Inside the Deceptively Simple Costume Design of Broadway’s Job
Michelle J. Li talks digging into characters and story even when choosing seemingly normal street clothes.
Seeing the costumes in Broadway’s Job—currently running at the Hayes Theater through October 27—it looks like the characters have just worn their own, regular street clothes. But behind that simplicity is a designer intimately linked with the text and subtext of the play and its characters. See costume designer Michelle J. Li reveal the care that went into her work on the Max Wolf Friedlich play in the video above.
The play opened at Broadway’s Hayes Theater July 30 following previews that began July 15. Read reviews for the two-person drama here.
The psychological thriller comes to the Main Stem with its original cast from its two earlier Off-Broadway engagements, at SoHo Playhouse in fall 2023 and the Connelly Theatre earlier this year, including Tony nominee Peter Friedman (Ragtime, Succession) and Sydney Lemmon (TÁR, Helstrom). Director Michael Herwitz is also back at the helm.
READ: Job Stars Peter Friedman and Sydney Lemmon on the Dark Side of the Internet
Understudies Jeff Still and Arianna Gayle Stucki round out the company.
The play centers on an employee (Lemmon) at a big tech company, on leave after becoming the subject of a viral video, who begins working with a crisis therapist (Friedman).
The production also features original music by Devonté Hynes, scenic design by Scott Penner, costume design by Michelle J. Li, lighting design by Mextly Couzin, and sound design by Cody Spencer. Rachel A. Zucker serves as production stage manager, with Hannah Getts as dramaturg. Additional casting is by The Telsey Office’s Will Cantler.
JOB was nominated for the Outer Critics Circle’s John Gassner Award for playwright Friedlich.
Visit JobthePlay.com.
