. He has appeared on television, film and the stage; however, he always had a penchant for design and is very happy with his role behind the scenes. He holds a BA Degree from Barry University
in Miami, and after being offered 17 full scholarships to graduate school, earned his MFA in design from Wayne State University
in Detroit, MI. He was born and raised in Miami and lives in New York City
.
Tony Award
The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes achievement in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ceremony in New York City. The awards are given for Broadway...
nominated American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
costume designer
Costume Designer
A costume designer or costume mistress/master is a person whose responsibility is to design costumes for a film or stage production. He or she is considered an important part of the "production team", working alongside the director, scenic and lighting designers as well as the sound designer. The...
for stage
Theatre
Theatre is a collaborative form of fine art that uses live performers to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place. The performers may communicate this experience to the audience through combinations of gesture, speech, song, music or dance...
, film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
and television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
.
Career
Bobby Pearce (born February 15, 1961) was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Costume DesignTony Award for Best Costume Design
These are the winners and nominees for the Tony Award for Best Costume Design. The award was first presented in 1947 and included both plays and musicals...
and the Outer Critics Circle Award
Outer Critics Circle Award
The Outer Critics Circle Awards are presented annually for theatrical achievements both on and Off-Broadway and were begun during the 1949-1950 theater season. The awards are decided upon by theater critics who review for out-of-town newspapers, national publications, and other media outlets...
for Outstanding Costume Design for the 2003 production of Taboo starring Boy George
Boy George
Boy George is a British singer-songwriter who was part of the English New Romantic movement which emerged in the early 1980s. He helped give androgyny an international stage with the success of Culture Club during the 1980s. His music is often classified as blue-eyed soul, which is influenced by...
. He also designed; Sign, Sealed, Delivered at the Venetian Hotel in Las Vegas, the award-winning production of The Syringa Tree
The Syringa Tree
The Syringa Tree is a deeply personal memory play of a childhood under apartheid. Written and often performed by Pamela Gien it has received excellent reviews in New York and across the USA as well as in London...
(New York and London), the National Tour of Tommy, three gowns for Liza Minnelli
Liza Minnelli
Liza May Minnelli is an American actress and singer. She is the daughter of singer and actress Judy Garland and film director Vincente Minnelli....
's appearance in Michael Jackson's 30th Anniversary Celebration, The Rosie O'Donnell Show
The Rosie O'Donnell Show
The Rosie O'Donnell Show is an Emmy Award-winning American daytime television talk show hosted and produced by actress and comedian Rosie O'Donnell. It aired for six seasons from 1996 to 2002...
, (Halloween 1999-2001) and Broadway's Betrayal starring Juliette Binoche
Juliette Binoche
Juliette Binoche is a French actress, artist and dancer. She has appeared in more than 40 feature films, been recipient of numerous international accolades, is a published author and has appeared on stage across the world. Coming from an artistic background, she began taking acting lessons during...
(Associate Costume Designer). In addition he designed the films Let It Snow starring Bernadette Peters
Bernadette Peters
Bernadette Peters is an American actress, singer and children's book author from Ozone Park, Queens, New York. Over the course of a career that has spanned five decades, she has starred in musical theatre, films and television, as well as performing in solo concerts and recordings...
and The Big Gay Musical
The Big Gay Musical
The Big Gay Musical is a 2009 musical-comedy film directed by Casper Andreas and Fred M. Caruso.The film follows a brief period in the lives of two young, handsome actors starring in a gay-themed musical...
. Pearce also designed Chita Rivera
Chita Rivera
Chita Rivera is an American actress, dancer, and singer best known for her roles in musical theater. She is the first Hispanic woman to receive a Kennedy Center Honors award...
's concert tour Chita, And All That Jazz and Off-Broadway's Behind the Beat starring Vicki Sue Robinson
Vicki Sue Robinson
Vicki Sue Robinson was an American theatre and film actress and singer, closely associated with the disco era of late 1970s pop music; she is most famous for her 1976 hit, "Turn the Beat Around."-Early life and career:...
.
