His Theatrical Flair Really Works Here

Mention the name “Bob Mackie” and visions of rhinestones and glitter, sequins and shine come to mind.

The award-winning designer who created Cher’s outlandish Oscar ensembles and costumes for countless television, film and stage productions has ventured into the world of ballet. Mackie created the costumes and sets for the Cleveland-San Jose Ballet’s presentation of “Blue Suede Shoes,” being performed at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion nightly through Sunday.

“I’ve always wanted to do something like this,” Mackie said. “I’ve dressed a lot of dancers, such as Baryshnikov and Juliet Prowse, but never costumed a whole ballet. And designing sets was a whole new thing. It was so exciting to draw something and see it on stage. It gave me a feeling of power.”

“Blue Suede Shoes,” as its name might suggest, is not a classical ballet. It is almost a rock ‘n’ roll review, performed to the music of Elvis Presley. The ballet follows characters from the ‘50s through the ‘70s, so Mackie faced the task of designing styles emblematic of their eras.

In the scenes set in the ‘50s, the dancers wear full skirts, capri pants and biker jackets. “Those ideas came from my own memories of high school,” Mackie said. “Then, I made a more theatrical version of that.”

Many of the costumes are as daring as the King was when he first became popular. A “Jailhouse Rock” scene features a ballerina clad in black vinyl, complete with toe shoes that stretch up the dancer’s legs like thigh-high boots.

“I call her the jail matron,” he said. “The look is sort of S & M and quite sexy.”

In the latter half of the ballet, the flashy spirit of Elvis’ later years is represented and Mackie’s trademark extravagance explodes on the stage.

“It’s kind of fun to pull out the big mirrors and the rhinestones. I haven’t done that in a while.”

The project turned out to be more extensive than Mackie anticipated. “I thought there would be 50 costumes,” he said. Fifty turned into more than 280. Since he had designed dancer’s costumes for “The Carol Burnett Show” and “The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour” (now being revived on cable), Mackie was used to working on large productions.

He wasn’t intimidated by ballet’s formal image. “A stage production is a stage production,” he said. “You put on your makeup, you have your hair done and you slip into your costume. And clothes for the stage always have to hold up because they’re worn every night.”