Designer looks beyond the song and dance

Aside from the three main stars who portray girl group the Dreams - and the expansive cast of supporting players and extras - there’s another star that steals much of the show: the wardrobe of nearly 600 costumes designed by William Ivey Long. Best known for his big, colorful designs for “Hairspray,’’ “The Producers,’’ and nearly 60 other Broadway shows, the five-time Tony Award winner has the dream job of revisiting the over-the-top look of the 1960s and ’70s. He was hired to make costumes for the show that started its revival at the Apollo Theater, and is now touring the country.

But, as he explains it, reinventing the look of a classic was a frightening proposition, even for a veteran. “I was very, very pushy to get the job,’’ he says. “I always wanted to do ‘Dreamgirls.’ But when I got the offer, that’s when it hit me. It wasn’t all moonlight and roses. It was a massive undertaking. It’s really a history of fashion from 1964 to 1978. It’s on stage and off, rags to riches. There are these huge arcs.’’

Despite his impressive resume, Long was also nervous about reinventing a show originally costumed by the legendary Theoni V. Aldredge, the designer responsible for the lavish looks of shows such as “La Cage aux Folles’’ and “A Chorus Line.’’

“I did a lot of research, because I didn’t want it to look like I was just revisiting Theoni’s designs,’’ Long says on the phone from New York.

Long scrapped Aldredge’s 1981 designs and immersed himself in the world of Motown for his research. Because the show is loosely based on the Supremes, he spent time watching clips of the trio in action, in addition to scouring books and magazines from the period. He also looked at other Motown acts, such as the Jackson 5 and the Temptations for male performers in the show. The result is big, glitzy costumes that get more outrageous as the show progresses. He’s also responsible for the design of hair and makeup. The cast of “Dreamgirls’’ goes through more than 200 wigs a night to show the changing hair trends in the 1960s and ’70s.

“The wigs get bigger, bigger, and then they’re huge,’’ says Joy Marcell, who oversees the library of hair for the show, before a performance last week. “It starts restrained, goes to beehives, then Afros, then full disco hair explosion.’’

There’s little that is restrained about Long’s clothing choices. Colors pop and patterns battle for attention. Each ensemble is slightly wilder and crazier than the last. Delores Jones, who dressed Jennifer Holliday in the role of Effie White on Broadway nearly 30 years ago, is now dressing Moya Angela as Effie.

“I really felt like we have the benefit of time,’’ Long said. “Those disco clothes were practically contemporary when the show opened in 1981. I have the benefit of pushing it to new, glitzy heights. And I never pass up an opportunity to add glitz where I can.’’

“Dreamgirls’’ is at the Colonial Theatre through Sunday. Christopher Muther can be reached at muther@globe.com.