This week at play rehearsal we met with the hair and make-up people so they could get us all up to speed on how we should look. There’s some pretty wild and crazy things going on, since we have jungle animals, bird girls, monkeys, fish, a cat, a grinch, and a bunch of Whos, just to name a few.
After a general workshop on makeup and hair, Mr. Mayor and I (I play Mrs. Mayor) had our own appointment where they went over what they had in mind for us. She showed me this very bland short GREY wig, and said, “This will be your hair.” Grey? They want me to have grey hair? What? I had this really cute blonde curly princess type wig that I was going to put all kinds of ribbons on and be super cute and funky, and she shows me this GREY wig, and I’m supposed to be excited about it. Well, they had me put it on and this one lady started to go to work on it. “It won’t look like this when I’m finished with it,” she said, and she started in on ratting and teasing and somehow curling it with just her fingers and a comb. She told me how she had done so much hair she was thinking about switching to grooming dogs, since it would be something new. Hmm. ‘Can you just not make me look old and ugly?’ is all I’m thinking. After she worked her magic on my “hair” for a few minutes, the makeup ladies are just oohing and ah-ing, telling me how absolutely perfect it is. I go into a nearby bathroom to see, and as I look at my reflection in the mirror, a gasp of shock escapes my lips. All I can think of is “I look Martha Washington!” Not that looking like Martha Washington is necessarily a bad thing, but I just hadn’t expected that. And how in the world did she get that hair so dang HIGH? Wow.
After I had been properly coiffed, the make-up people wanted to have their fun, too. “Can I just do your face really quickly?” one lady asked me. “Um, sure. Go for it,” I said, still in shock from the whole GREY huge hair I would be wearing. “Now for your makeup,” she said, “I want you to think of Mimi on Drew Carey.” Oh great. I can’t wait. As they are working on my face, adding more and more make-up, I look over at Mr. Mayor as they are glueing on some “eyebrow extensions” so that he looks somewhat like Oscar the grouch, and I feel a little bit better. At least I won’t be the only really funny looking one in the show. I shouldn’t have worried, though. At least I’m not the grinch. They were playing with prosthetic faces and noses. And he’ll be green, of course.
When they were done, there was another gasp of shock, and we went to go show the director. She liked it, but said she wasn’t so sure about the grey color. Oh, hooray! I thought. “She has a little boy, I don’t think she would be this old looking,” she said. I was grateful. So, they may color that wig brown or even black. Who knows. But they also discussed some kind of a funky hat, which would be fun.
The bad thing, was I didn’t have my camera with me, so I didn’t get a picture of the whole effect. But I did leave the makeup on all night through rehearsal. I felt very Tammy Fae Baker-esque. Little kids in the show were staring at me, and then would say, “I like your makeup.” Right, you do, kid. Don’t let your mom hear you saying that.
So, when I came home I flashed my face to Ryan, who was just a little bit shocked. He said I was practically ‘glowing’.
So, there you have it. Mimi and Paige together. Oh what a pair we’d make. Although I think I’m going to need a LOT more blue eyeshadow if I’m going to pull off that look.
Wow. That’s some jazzy stage make up. The good news is that – on stage and under the lights – it will look completely normal and very ‘Mrs. Mayor – a – licious’.
I think if you’re trying for Mimi you skip the makeup altogether and go for paint.