Costumes are a very important part of any production. They give an unspoken mood to the performance which is both subtle and effective. In this play the outfits are more plain and simple colors, showing their upper poor class status. The uncle’s and the niece’s outfits are louder colors, showing their more outgoing and loud personalities. The men wore top hats, showing them trying to look presentable and even trying to climb higher on the social ladder.

One costume change that really caught my attention was after the funeral. Everyone was wearing black except Laurant, possibly showing that he didn’t mourn this death as much as the others. When Therese got back to her room she took her black dress off and stored it in the back of her room. It was left there, to our knowledge, for the rest of the play. She is trying to run away and hide from this darkness in which she played a huge role. The black dress in the background of her room, foreshadows to the haunting that takes place in that same bedroom. Her ex-husband comes to haunt her, or so she feels in her head. The black dress, which she through off, as if wanting to forget the whole thing ever happened, just showed the reader her true feelings on the matter.

Costumes show more than the spoken word can reveal. The audience, using their eyes as another sense, in addition to their ears can take in and learn a new side of the play. It is a very crucial part of the play.