Percy Honri's Quick-Change Costume, c.1906-1914
MA Object Essay, Winter 2017
V&A Museum Number: S.1008:1 to 3-2017
This object-based research essay investigated the history, use and wider contextual information surrounding a quick-change costume belonging to the music hall performer, Percy Honri. The costume, held at the Victoria and Albert Museum's theatre and performance archives, dates to around 1906-1914 and was used in Honri's production of 'Concordia', a revue-style production about a concordia performer who falls asleep and enters a dream sequence.
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This essay examines the construction and use of the quick-change costume, which consists of a shirt, waistcoat and trousers; all featuring quick-change construction elements. The essay also makes suggestion of the possible use and choreography of the quick-change within the performance, the designer and manufacturers of the costume, and alterations to the costume for possible later use.