Pearce designed the wigs and costumes for the long running Off-Broadway Hit The Marvelous Wonderettes
The Marvelous Wonderettes
The Marvelous Wonderettes is a musical comedy with a book by Roger Bean. It was recently played off-Broadway at the Westside Theatre in New York. The show, which uses pop songs from the '50s and '60s as a vehicle to tell its story, pays homage to the high school Songleader squads of the 1950s...
which has numerous regional productions. His work has often received critical acclaim, The Washington Post commented that his costume design for L'incoronazione di Poppea at Wolf Trap Opera "makes references to the Italy of Caesar and the Italy of Versace but keeps them in a state of suspended animation. Poppea has clearly enjoyed the ministrations of a 20th century couturier." For Mark Dendy's Altogether Different at the Joyce Theatre in New York his costumes were called "enjoyably splashy and sexy" (The New York Times), "excellent costumes" (The Village Voice) and "a smashing revue parade of 13 separate numbers, all stylishly costumed by Bobby Pearce" (Clive Barnes, The New York Post). Reviews for Taboo include; "What the show does have and could not exist without - is a great sense of style - on top of this come nonstop outlandish, freaky and beautiful costumes" (New York Newsday), and "flagrantly stylish and outrageously sexy" (Ben Brantley, New York Times).
Pearce also designs the costumes for world champion American ice dancers Maia and Alex Shibutani as well as outfits for personal appearances and club acts of numerous celebrities including Bea Arthur, Petula Clark
Petula Clark
Petula Clark, CBE is an English singer, actress, and composer whose career has spanned seven decades.Clark's professional career began as an entertainer on BBC Radio during World War II...
, Bebe Neuwirth
Bebe Neuwirth
Beatrice "Bebe" Neuwirth is an American actress, singer and dancer. She has worked in television and is known for her portrayal of Dr. Lilith Sternin, Dr. Frasier Crane's wife , on both the TV sitcom Cheers , and its spin-off Frasier...
, Faith Prince
Faith Prince
Faith Prince is an American actress and singer known primarily for her work on Broadway. Prince has won the Tony Award as Best Actress in a Musical and received three Tony nominations.-Life and career:...
, Larry Gatlin
Larry Gatlin
Larry Wayne Gatlin is an American country music singer/songwriter. He is perhaps best known for teaming up with his brothers Steve and Rudy in the late 1970s, becoming one of country music's most successful acts of the 1970s and 1980s. Gatlin has had a total of 33 Top 40 singles...
, Martin Short
Martin Short
Martin Hayter Short, CM is a Canadian actor, comedian, writer, singer and producer. He is best-known for his comedy work, particularly on the TV programs SCTV and Saturday Night Live...
, Madeline Kahn
Madeline Kahn
Madeline Kahn was an American actress. Kahn was known primarily for her comedic roles in films such as Paper Moon, Young Frankenstein, Blazing Saddles, What's Up, Doc?, and Clue.-Early life:...
, Elizabeth Ashley
Elizabeth Ashley
Elizabeth Ashley is an American actress who first came to prominence as the ingenue in the Broadway play Take Her, She's Mine, which earned her a Tony Award as Best Featured Actress in a Play.-Early life:...
, Cyd Charisse
Cyd Charisse
Cyd Charisse was an American actress and dancer.After recovering from polio as a child, and studying ballet, Charisse entered films in the 1940s...
, Glenn Close
Glenn Close
Glenn Close is an American actress and singer of theatre and film, known for her roles as a femme fatale Glenn Close (born March 19, 1947) is an American actress and singer of theatre and film, known for her roles as a femme fatale Glenn Close (born March 19, 1947) is an American actress and...
, Sheena Easton
Sheena Easton
Sheena Easton is a Scottish recording artist. Easton became famous for being the focus of an episode in the British television programme The Big Time, which recorded her attempts to gain a record contract and her eventual signing with EMI Records.Easton rose to fame in the early 1980s with the pop...
, Leslie Uggams
Leslie Uggams
Leslie Uggams is an American actress and singer, perhaps best known for her work in Hallelujah, Baby! She is a member of Delta Sigma Theta sorority.-Singing:...
, Laurie Beechman
Laurie Beechman
Laurie Hope Beechman was an American singer. As a performer, she was known for her Broadway performances in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Cats, and Les Misérables...
and Tracy Ullman. He has designed over 30 gowns for Marla Maples
Marla Maples
Marla Maples is an American actress, television personality, and socialite, best known for her marriage to businessman celebrity Donald Trump.- Personal life :...
