No makeup??

[RickR]

I heard a story that I'm having a hard time believing. Can anyone confirm this:

No makeup on guys in a Broadway show!

This came 2nd hand and that it had something to do with the lighting. Now as an old lighting guy I find it hard to believe. The show is a musical and tends towards the realistic but still. The shear intensity of the lights traditionally requires exaggerated features to carry to the back row. Am I out of the loop? I trust my source but they aren't technical folks. I don't want to mention the show so as not to cause anyone trouble. So I'm hoping for some consensus.

 

[derekleffew]

I don't believe it. Perhaps possible in a 100-seat black box theatre, but not in a 1000+ seat Broadway house.

I recall waiting 1.5 hours for Paul Simon and Art Garfinkle to come out of makeup at a stop on their arena tour, five or so years ago.
.

 

[TheaterEd]

Sounds made up, but I know a lot of high school boys that want it to be true.

 

[Footer]

You wear makeup. Everyone wears makeup. Hell, in college, even I had to take a makeup class. I have way too many friends who have MFA's in makeup who would be out of a job if Broadway did not do makeup on men.

 

[RickR]

You have all said what went through my mind when I heard this story. However it comes from an actor in a major Broadway/London/touring musical so I think he knows what happens on his own face.

Anyone out there currently working in a similar situation?

 

[gafftaper]

Yeah it makes no sense. If the audience is more than about 30 feet away the actors' faces are going to wash out into nothing without makeup. A full Broadway theater... forget it.

 

[BrianWolfe]

Untrue.