22 Broadway-Inspired Costumes for You To Make This Halloween | Playbill

Halloween on Broadway 22 Broadway-Inspired Costumes for You To Make This Halloween Cheap and simple ideas for theatre fans—whether you’re going solo or as a group.

Though the rest of the world may be excited to don their Baby Shark costumes and dress like ghosts, zombies, and more, Halloween marks the night (well, season, really) for theatre fans to embrace their inner costume designer and create looks inspired by their favorite Broadway characters. At the same time, we know time is tight and not everyone is crafty, so here are 22 easy ideas from some of Broadway’s most popular musicals:

Beetlejuice from Beetlejuice The Musical

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Rob McClure, Kerry Butler, Sophia Anne Caruso, and Alex Brightman Matthew Murphy

What’s scarier than an undead demon?
What you need: It depends on how crafty you want to get, but essentially you want a black-and-white vertical-striped suit. If you can’t find one ready-made, go for some white pants and a white blazer and a black fabric marker (or you can do the reverse with black pants, a black blazer, and white gaffing tape/adhesive felt). Throw on a black-and-white button down in ANY pattern, the zanier and more mismatched the better. Add a tie with some green in it. Spray a dash of green in your hair and, if you want to be official, follow the Beetlejuice make-up plot here!

Hermes from Hadestown

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André De Shields in the original Broadway cast of Hadestown

Matthew Murphy

Not everyone can be quite as dapper as Tony winner André de Shields, but with this getup, you can try to reach the messenger god’s heights.
What you need: A slick silver suit. Make sure you add as many embellishments as you can—a tie clip, a pocketwatch, a pocket square. Place a feather on your lapel; Hermes needs to fly. Glue feathers to two thick hair elastics and slip the elastics onto your wrists. The shoes are key here. Throw on a pair of winged kicks and you're on the road to hell. For more official tips, read the inspiration behind the Broadway design here.

Elsa from Disney’s Frozen

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Caissie Levy Deen van Meer

Feel your power flurry through the air in this glam gown.
What you need: A floor-length dress in icy blue or silver. You can make a cape from a simple piece of tulle stitched or pinned to the shoulders of your gown. Be sure to invest in that fishtail braid Elsa unleashes when she finally lets it go. To really give off the vibe of the ice queen, use makeup or facepaint to draw snowflakes on your hands—the source of Elsa’s powers. You can always add some personal flare like a snowflake necklace or earrings, or stitchin some tulle snowflakes onto the dress for some extra texture and pop.

Your favorite wizard from Harry Potter and the Cursed Child

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Noma Dumezweni, Jamie Parker, and Paul Thornley Manuel Harlan

Nothing says All Hallows’ Eve like a witch or wizard from the magical world of Hogwarts.
What you need: A black cape or cloak—the better for capeography, of course, and a wand. Make your wand by hand or you can purchase an offical one. Don’t forget to deck out your costume with the garb that matches your Hogwarts house. There are house ties, scarves, and knitted hats, as well as patches so you can beam with Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Slytherin, or Ravenclaw pride.

Vivian from Pretty Woman

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Samantha Barks and Steve Kazee in Pretty Woman in Chicago Matthew Murphy

Costume designer Gregg Barnes adhered to the iconic looks of the original movie, with a slight twist for the new stage musical—which means you’ve got permission to capture Vivian’s essence and make your own adjustments for this Halloween costume.
What you need: Red gown (preferably strapless), white opera gloves, opera glasses, and a whole lot of confidence. To leave the house without that would be a big mistake. Huge.

Aladdin and Jasmine from Disney’s Aladdin

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Aladdin and Jasmine


Rock this costume of the Disney duo with your significant other or best friend—or, pick the diamond in the rough or the princess as a solo costume.
What you need for Aladdin: Red vest, white linen pants or white sweatpants, a red fez (or make one out of a clean yogurt container and some red paint)
What you need for Jasmine: Blue sports bra or bathing suit top, blue sweatpants, gold necklace, jeweled headband

Rum Tum Tugger from Cats

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Tyler Hanes Joseph Marzullo/WENN

He is, indeed, a curious cat and a Rum Tum Tugger costume is a great way to look sexy and stay warm on Halloween. This one really comes down to the makeup. Flip through this tutorial with Broadway’s Tyler Hanes to get the Tugger look just right.
What you need: Black boots, black leggings, black V-neck, a studded belt, a spiked collar, leather biker gloves (at your nearest Hot Topic), fur vest, yellow tights, brown marker, cat ears and a tail

Cut the toes off of the yellow tights and cut out the crotch of the tights so that you can create a sheer yellow midriff top. (Your arms go into the legs of the stockings and your head goes through the neckhole you just created.) Use the brown marker to paint spots on the tights. Wear the black V-neck over this crop top, then the fur vest.