, many of which have been featured in numerous magazines. His favorite "Diva" to date was the late Gwen Verdon
Gwen Verdon
Gwenyth Evelyn “Gwen” Verdon was an actress and dancer who won four Tony awards for her musical comedy performances. With flaming red hair and an endearing quaver in her voice, Verdon was a critically acclaimed dancer on Broadway in the 1950s and 1960s...
for whom he designed over a dozen gowns. Pearce also designs the costume for The Big Gay Sketch Show
The Big Gay Sketch Show
The Big Gay Sketch Show is an LGBT-themed sketch comedy program that debuted on Logo on April 24, 2007. The series is produced by Rosie O'Donnell and directed by Amanda Bearse. The program was originally titled "The Big Gay Show" but was renamed during production. As the name indicates, the show...
on The Logo Channel and begins its third season in 2010.
Pearce has a long time association with Rosie O'Donnell
Rosie O'Donnell
Roseann "Rosie" O'Donnell is an American stand-up comedian, actress, author and television personality. She has also been a magazine editor and continues to be a celebrity blogger, LGBT rights activist, television producer and collaborative partner in the LGBT family vacation company R Family...
. He has been featured in the magazine "Rosie" and has made over a dozen appearances on The Rosie O'Donnell Show
The Rosie O'Donnell Show
The Rosie O'Donnell Show is an Emmy Award-winning American daytime television talk show hosted and produced by actress and comedian Rosie O'Donnell. It aired for six seasons from 1996 to 2002...
doing crafts and singing songs with Rosie. He appears as a regular on Rosie Radio (O'Donnell's daily morning radio show) on Sirius and XM Radio.
Early life and education
Pearce began his career in show business as a performer. He specialized in musical comedy but is also a classically trained mime and studied with Marcel MarceauMarcel Marceau
Marcel Marceau was an internationally acclaimed French actor and mime most famous for his persona as Bip the Clown.-Early years:...
. He has appeared on television, film and the stage; however, he always had a penchant for design and is very happy with his role behind the scenes. He holds a BA Degree from Barry University
Barry University
Barry University is a private, Catholic university, which was founded in 1940 in Miami Shores, Florida, a suburb north of Downtown Miami. It is part of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Miami....
in Miami, and after being offered 17 full scholarships to graduate school, earned his MFA in design from Wayne State University
Wayne State University
Wayne State University is a public research university located in Detroit, Michigan, United States, in the city's Midtown Cultural Center Historic District. Founded in 1868, WSU consists of 13 schools and colleges offering more than 400 major subject areas to over 32,000 graduate and...
in Detroit, MI. He was born and raised in Miami and lives in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
.
Awards and nominations
- 2004 Tony AwardTony AwardThe Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes achievement in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ceremony in New York City. The awards are given for Broadway...
Nomination for Best Costume Design – Taboo - 2004 Outer Critics Circle AwardOuter Critics Circle AwardThe Outer Critics Circle Awards are presented annually for theatrical achievements both on and Off-Broadway and were begun during the 1949-1950 theater season. The awards are decided upon by theater critics who review for out-of-town newspapers, national publications, and other media outlets...
Nomination for Outstanding Costume Design – Taboo - 2008 New York Innovative Theatre Award NominationNew York Innovative Theatre AwardsThe New York Innovative Theatre Awards were founded in 2004. These annual awards honor excellence in Off-Off-Broadway Theatre and help nurture and promote the Off-Off-Broadway community.-Mission statement:...
for Outstanding Costume Design - The Chaos Theories
External links
- Bobby Pearce official website
- Bobby Pearce at Internet Broadway DatabaseInternet Broadway DatabaseThe Internet Broadway Database is an online database of Broadway theatre productions and their personnel. It is operated by the Research Department of The Broadway League, a trade association for the North American commercial theatre community....
- Bobby Pearce at Internet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie Database is an online database of information related to movies, television shows, actors, production crew personnel, video games and fictional characters featured in visual entertainment media. It is one of the most popular online entertainment destinations, with over 100 million...
- Bobby Pearce at Internet Off Broadway Database
- Bobby Pearce at BroadwayWorld.com