Behind The Makeup: How Easy To Go Green For The Wicked?

Certain nights after performances Jennafer Newberry (Glinda) and Lissa Deguzman (Elphaba) who are both on Wicked musical tour, run into a group of fans of the show. A large group of fans usually mob Newberry to get her autograph and wish her well as Deguzman is not recognized the moment her green makeover has been scraped off.

Deguzman later admitted that everyone recognizes Jennafer, while no one knows her. She said that it’s become a running joke between the two stage actresses.

Newberry and Deguzman will bring the show to life on stage. The hit musical, which follows the story of Oz, through the perspective of the Wicked Witch from the West, starts a run of 23 shows at the theatre in Ohio. It begins on the 18th of May.

It takes as much as 7 minutes for Deguzman to get her green makeup on. However, it seems like the makeup artists rather prefer to use it all the time in the world to apply the makeup. They usually accent the green with several shades of purple for more texture and depth.

Deguzman said that the first time she had on the green makeup, she looked more beautiful that way, compared to her real-life colour. She then went on to say how cool the experience was.

She says that there are elements that are present in theatre that can be used to get the green makeup off her face. She says that she tries her best not to go out and about in public with her makeup still on. She rues the weird looks that you get from people who have no idea about the show. She says that it is something she has come to accept.

She spoke glowingly about the theatre at Ohio saying that it comes with numerous stairs. She then went on to speak about the learning curve involved with each new city they perform in. She says that acclimatization of the body to seasonal changes, allergies, dryness, and elevation levels are a criterion for a successful performance.

However, it has always been the dream of Deguzman to go green on stage. Ever since second grade, she has always wished for this role. She can easily recall the score for the WICKED, composed by Schwartz and how she went on to memorize all the songs from the show.