Gypsy Robe
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Gypsy Robe is a ritual robe used for the opening of a Broadway Musical.
The ritual dates to 1950, when a chorus member in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes sent a dressing gown from one of his fellow performers to a friend at Call Me Madam. The robe continued to be passed from one show to another, each time with a memento added on.
The ritual is now more formal, with rules about how it is presented, worn, and displayed. When robes are full of artifacts, a new robe is started. Retired robes are kept at the Lincoln Center library, at the Smithsonian, and at Actors' Equity.
[edit] External links
- Who are Gypsies? at the Actors' Equity Web site -- background on "gypsies" and the Gypsy Robe
- Broadway's Gypsy Robe at City Lore
