How Paul Tazewell, the Costume Designer for ‘Wicked,’ Spends His Sundays
Paul Tazewell oversaw a staff of 140 as the costume designer for the movie version of the musical “Wicked.” In January, he was nominated for an Oscar for his work on the film, which included a gown for Ariana Grande that required 225 hours of work and 20,000 beads for the bodice. He also designed the suits worn by the movie’s computer-generated animals.
Mr. Tazewell, 60, moved to Brooklyn’s Prospect Heights neighborhood in 2018, shortly before his husband died. The proximity of his two-bedroom apartment to Prospect Park and the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, where he frequently walks on Sundays, has helped him grieve.
“They’ve been my go-to for processing a lot of things,” he said.
Mr. Tazewell, who won a Tony for his work on “Hamilton” and an Emmy for “The Wiz Live!,” is currently designing costumes for “Non-View,” a Steven Spielberg film.
D.I.Y. DOGS The first thing I do, and indeed the first thing I do every morning, is my yoga stretching. I don’t go to a yoga studio regularly, but from YouTube instructors and studios I’ve been able to put together my own form of wake-up yoga. It lasts about half an hour. I do downward dog probably five times, which gets a lot of blood flowing to my head and prepares me for the rest of the day. It’s a way of centering my head and my body, maintaining my physical well-being. My thought is, if you don’t use it, you’re going to lose it. Especially at 60.
TO-GO CUP I go into the kitchen and make a French press coffee. I try to get one in before I head to the park. If not, there’s a lovely cafe and bakery in the neighborhood, Ciao Gloria, and I sometimes meet my friend Deb there so we can walk the park together. If I’m alone, it’s more of a speed walk. I’ve got long legs. I’ll do a loop and then head back home.
IN THE MOOD Sometimes I need to run to the hardware store at Fifth and Bergen in Park Slope to pick up a few things. I’m doing a house renovation. Three or four months ago, I bought a 1970s ranch house in Hillsdale, N.Y., close to where my friend Charles LaPointe lives. He’s a wig designer who’s worked on most of my Broadway shows. I’ve known him since 2002, and I use him on shows pretty much exclusively. When I go to the hardware store, I’m looking for things like brass elements I work into kind of a mood board or collage I’m putting together for inspiration. I’m also looking at marble and stonework, and a significant element of the renovation will be wood. A lot of oak. I’m hoping for a Japanese feel.
FLEXIBLE EATS I’ll try to order something for lunch, maybe a salad, before I go back to the apartment, depending on how full the larder is. It’s easy to pick up a nice salad from Ciao Gloria. I love to cook, but I rarely have the time, and I don’t tend to buy food for a full week because I never know what’s going to come up. Also, I don’t like to waste food. So I keep it flexible.
YOUTHFUL, MATURE I do intermittent fasting. I don’t usually eat anything before 1 p.m. Wellness has become a huge priority for me. Also maintaining my physique so I fit into my clothes better and have more self-confidence. As I get older, I really value that element in my life a lot more. If I don’t keep up with taking care of my body, I don’t bounce back as quickly as I used to. Feeling youthful has become really important as I’ve matured.
CONNECTIONS In the apartment in the afternoon I’ll often try to plan get-togethers. It’s rare to be able to get together with friends. Social time with them is precious. I also FaceTime with my mom for 45 minutes in the afternoon. My mom just turned 90, and she and her partner, Emma, have made a beautiful life together in Asheboro, N.C. That’s been our homestead for the last 35 years. FaceTiming wasn’t something we did until we hit the Covid period, but it’s important for me to connect. Communicating with them is something I prioritize.
CULTURE SLEUTH Later in the day I’ll do some activity, like go to a museum. I saw the Alvin Ailey show at the Whitney before it closed. Doing things like that has become more important since my time in London, when I was working on “Wicked.” Culture seemed so accessible and easy to do there, and New York has a lot to offer, but I think it takes more planning. Part of that is just where the museums are. But I need to do more investigating and get myself out there more.
TO FRIENDSHIP If I’m enjoying a cultural event with somebody else, we might sit down somewhere and have a coffee and chat a little bit. And then it becomes prepping for meeting a friend or friends later, depending on where that might be. There’s a lot of great restaurants right on my street and in my neighborhood in Brooklyn. But there’s also a lot of wonderful restaurants I oftentimes never know about in Manhattan.
When I got my Oscar nomination, I went with six others to Via Carota on Grove Street to celebrate. We had an opportunity to toast it in a great space full of energy, and I loved that. My friend Donna had been holding onto a gift certificate to Via Carota for two years, but she hadn’t been able to get a table. It’s great to have friends who know where to go.
MAINTENANCE Sunday is still a school night, so after we’ve hugged and kissed and said our goodbyes I’ll make my way back to my apartment. Then it’s just about winding down. I’ll open my laptop and see what emails I haven’t taken care of, prep my brain for what’s coming. It’s just tying up loose ends before I take a shower and go to bed. I apply all my serums and eye patches for the bags under my eyes, just trying to preserve things. Hopefully it makes some kind of difference. Then, right before bed, I put on my Zen sleep sounds on Spotify. That helps me stay asleep. And I take my magnesium. That helps, too.
