🎭 In Masquerade, life-sized mannequins in costume make the ball look twice as full as it really is, a trick especially useful in early productions and tours with smaller casts.

🛡 They also function as a safety balustrade, placed at the edges of the collapsible staircase where no railing exists. Even at Broadway’s 10,000th performance — with 60 people on stage — some dummies were removed for space, but enough had to remain to prevent dangerous falls.

📜 This dual role of spectacle and safety dates back to the original 1986 West End production and has remained a hallmark of the staging.