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Wall Street Journal’s Best of 2010 (resplendent costuming)

“Mr. Simotes, the company’s artistic director, has chosen to set Shakespeare’s great comedy of mistaken identity and romantic reconciliation in Paris in the 1920s, and Arthur Oliver, the costume designer, takes the ball and gallops down the field, dressing the cast in a riotously colorful medley of outfits that make you wish you could put on one of your own and join in the fun.”
Wall Street Journal, As You Like It, Terry Teachout – read full article

“Arthur Oliver’s sumptuous costumes, particularly his symbolic cloaking of Richard’s deformities in ever heavier and more intricately layered robes as his schemes carry him up to the throne...”
Boston Globe, Louise Kennedy

“The production ingeniously begins with a resplendent tableau of the members of Edward IV’s royal court, in sumptuous costumes (by Arthur Oliver).”
NY Times, Ben Brantley

"beautiful and resplendent costuming..."
Huffington Post

“Their [Petrichenko and Chumakov's] spectacular white costumes, meticulously designed by Arthur Oliver, further the impact of the performance. Each costume features a feathered wing on one arm so as the two dance together, a single dove is created. All in all, it was one of the most beautiful dances I have ever seen.”
Broadway World, Natasha Ashley, 2017

“Another memorable moment - the Waltz of the Flowers performed by the corps de Ballet... truly magnificent as they dance in synch while wearing Arthur Oliver's stunning, flowing costumes”
Broadway World, Natasha Ashley, 2017

“Arthur Oliver’s costumes were sumptuous, beautifully designed and clever”
Splash Magazine, Debra Davy, Chicago 2017

“The sleigh...was conveyed to [the Land of] Peace and Harmony by "Ded Moroz," Russia's Father Christmas, and Snow Maiden "Snegurochka," both resplendently attired in cerulean blue costumes newly designed by Arthur Oliver.”
Broadway World, Perry Tannenbaum, Charlotte 2016

“What is impressive are Arthur Oliver’s costumes. They are absolutely gorgeous—Victorian flavor overlaid with baroque glamour that dazzles the eye.”
Philadelphia Dance Journal, Gary Day, Philadelphia 2016

Moscow Ballet’s ‘Nutcracker’...astonishing. The costumes and sets stood out for their elegance and beauty. Fantastic... Sparkling costumes, including the crispiest tutus to be seen, colorful and well appointed backdrops.”
The Daily Gazette, Wendy Libertore, Albany 2015

“The costume design by Arthur Oliver was...fantastic...divinely imaginative. The true picture of the [Dove of Peace] formed breathtaking pictures”
DC Metro and Theatre Arts, Kendall Mostafavi, Bethesda 2015

If you’ve never seen Moscow Ballet’s version of the classic show, you really should make it out at least once. It’s one of the most visually captivating spectacles of the season, with dazzling costumes by designer Arthur Oliver,”
Theatre Jones, Cheryl Callon, Dallas 2015

“The show boasts an elegant visual spectacle with elaborate costumes and a hand-crafted set design...the colors rippled and glowed with a soft luminescence like the Aurora Borealis—a truly magical setting. Christmas Eve party boasted a dazzling array of period costumes,”
Community Voice, Kayla Webster, Santa Rosa 2015

“Costumes were beautiful, dancing seemed effortless, movements weightless, and the music was divine. As I watched the dancers leap, twirl, jump, spin, glide, and float I was thinking of nothing other than being right there in the story. Dove of Peace was spectacular,”
US Family Guide, San Diego 2015

“The costumes, the Russian troika sleigh and the Rousseau-inspired backdrops all brought a quiet elegance to the stage. Costumes were magnificent, the stage a delight for the eye with amazing backdrops, the music superb, the dancers polished and their performance spot-on, and the story is one for the ages.”
The Hutchinson News, Salina 2015

“Costumes and sets...absolutely gorgeous I especially love the scenery which pays homage to the onion tops of the cathedral in St. Petersburg. It's such a fresh version!”
US Family Guide, Redding 2015

The Artful Mind, May 2015 Cover/Feature Article, Harryet Candee – read full article

The Huffington Post, Stage Door: ‘Lives of the Saints’, ‘The Nomad’, ‘The Light Princess’, Fern Siegel – read full article

"Arthur Oliver's lush, colorful costumes for the King and Queen lend an appropriately regal touch, in contrast to the more down-to-earth dress of the youthful Prince and Princess."
TheaterMania, Pete Hempstead • New York CityOff-Broadway – read full article

Moscow Ballet – Production Directors, Arthur Oliver Costume Designer Bio

Harvard Gazette, The Girl Who Saves The Prince, Valerie Vande Panne – read full article

“Arthur Oliver’s richly wrought Elizabethan-style costumes add immeasurably to the total effect: I don’t know when I’ve seen a better-dressed production of Richard III.”
Wall Street Journal, Richard III, Terry Teachout – read full article

“There is the familiar hunch back conveyed in the superb period costumes of Arthur Oliver…”
Berkshire Fine Arts, Charles Giuliano

“Simotes has chosen to set “As You Like It’’ in the Paris of the 1920s. The period setting serves largely as a pretext for members of the splendid cast to swan about in Jazz Age outfits (rendered with eye-catching flair by costume designer Arthur Oliver), dance the Charleston, and even do a bit of scat singing.”
Boston.com, Don Aucoin, Globe Staffread full article

“Moscow Ballet’s performance of “The Nutcracker” at the Montgomery Performing Arts Centre on Monday is a huge undertaking, danced by a renowned Russian company. But surprisingly, a key element of the show has a strong local connection.”
MontgomeryAdvertiser.com, Teri Greene

“Arthur Oliver’s costumes are not only spectacularly stunning but marvelously character and situation defining. Besides the gorgeous gowns with their aptly chosen colors for the lamenting women, Oliver has dressed Thompson with proper attention to the famous hump and given him a cloak that brilliantly supports Richard’s troublesome dragging himself — robe and all— onto the throne during the second act coronation scene.”
CurtainUp, Elyse Sommer – read full article

“Resident costume designer, Arthur Oliver, and assistant costume designer, Jessie Darrell, outdo themselves; the clothes do make the man and woman here. The rich palette of colors and fabrics fill the stage and hold the eye. The costuming is the fun of this The Merry Wives of Windsor. The French farthingales (bum rolls) of the women’s costumes accentuate their womanliness even as the padding of Sir John Falstaff’s crimson-with-gold-diagonal-slashes matching doublet (jacket) and galligaskins (pants) accentuates his manliness. The copper and black doublet of Master Ford, topped with his feathered Cavalier hat, screams “dashing” even before he dashes about in his mad jealous dashes. Each character, from Dr. Caius’ (the always excellent Jonathan Croy) baby-blue matching doublet and galligaskins to Justice Shallow’s (a devilish Mel Cobb) in midnight satin matching black frock coat and pants with gold piping galore, white stockings and shirt, was richly detailed, a specific burst of color and fabric that had all the fun and intrigue of Project Runway. Oliver and Darrell’s work was a sight to behold.”
Metroland Online, The Merry Wives of Windsor, James Yeara

Berkshires Week Interview, 2002 "A Life in the Arts", Lesley Ann Beck – read full interview