Run across the Woman Who's Spent 500 Hours Teaching Broadway Cats to Paint Their Faces

Cats, if you're a fan, is magical for a bunch of reasons. The whimsy. The rhymed chanting. The dancing. The giant tin cans and yarn balls congenital to brand humans look tiny. (All of these are nevertheless things even if you're not a fan, they are just probably reasons the show maddens you, rather than brings you joy.) Simply all of that magic hinges on yous believing those people dancing and chanting around the giant tin can cans are actually cats. That'south where Victoria Tinsman comes in. Tinsman was the wig and makeup supervisor on the 2016 Broadway revival of Cats, where she taught every bandage member — she subsequently went on to tackle the same role on the Broadway production's tour — how to practice their feline makeup. (Once actors were able to do it on their own, Tinsman was notwithstanding in the theater every night making sure things ran smoothly and nobody forgot their noses.)

How did you find yourself involved in the revival of Cats? Was that a dream project for you lot?
It was kind of random. I've been working on Broadway for eight years at present doing wigs and makeup, and it kind of brutal into my lap. Someone needed assist with some of the makeup, and I was similar, "Great. I beloved Cats." I've been a fan of it since I was a kid. I used to watch the VHS of it all the time. I started talking with them about their needs, and then they ended up needing both a wig and makeup supervisor for the Broadway revival. So I ended upward taking that on, and I was in charge of all of the wigs and makeup for the Broadway revival, and I was there from the opening until the closing date.

Wow. So how long does it take to exercise a cat's confront?
It totally depends on the cat, because each individual character is a different makeup plot. So in the showtime, I always take an hour to an hour and a half with each graphic symbol to teach them how to do their makeup. For a swing in the prove, if he or she plays viii different cats, that's at least eight hours of makeup tutorials for that ane person. But then, every bit they get improve at it with more practise, some people can get down to 20 minutes. Some makeup plots are but more detailed. Like Rum Tum Tugger, for instance, is a much more detailed plot than, say, Mistoffelees.

What sorts of things does Rum Tum Tugger take on his face that brand it more than difficult and time consuming?
He just has a lot more colors involved. Then a lot of the makeups are color blocked; different colors are on specific parts of the face. And then some cats accept a lot more than blending, which takes more time. And then other cats take more than line work. So it just basically comes down to how many colors are on the face, if it's blended, or if it's more than color blocked, and the item work.

What happens if you run into a cast member who's just not terribly great at doing makeup?
That does happen, and it'due south really just practice. I've really found the best style to break downwardly each makeup and teach them pace-by-stride tutorials. I'll basically practice i side of the face up for them, and they'll mimic what I do on the other side when they're learning. And and then we'll video record the tutorial, so they have basically my words on video showing them what to practice then they can re-watch it. And then I too accept a full step- by-step printed out for them that basically says, "Put this color here, put this colour in that location. Add this line hither, add that line there." It'south kind of foolproof.

What sorts of products are the cats applying to their faces?
Information technology'southward all makeup. No one has whatsoever prosthetics or anything, and nosotros utilise a mixture of … At to the lowest degree on our production. I'm sure other productions employ other things, but I also did the newest revival tour, and they all use this stuff, also. They utilise a lot of Mehron makeup, Ben Nye makeup. And then we utilize little sprinklings hither and there of La Femme and and so some MAC products, INGLOT products. A little bit kind of all over the place.

I talked to a number of bandage members from the revival, who simply said you sweat endlessly throughout the show. I'm sort of curious how you plan full-face makeup for a show where it'south like running a marathon but on Broadway.
Back when the start Broadway run of Cats was done, they used to use an oil- based makeup, which is like a grease paint, and it'due south non actually that proficient for your pare, only it stays on. We've gone away from that simply because information technology's not that healthy for you. Everything is at present a cream base. We use a translucent pulverization on elevation of everything to ready information technology once it's all completed. If y'all actually push in plenty powder, that's really going to aid set it. So we have two unlike sealant sprays. For the people that don't sweat that much, they only use the Ben Nye final seal, and that just helps set it, keep it in place. For the people that nosotros accept are really heavy sweaters, they utilise a product from Premiere Products, and it's chosen Green Marble Sealer, and that is the really heavy duty, basically waterproof makeup sealer. Information technology'due south what Cirque du Soleil uses for their underwater shows, I believe.

On the flip side, how exercise you go all that off of your face?
And then nosotros've nailed information technology downwards to a science. There are three dissimilar products that we use. Some people will utilize this stuff from Kryolan. They use a product called Hydro Oil, and with a combination of Cetaphil. they'll put the Hydro Oil all over their face, and really get it all moving around. You simply mush all the colors together, and then you lot wash straight to the gentle Cetaphil, and then you wash that off. So y'all can practise another affair of the gentle cleanser, and wash that off. Okay. So it's kind of a step process of Hydro Oil, cleanser, water, cleanser, water.

And I imagine at that place'south just accepting the fact that your hairline is going to forever be a little bit tinged.
Yes, especially our orange-based cats. And then that's Jennyanydots, Electra, Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer. They basically always take a lilliputian bit of orange in the hairline. We similar to call them the Cheetoh cats.

For people that have really sensitive skin, instead of using the Hydro Oil, which is pretty good for sensitive peel, some people will go the more natural route and employ kokosnoot oil.

You mentioned Rum Stomach Tugger has a pretty extensive makeup plot. Is there a cat that you recall has the toughest chore to pigment on their face?
He's one of the toughest because he's more involved, and he's got a lot of shimmer powders to go on top. But then you meet a trio combo with Peter, Bustopher Jones, and Gus, who probably has the craziest of makeup plots because he has to play three different cats in i show. So he starts as Peter, does a quick alter into Bustopher Jones, and then does a quick change into Gus. So that's more than involved during the bear witness.

Who's the true cat I want to be if I'm bad at makeup and lazy?
Probably Tumblebrutus, or Mistoffelees.

Plus, and so I get the fun, light-upward vest. And so I'm curious how the wigs are secured to the heads, the procedure that goes into that. Exercise they scent actually bad?
Well, the smelling part depends on if your actors sweat is a smelly sweat, only nosotros would launder them a lot. They probably get washed more than your average wig, but because of how much sweat. But they likewise get sprayed with booze every night. That helps abolish that out. The women will do a full pin curl fix with their pilus, which is basically making your pilus into trivial circles and putting pins in them, and then a wig cap on top of that.  Some of our men have really brusque hair, so nosotros'll use a self adhesive ACE wrap around their head, and that really acts like Velcro to shorter hair. And so we'll put a wig cap on tiptop of that, and pin it to the ACE prep. And so same procedure. Wig on, pins on, gum.

Anybody ever lose a wig on phase?
Information technology'southward come close. Information technology's come up close. I'm thankful that while I was on the show, I don't think nosotros lost completely any wigs on stage. We had a couple of moments in the first with Rum Stomach Tugger. He has a really large collar, and the combination of collar pushing up against the wig, nosotros had some issues with that, with it coming loose a lot. Merely by the cease of the show, we really figured out the best wig prep for him, and made it super secure.

Take you seen the trailer for the new Cats flick?
I have.

Thoughts?
I don't hateful this how it'southward going to sound, but I had nil expectations for information technology just because I am going to love it no matter what, because I honey the show so much. No matter how they accept it, not everyone is going to be happy, no matter what they do. And so I am hoping to be 1 person out of many that can just picket it with an open, happy heart, and just enjoy the ride.

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Meet the Adult female Who Taught Broadway Cats to Pigment Their Faces