Ah, Wilderness! Revised Concept Concept

Ah, Wilderness! by playwright Eugene O’Neill explores the naïveté of middle-class society in turn-of-the-century America by placing a series of relationships between family members and lovers in an idyllic Victorian world of propriety. Instead of dealing with and talking about the issues of drunkenness, gambling and rebellion, the family chooses to ignore their problems and believe in the best in everybody. When the young lovers experience their first major altercation, the young man turns to alcohol and loose women to deal with his rejection, leading to his temporary fall from grace.

The costumes reflect turn-of-the-century Victorian ideals of innocence as well as the separation between genders. In Victorian society, the men were expected to be stolid and sedate, while the women fluttered around them like gilded butterflies. The men are the solemn heads of the household and make all the decisions, while the women are innocent and “fluffy”, like pieces of chiffon. To reflect this contrast between gender roles, the split complementary color system of blue, yellow, and red-violet will be used. The older men are calm and stoic in their dark navy suits, with the younger men, especially Richard, in lighter ocean blues. Richard’s costume stands out from the rest of the men’s by incorporating touches of rich chestnut brown. Tommy, the youngest, is in white with touches of light baby blue. The men’s costumes have a sharp, tailored and structured line to give them the appearance of solidity.

The older women are painted in darker yellows, with the younger women in white frilly dresses with pops of bright yellow. The chiffon and lightweight cotton dresses float with their movement and give them an airy quality. The line for the women is flowing and curved, like the waves in loose hair. In the second act, Belle is dressed in black and red-violet, making her completely separate from the “innocent” ideals held by the rest of the women. The costumes should reflect the separation between the genders as well as depict the age differences between characters.