[1] Before curtain on the opening night of a Broadway musical, actors, stage managers, crew, and everyone associated with the play gather onstage for the Legacy Robe ceremony.
A representative of Actors' Equity invites cast members making their Broadway debuts to center stage to be recognized.
The ritual dates to 1950, when Florence Baum, a chorus member in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, entered the men's dressing room wearing a robe, pale pink with white feathers.
A feathered rose from Ethel Merman's costume was attached to the robe, and it was then given to a chorus member in Guys and Dolls.
[7] In the 2010s, with an increased awareness of diversity issues in the theater profession, usage of the term became less common, and Actors' Equity decided that they did not want to have the tradition of the robe associated with what many perceived to be an ethnic slur.