Question about wigs

I've wondered about this on several occasions, but why are some wigs so closely modeled on the hair of the actor? Bernadette Peters is an obvious example, but I was also wondering this when I saw I Do! I Do! in Westport. Kate Baldwin was wearing a wig that was nearly the exact shade of red of her own hair, which made the line "I'm gonna dye my hair bright red" seem a little superfluous.

I know this is probably a dumb question, but I was just wondering.

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right, that I understand. What I don't understand is why all of Bernadette's wigs look just like her hair. Why is Kristin Chenoweth never wigged to be a brunette?

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Wig design is just like costume design in that they are going to design something that reflects the character. And just like costume design the script may sometimes dictate some aspect of that design, for instance characters such as Johanna or Elle Woods obviously need to be blonde. However, even in those cases there are many shades and variations of blonde and it is part of the designer's job to find the shade that would look best on the actress playing the role.

The same will go for those designs where hair color is not dictated by the script. The designer, in collaboration with the director and costume designer, will choose what hair color they think will best fit both the character and the actor playing the role. Some actors, such as Kristin Chenoweth, are very well known with their "natural" color (I put that in quotes because sometimes the color they are best known for having may not be their true color), so there is little incentive to move to far away from that color if there is no textual reason to do so. Others are known for a specific style or texture, such as Bernadette and her curls, so the designer will often work to incorporate something of that look into the design for the character.

I believe the only wig in the Broadway production of In The Heights was Abuela Claudia's. Possibly Daniela's, but I could be wrong.

I love these discussions :)

The first thing that came to mind was Chad Kimball in Memphis.