Megan Steigerwald and Karen Peakes are assisted by Alina Gerall and Adalia Vera Tonneyck for the Folger Theatre's production of 'Henry VIII.' (Photo: TBD Staff)

When Karen Peakes looks at the portrait of Anne Boleyn taped to her dressing room mirror, she feels her pain. She feels it more with each tightening of the laces on her ornate, heavy dress. She feels it the most when she has to put on her 40-pound robe.

While the costumes for Henry VIII at the Folger Theatre are the most beautiful Peakes has ever worn, they're also the heaviest, she says. Designed by Tony award-winner William Ivey Long, the gorgeous attire has won praise for the production but presents challenges for the actresses.

"You feel like a prisoner once you put the costume on," says Peakes, as she applies makeup in her dressing room before the show, along with actresses Naomi Jacobson, who plays Queen Katherine, and Megan Steigerwald, who plays the lady of the court and Princess Mary. They were still in their undergarments, which include hoop skirts and a "bum roll," a type of bustle.

"It's really claustrophobic. If you lean back, you can't really breathe," says Steigerwald, of the tight corsets. "I sing in the show, so sometimes it's kind of stressful if I can't get my breath to work right. One of my buttons came off yesterday and the costume was sitting a little lower, and that was making it difficult."

"Because of the hoop skirts and the tininess of the backstage of the Folger, going to the bathroom is pretty much impossible," says Jacobson. "Once you get in the costume, it's over."

But an hour and a half before showtime, it's just beginning. Wardrobe head Adalia Vera Tonneyck and her assistant, Alina Gerall, are mending Jacobson's shoes by adding extra elastic, so she doesn't slip out of them. Since you can't see the shoes under her elaborate dress, they're a simple pair of flats from Payless. While Gerall sews, Tonneyck irons a shirt for Louis Butelli, who plays Will Sommers.

The most difficult part of their job, says Tonneyck, is "Making sure everything stays where it's supposed to stay," whether that's the buttons that are constantly falling off of costumes, the robes and hats needed offstage for the quick changes between acts, or the delicate chains of honor that lose their links. Gerall and Tonneyck are quick-fix wizards.

They're also coaches, in a way. For most shows, Tonneyck is the only costume help needed, but since there were so many delicate costumes for this show, the Folger brought Gerall on board. The pair helps the actresses get into their costumes, which require at least one additional pair of hands because they are so unwieldy. They also keep things organized backstage, and remind actors of things they might forget.

"Men aren't supposed to go on without a hat on, and actors don't always think about that," says Tonneyck, "So you have to always be like, 'Oh, where's your hat? Are you supposed to have chains on now? Do you have to have your sword?'"

Laundry is one of their less-enticing duties. When actors are wearing nearly 40 pounds of clothing, they're definitely sweating under the hot stage lights. But the costumes are so delicate that even dry cleaning would destroy them. Instead, they just try their best to prevent them from getting sweaty and dirty. They put pit pads in the underarms of the costumes so that sweat won't touch the fabric, and spray them down with a mixture of water and vodka — an underrated cleaner — to keep them fresh. The men's costumes are easier to clean, but they still must wear undershirts to protect the fabric.

All of the cleaning, mending and organizing is done hours before the show. The final hour before the lights go up is a whirlwind of makeup, laces, jewelry and hoops. Jacobson, who has one of the more complicated costumes, is the first to arrive, followed by Steigerwald, who has to curl her hair. As she and Peakes put on their makeup in their hoop undergarments (which Peakes estimates weigh about 20 pounds), they chatted about pain and beauty.

"I have a little bit of soreness around my shoulders, but I assume that's because of the way the dress makes you stand," says Peakes.

"I get sore in my back, from the weight of the skirt," says Steigerwald.

"Mostly, I'm just terrified of falling in the coronation robes, because I'd be on the ground with no way of getting up," says Peakes. "It's never come close to happening, but I have stepped on my skirt."

It's happened to Steigerwald, though not quite as catastrophically — she says she tripped on stage the night before, during a very dramatic moment in the play. Luckily, it wasn't too bad — it looked like she skipped, she said, and she just moved on.

Outside of their dressing rooms, the men have started to arrive.

"Well, I have the top 50 jobs in America listed by Money magazine here, and acting is not on it," bellows Stephen Patrick Martin, who plays the Duke of Buckingham, as he goes into his dressing room. A few minues later, Anthony Cochrane, who plays Cardinal Wolsey, opens a men's dressing room, and its occupant emits a girlish scream. Ian Merrill Peakes, the actor who plays Henry (and Karen Peakes' husband) walks in and hands Gerall and Tonneyck his chains of honor, which have lost a link.

"It needs another jump ring," says Tonneyck to Gerall. The tiny little link they place in the chain is not a good fit. "You can also put a thread stitch in there, it's going to look too obvious."

Back in the women's dressing room, hair and makeup are done and it's time to put on their French hoods, a hat typically worn by the Tudors. They must do this before they get into their dresses, because once they're dressed, they won't be able to lift their arms. For that reason, they wait until the last possible second to get into their costumes, sometimes cutting it dangerously close to showtime. Today is not one of those days — at the 15-minute call announced by production stage manager Che Wernsman, Gerall and Tonneyck begin to slip Peakes and Steigerwald into their skirts and bodices. Between the dresses and the four people, there is barely enough space in the dressing room to move.

"Could you scratch my back for a second?" Peakes asks Tonneyck.

"If I suck it in, would that help?" Steigerwald asks Gerall, who is struggling with the same buttons that came undone in the previous day's performance. Steigerwald had forgotten to put on both her socks and her bum roll, which required some maneuvering once she was already in her dress. A few more adjustments, and with seven minutes until showtime, Peakes and Steigerwald are ready early.

"This is usually when we panic," says Steigerwald. With their limited mobility, they make a few final touches. Peakes puts some bronzer on her chest — "cleavage enhancement" — she explains.

Over the intercom comes the call: "Places, please." And with that, unlike their corseted actresses, Gerrall and Tonneyck have a minute to breathe — until the quick changes, that is.

Peakes with Ian Merrill Peakes as Henry VIII (Photo: Carol Pratt)