About the costume design of the mousetrap
The costumes of the mousetrap are faithful to the play’s portrayal of the time in the 50’s epoch. However, director Miika Muranen and I wanted the clothes to be slightly elevated from everyday realism, because the idea that the murder would take place in a seemingly perfect milieu on the surface, among perfectly stylish people, seemed intriguing among the design team. At the same time, the viewer would be bathed in the fairytale-like, even fashion-image-like aesthetics of the 50s, where the post-war emphasis on coziness and soft shapes creates a sense of security, while murder cracks in that slightly too harmonious winter afternoon.
A blizzard outside and a treacherous world far away until the atmosphere turns completely around when the fact dawns on you that the murderer is most likely one of the inhabitants inside the mansion. With set designer Katariina Kirjavainen, we wanted the costumes and set design to be combined precisely by the fact that the details are carefully thought out, down to the colours, materials and proportions, and that the reddish-brown set design with the scent of wood and fireplace clearly draws out the characters, but also hides them when necessary.
In addition to the 50s, the text of the play ties the costumes to a certain time of the year, midwinter. In the story, a possible murderer has been seen in advance and certain characteristics have been given about him, so this had to be taken into account in the costume design. Because the set design is quite rich and full, the costumes were deliberately left as clear silhouettes and there are quite a few patterns on the clothes to help bring out the characters. I wanted distinctive colors for several characters, because the set design is dark in its color scheme. I believe that the elevated realism of the Mousetrap costumes is made by high-quality and authentic materials and the fact that the costumes are deliberately without the more visible patina of time or dirt.
The costumes of Hiirenlouku were not only created by searching for suitable costumes from the costume storage, but most of the men’s costumes, for example, were made in the theatre’s sewing shop. The problem with vintage suit jackets is that they very rarely fit modern people. For example, the length of the sleeve is almost invariably shorter in old jackets, because people in the last century have been smaller in size. Women’s authentic vintage clothes are also impossible for theatrical use, as the original decades-old materials may be brittle over time and would not last the wear and tear of the theatre’s performance season. In addition to the materials, the overall picture of the costumes is also affected by the chosen color palette of the costumes.
When the rehearsals began in the autumn, the actors began to rehearse in their costumes, but the hairstyles and make-up did not come into the picture until the preparatory rehearsals. This practical fact usually proves that costumes cannot do their best without the epochal hairstyles and make-up of the era. The hairstyles and make-up designed by make-up artist Henri Karjalainen paint a memorable and impressive cavalcade of characters in Mousetrap.
-Laura Dammert, costume designer