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AMNA NAWAZ: Well, as the saying goes,
there's no business like show business.

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But for 18 months during the
pandemic, there was basically no
business in Broadway theaters.

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Jeffrey Brown recently visited the theater
districts artisans, who are playing a key

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role in Broadway's return.

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It's all part of our arts
and culture series, Canvas.

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JEFFREY BROWN: The green suit,
worn by Lin-Manuel Miranda in
the musical "Hamilton." Miranda

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told the costume designer it should
be -- quote - - "the color of money."

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Crystals and mirrors on Elsa's
ice dress from Disney's "Frozen."
From "Phantom of the Opera,"

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what else? The mask. They are
defining images of contemporary
Broadway. But even live in

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the theater, you don't
get to see them like this.

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BRIAN BLYTHE, The Costume
Industry Coalition: What I think
is so great about this is that

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when you're sitting in the
fifth row or the 10th row or in
the balcony, you're never this

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close...

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JEFFREY BROWN: Yes, that's for sure.

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BRIAN BLYTHE: ... to the costumes,
to the point where you can see
the amount of craftsmanship,

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the workmanship and the details
that go into each one of these.

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JEFFREY BROWN: Brian Blythe helped
put together this exhibition
called Showstoppers!. He's

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a founder of The Costume Industry
Coalition, a group of more
than 50 small businesses that

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make these amazing garments,
like this dress from "Wicked."

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Can I touch it?

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BRIAN BLYTHE: I will
let you touch it, yes.

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(LAUGHTER)

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JEFFREY BROWN: Why do you do all of this
underneath in such exquisite detail?

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BRIAN BLYTHE: Because they're
living in this fantasy world.
You know, they're in Emerald

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City. And when an actor puts
this on, they become the
character. That's how they realize

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their character, is through their costume.

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JEFFREY BROWN: But starting in
March of 2020, no characters,
no costumes, no shows. Now,

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gradually, tentatively, the
spectacle is coming back.

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The musical "Six" was supposed
to open the same day Broadway
shut down in 2020. The six,

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by the way, are the wives killed by Henry
VIII. Now they have come to life onstage.

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And opening night recently was sold out.

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GIANNA VAN ROUENDAL, Theatergoer: This is
my first Broadway show back, which is very

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exciting. And I think
it will be so inspiring.

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JACK NIX, Theatergoer: We are
just thrilled for Broadway, and
we cannot wait to see "Six."

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And we will be back to
see a bunch of shows.

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JEFFREY BROWN: "Six" is one
of 15 Broadway shows reopening
throughout September. Twenty

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more are set to open before the end of the
year, with patrons masked and required to

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have proof of vaccination or negative test
results to enter theaters.

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Charlotte St. Martin is president
of The Broadway League, a trade
group representing theater

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owners.

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CHARLOTTE ST. MARTIN, President,
The Broadway League: We said
from day one we will not open

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unless we feel we can keep the
audience, the cast and crew safe.

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They might be a little bit
sensitive about the Delta variant,
but we're trying to spread

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the message that we're safe,
we're secure, and all of the
magic they loved about Broadway

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is still there.

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JEFFREY BROWN: Magic and money.
Broadway is a business with
a large behind-the-scenes

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ecosystem fed by ticket sales,
with every production employing
scores of workers crucial

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to making the show go on. And then there's
its wider impact on the city.

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CHARLOTTE ST. MARTIN: We're
responsible for 97,000 jobs in
this city, and 80 percent of

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the tourists that are coming
here for pleasure give Broadway
as their number one, two or

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three reason for coming to the
city. So we need to be open
not just for us, but to bring

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New York back.

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BRIAN BLYTHE: We lost over
$26.6 million in gross revenue
in 2020. And we have incurred

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an immense amount of
debt during the pandemic.

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JEFFREY BROWN: Showstoppers!,
occupying an out-of-business
sporting goods store on 42nd

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Street, was conceived as a
fund-raiser, with ticket sales
benefiting costume workers.

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According to Blythe, they
face a collective debt of $3.5
million. In an industry where

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nothing but the best will do,
some of the people who make
these costumes took part in

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the exhibition.

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Camilla Chuvarsky is a theatrical milliner
she makes hats.

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CAMILLA CHUVARSKY, Lynne Mackey Studio: I
think there's a bit of a false perception

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with costumes that they're not as
well-made as everyday garments.

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And, in fact, the opposite
is true. They have to hold up
through eight shows a week and

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still look beautiful the entire
time, because, when you're going
to Broadway, more than regional

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theater, what you're paying
for is the production value.

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JEFFREY BROWN: The pandemic,
she says, forced some to leave
the industry or retire early,

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revealing just how fragile some
of the costuming trades are.

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CAMILLA CHUVARSKY: There are a
lot of techniques and skills that
really are passed down through

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training on the job and that
a lot of people don't know
and would honestly be lost. If

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some of these shops closed,
there's knowledge that would just
vanish, because it is so particular

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to the industry.

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JEFFREY BROWN: Another behind-the-scenes
art form, fabric painter.

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Hochi Asiatico has worked on
Broadway for 25 years, painting
everything from the most

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detailed patterns to a character's sweat.

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A painter for a Broadway show, most people
probably don't know there is such a thing.

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HOCHI ASIATICO, Owner, Hochi Asiatico
Studio: No, people don't know.

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And they just get the feeling
of something. And I think they
get into the character. But,

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really, the painting is very important for
the development of the character.

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JEFFREY BROWN: Asiatico hand-painted these
robes, set in the early 19th century, for

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the play "Golden Child."

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HOCHI ASIATICO: So, we had to research the
colors that were available at the time and

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the style of the time. Also,
we wanted them to look a little
bit embroidered. So we have

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to consider the distance on stage, how the
lighting works.

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JEFFREY BROWN: The people we
met are now back at work making
costumes for productions.

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But will the audience return? With tourism
still down in New York City...

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OPRAH WINFREY, Producer/Philanthropist:
This is Broadway.

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JEFFREY BROWN: ... Broadway
League has a new $1.5 million
ad campaign narrated by Oprah.

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OPRAH WINFREY: This is the return
of something truly spectacular.

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JEFFREY BROWN: Strategically
targeting those within a car drive.

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And, as we saw recently, those
who are coming are glad to
be back, even amid continuing

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uncertainty.

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AUDRIANNE SPEIDEL, Theatergoer: I'm loving
the fact that the shows are back and being

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able to come and see as many
shows as possible. So, yes.

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WOMAN: And please let
Broadway open, please.

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AUDRIANNE SPEIDEL: Right.

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JEFFREY BROWN: For now, at least, it is.

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For the "PBS NewsHour," I'm Jeffrey Brown
in New York.