Mr. Mistoffolees from Cats

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Timothy Scott and Cynthia Onrubia Martha Swope/©NYPL for the Performing Arts

If Jellicle cat is your calling for Halloween, but you want something a bit easier to pull off, go with the magical Mistoffolees.
What you need: White legwarmers, black leggings, white tuxedo shirt, black cropped jacket (bonus for bedazzling your leggings and/or jacket)

Willy Wonka from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

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Ben Crawford, Emma Pfaeffle, Kathy Fitzgerald, F. Michael Haynie, Alan H. Green, Christian Borle, Trista Dollison, John Rubinstein, Ryan Foust, Jackie Hoffman, and Michael Wartella Joan Marcus

Everyone’s favorite candy man is a simple, yet recognizable costume. Use your pure imagination to channel your inner Christian Borle for a sweet night.
What you need: Green pants, white button-down shirt, yellow vest, purple blazer, green pocket square, blue necktie, black top hat, blue ribbon, a cane

Read More: HOW TWO-TIME TONY WINNER CHRISTIAN BORLE DISCOVERED HIS OWN VERSATILITY

The Merry Murderesses from Chicago

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Looking for a group costume? The women of the Cook County Jail are an excellent option for something simple and sultry. Use red lipstick to write the lettering of one of the six identifiers (Pop, Six, Squish, Uh-uh, Cicero, Lipshitz) along your arm, on your cheek, across your chest—have some fun with it. And, you can add Roxie into the mix.
What you need: Black leotard, black fishnet stockings, black heels or character shoes, red lipstick
For Roxie: Mock up a newspaper to read “Roxie Rocks Chicago!”

Evan Hansen from Dear Evan Hansen

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Ben Platt Matthew Murphy

The leading man of Broadway’s Tony-winning Best Musical is a great option for Halloween, and here’s why: you need exactly five things to make this costume work.
What you need: Blue-striped polo T-shirt, khaki pants, New Balance sneakers, white athletic tape to wrap your arm in a faux cast, black marker to write CONNOR across it

The Phantom from The Phantom of the Opera

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Norm Lewis in The Phantom of the Opera Joan Marcus

Fans of classic musical theatre should look no further than the original Opera Ghost. As we approach the show’s 30th Broadway anniversary, everyone will recognize this costume.
What you need: Black tuxedo with a white bowtie, black cape, full white mask to cut down the Phantom’s line

Elder Price from The Book of Mormon

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Andrew Rannells Joan Marcus

What better way to ring a doorbell while trick-or-treating than by playing the ultimate ringer himself? Just pack a penchant for Orlando and a wide smile and you’re good to go.
What you need: White short-sleeve button down, black slacks, black belt, black necktie. Fashion a black book into The Book of Mormon and a black name tag with white lettering to read:

Elder Price
THE CHURCH OF
JESUS CHRIST
OF LATTER DAY SAINTS

Jenna, Becky, and Dawn from Waitress

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Keala Settle, Jessie Mueller and Kimiko Glenn in Waitress Joan Marcus

The ladies of Joe’s Pie Diner are a great option for a trio of gal pals, or pick your favorite server. Remember, Becky’s signature is a neck scarf and Dawn’s is those cat-eye glasses—if you want to go the extra mile. Don’t worry about getting an actual waitress uniform—the signature powder blue will say it all.
What you need: Short-sleeve powder blue dress, white waist apron (not a full one), white nametag, white Keds

Elphaba and Glinda from Wicked

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Elphaba and Glinda

Whether you go out with a friend or solo, these witches are each a great choice for your Broadway-themed All Hallow’s Eve. The key to Elphaba is the green girl makeup. Watch this video to see how it’s done.
What you need for Elphaba: Black witch’s hat, sexy black dress, a straw broom, a copy of the Grimerie
What you need for Glinda: Blue or white gown, silver tiara, a wand

SpongeBob and Patrick from SpongeBob SquarePants, The Musical

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Danny Skinner, Lilli Cooper and Ethan Slater Joan Marcus

Inspired by the cartoon, the boys of Bikini Bottom come to Broadway next month. Show your excitement by dressing up as the ocean’s quirky pair.
What you need for SpongeBob: Red or brown shorts, yellow sweater vest, white short-sleeve button down, red necktie, yellow hairspray paint
What you need for Patrick: Green shorts, lilac-colored sticky felt (cut out those sand dollar shapes and slap them on), pink T-shirt, Hawaiian button down, pink hairspray paint

Read More: 9 TIMES BROADWAY ADAPTED COMIC STRIPS AND CARTOONS INTO MUSICALS

Photos: The Best Costumes of BroadwayCon

 
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