Tattoos on Broadway

[BroadwayNYC25]

Posted: 8/13/16 at 12:10am

I know that most actors with tattoos airbrush them for their roles. But, would a casting director ever not give someone a part because they have a visible tattoo?

[trpguyy]

Posted: 8/13/16 at 12:59am

I can imagine a situation in which the tattooing is so extreme that it could eliminate an actor from consideration. But someone with easily concealable tattoos? Not a factor in casting, from my experience. 

[TotallyEffed]

Posted: 8/13/16 at 1:00am

I actually find that actors on stage don't bother airbrushing them. I remember Allce Ripley has some kind of Asian tattoo on her ankle. I sat in the front row and also remember seeing her name markered on the inside of her heels. She'd let them hang off her feet at certain times during the show. Damn, I miss her performance.

[trpguyy]

Posted: 8/13/16 at 1:25am

That was probably a p-touch label, standard practice for labeling shoes. 

[Islander_fan]

Posted: 8/13/16 at 4:00am

Keala Settle has some quite visible tattoos on her arms. I know that they aren't covered up in Waitress, but think they may have been for Les Miserables and maybe Hands on a Hardbody. 

[JBroadway]

Posted: 8/13/16 at 4:17am

Well, yeah with shows like Next to Normal and Waitress, there's no reason why the characters can't have tattoos. I imagine the period shows are the ones that might require airbrushing. Then again, period costumes tend to not show as much skin. 

Updated On: 8/13/16 at 04:17 AM

[Laurapattifan]

Posted: 8/13/16 at 8:54am

I think Michael Cerveris has a small one on his arm that he covers for Fun Home 

Updated On: 8/13/16 at 08:54 AM

[nycgogetter]

Posted: 8/13/16 at 11:09pm

In Lion King, many of the Simbas have had tattoos that get covered up by the make up department.

 

If there was some inherent in the role being played by someone without a tattoo - I am sure the casting director would figure it out.

[Tom5]

Posted: 8/13/16 at 11:24pm

In many (most) cases an actor's personal tat breaks reality and would have to be airbrushed away. Just as an actor couldn't wear their wedding ring while playing a part.

[ljay889]

Posted: 8/13/16 at 11:26pm

Laura Benanti famously had to cover up her "tramp stamp" in Gypsy. 

[xxdrewboy85xx]

Posted: 8/13/16 at 11:30pm

As has been said by everyone, I'm sure in most cases it's a non issue as they make great tattoo cover ups. Especially in a big Broadway house. But let's say you had a sleeve and were going in for the role of Stanley-- let's face it, you're not getting the part. 

 

I'm pretty sure Disney parks casting wouldn't hire you for one of their shows if you had visible tattoos.  But they have so many strict rules regarding casting. 

 

As a director myself, there was one time when I didn't cast a very talented actor for a role that he could have been great in, and one of the decisions to go with the other actor was because of his tattoos. He has some hideous tattoos, but it was a period piece in a 99 seat black box theater and the role had full nudity. That wasn't the sole reason he lost out on the role, but it was definitely one of them. However, if he was the only one I could have seen on the role I would have worked with it. Lighting and staging could have helped mask the tattoo cover up from being noticeable in such a small black box. 

 

[LizzieCurry]

Posted: 8/13/16 at 11:46pm

Funnily enough, they did not cover up Keala Settle's tattoo for this photo.

[Tag]

Posted: 8/14/16 at 1:05am

I think Michael Cerveris has a small one on his arm that he covers for Fun Home

Here's a video of him doing just that!

[ghostlight2]

Posted: 8/14/16 at 3:02am

"That was probably a p-touch label [on Ripley's ankle], standard practice for labeling shoes".

That may well have been, but she does have tattoos. They did not bother to hide them in American Psycho. Cerveris has more than one as well. 

[mailhandler777]

Posted: 8/14/16 at 5:32am

Tom5 said: "In many (most) cases an actor's personal tat breaks reality and would have to be airbrushed away. Just as an actor couldn't wear their wedding ring while playing a part."

 

Alli Mauzey always kept her wedding ring/engagement ring on during Wicked. She covered them with a bandaid in Act 1 though. It would turn green from the Elphaba and be super distracting from the front rows.

