‘Behind the Candelabra’ Designers – Channeling Liberace’s Glorious Excesses

“I felt like Liberace was sitting on my shoulder, twinkling down at all of us and guiding us as we put together show costumes and even everyday things,” says “Behind the Candelabra” costume designer Ellen Mirojnick.

It’s a sentiment echoed by production designer.

“There was no way to be too excessive,” laughs Howard Cummings. “Liberace could always outdo us.”

But too much of a good thing wasn’t always wonderful.

“To do something that was like plastic surgery in the 1970s would have been shocking,” says makeup department head Kate Biscoe. “We wanted actors like Rob Lowe to have their performances shine through.”

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