Wig Question

OK, humor me:

This question is incredibly random and may be difficult to answer, but, do most shows on Broadway have all of their characters wigged? Or only a few in certain shows? Some are obvious (i.e. "Hairspray) but I'm not sure about others.

It's been bugging me for days and I was hoping someone might have an answer.

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Depends on the show.

For the most part, yes. Even in Sweeney Todd Patti was wigged though her real hair was almost identical. Wigged hair is easier to deal with. You don't get bad hair days.

What about RENT?

I feel like the Mimis have wigs but no one else does.

really i think it does depend on the show. just by looking at some of the pictures you can tell it's not their real hair. also if you sit in the first few rows during a show you can kind of tell where the wig line is. i recently was the makeup and hair designer for my school production of little shop and the urchins had 2 sets of wigs and audrey had 1. it was just easier that way than dealing with using the actresses real hair. but when i worked on a production of candide, we only wigged two of our actresses. it really does depend on the show.

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High school doesn't count.

If it's professional, you can pretty much be sure it's always a wig unless it's short guys hair.. and even then it is sometimes. We don't pay $100 to see somebody with a bad hair day, I'm telling ya!

I am pretty sure High School can count... It doesnt exactly fit the true question of the title, but as a costume designer/milliner/wig... person, for 15 productions at my highschool, it does depend on the show. Some performers have hair that just doesnt fit the part. And though we never spent $1500 on a wig... (I think the most I got was 55 or so for a good Marie Antoinette wig...) we did sometimes have our students color their hair for productions. (Great examples being my prom date having to color her light blonde hair to a brown to play Anne Frank's mother who's name escapes me, and also a girl dying her hair blue after she clearly explains why she has blue hair in one scene during 'The Curious Savage') With musicals, as earlier stated, it just helps save time for quick changes between characters.

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When I saw it (which was, admittedly, during early previews) she had several people at the cast door asking. The only way you could tell was the color was more brown than black. The cut was the exact same.

And high school doesn't count. Just because high schools use wigs doesn't mean that it has anything to do with what "most shows on Broadway" (as the original question stated) do regarding wigs.

As I've stated, I think you will generally find that on Broadway it does not "depend on the show". Except for odd circumstances, wigs are almost always used because there is no chance of a bad hair day. They also make better holding places for mics.

I was under the impression that most are wigged, if only because real hair is to unprdictable...

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About 99% of all shows are wigged. As it was explained to me -- it's a helluva lot easier to just put your mic on your head, then the wig cap on, then your wig instead of sitting and getting your hair done 8 times a week.

Even actresses who sport the same haircut in their real life, use carbon-copy wigs. Again...it's easier to just walk into the theatre and plop the already prepped wig instead of having to get her real hair set and styled, etc -- 8 times a week.

Alot of male actors sport wigs for the same reason -- easier to just plop a wig on instead of having to style your hair EVERY night.

Mrs. Frank's name was Edith.

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