 

Keala's tattoos were never covered up for Les Mis. Why would they be when Ramin had a full sleeve and his wasn't covered. The only thing they reference is JVJ brand on his chest(which was a 24601 tattoo in the original and 1st revival).

 

In Rent most of the Rogers I've seen had very visible tattoos on their arms.

Updated On: 8/14/16 at 05:32 AM

[LizzieCurry]

Posted: 8/14/16 at 11:52am

Valjean doesn't wear short sleeves (the closest being raggedy convict sleeves), so there was no need to cover them with makeup anyway.

[trpguyy]

Posted: 8/14/16 at 12:04pm

ghostlight2 said: ""That was probably a p-touch label [on Ripley's ankle], standard practice for labeling shoes".

That may well have been, but she does have tattoos. They did not bother to hide them in American Psycho. Cerveris has more than one as well. "

Did you really think I meant the wardrobe department applied an adhesive label on Alice Ripley's ankle, in an effort to label her shoes?

[Mike Bevel]

Posted: 8/14/16 at 12:20pm

trpguyy said: "Did you really think I meant the wardrobe department applied an adhesive label on Alice Ripley's ankle, in an effort to label her shoes?"

I did. But only because it made me laugh REALLY hard.

[trpguyy]

Posted: 8/14/16 at 12:39pm

I meant it was probably a p-touch label and not marker inside her shoes. Not sure why ghostlight2 added "label [on Ripley's ankle]" when quoting me, but whatever. 

Updated On: 8/14/16 at 12:39 PM

[ChildofEarth]

Posted: 8/14/16 at 8:08pm

I actually loved Taye Diggs' tattoos when he was Hedwig - including the "I love Daddy" tattoo. I thought they were a fun twist on the character that he created.

[mailhandler777]

Posted: 8/14/16 at 11:40pm

LizzieCurry said: "Valjean doesn't wear short sleeves (the closest being raggedy convict sleeves), so there was no need to cover them with makeup anyway."

 

I was talking about Ramin and not any others that played JVJ. He ripped his shirt off. 

[ghostlight2]

Posted: 8/15/16 at 1:36pm

"Did you really think I meant the wardrobe department applied an adhesive label on Alice Ripley's ankle, in an effort to label her shoes?"

No, trpguyy, I did not. You mentioned labelling shoes, not ankles, and labelling shoes and costumes is standard practice (though, of course, not by p-touch, which is used more for equipment). I thought perhaps you thought a label might have slipped. I was actually trying to be nice to you.

"I meant it was probably a p-touch label and not marker inside her shoes. Not sure why ghostlight2 added "label [on Ripley's ankle]" when quoting me, but whatever."

I added "[on Ripley's ankle]" in brackets as clarification, which is also standard practice when the quoted sentence doesn't contain all the information needed when quoted out of context. If you read your sentence without reading the entire thread, it wouldn't make sense. My addition in brackets made it clear what and who you were talking about.
 

 


 

[LizzieCurry]

Posted: 8/15/16 at 1:41pm

mailhandler777 said: "LizzieCurry said: "Valjean doesn't wear short sleeves (the closest being raggedy convict sleeves), so there was no need to cover them with makeup anyway."

 I was talking about Ramin and not any others that played JVJ. He ripped his shirt off. "

 

I was also talking about Ramin, and I'm well aware of the shirt-ripping. Did he take OFF his entire shirt later in his run, though, revealing his sleeve tattoo? I only saw Ramin once, in previews, when he opened up the chest (more than most Valjeans, OF COURSE).

[mailhandler777]

Posted: 8/15/16 at 2:26pm

^As far as I know he did it his whole run. I saw it a few times well after previews. 

[trpguyy]

Posted: 8/15/16 at 3:25pm

P-Touch labels are standard practice for labeling shoes. That is a fact. Often times iron-on P-Touch labels are used inside clothing, sometimes it's a blank tag from the costume shop that is then written on. I never suggested that there was anything on Ripley's ankle. She's probably got a tattoo there if somebody said they saw a tattoo. Let's move on.