La Cage Aldredge.(Theoni V. Aldredge)

CHICAGO: Almost by rote, Theoni V. Aldredge has been touted as a "costuming goddess" or "the grand dame of costume design in American theatre and film." Such encomiums are fine, in a way, given her head-spinning portfolio over the past 40 years. She's responsible for dressing the original Annie, Barnum, La Cage aux Folles, 42nd Street and Dream Girls, for instance.

She's rubbed more than a few elbows with the likes of Arthur Laurents, David Merrick, Joseph Papp (during a 20-year run as resident designer at the Public Theater) and Michael Bennett. She is ...

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