American Salon 0512 : Page 43
THIS PAGE, FROM TOP: Hair is dressed to perfection in Evita’s famous balcony scene; Elena Roger (Eva Perón) sports an intricate wig created by Richard Mawbey; Ricky Martin (Che Guevara) pulls out all the stops with his dancing in this scene that’s loaded with 1940s hair. FACING PAGE: Great sets, costumes and hair take center stage in the Broadway production. shows and film or TV work is that you have more time to finesse your looks,” Mawbey says. “I make a wig for a film, off it goes and they use it for the shoot and it’s done. But with all the previews on a show like this, you have the chance to watch how the wig suits the character and how the hair behaves and moves, making adjustments until it’s perfect.” Suffice it to say that translates into a lot of hair that needs tending. Currently, there are more than 150 wigs in the show, and when you stop to consider that there are two actresses sharing the lead who each have two understudies, that equates to 24 wigs for Eva alone. For Mawbey, though, one of the most challenging parts of his job has involved transferring Eva’s look to Roger, whom he says is diminutive. “The size of the hairstyles had to be reduced considerably to suit her,” Mawbey says. “I also had to cope with the extra bulk of two radio mike transmitters, which these days are housed in the wigs so the audience no longer sees unsightly wires running down performers’ backs. It proved to be a bit of a nightmare because of Elena’s tiny head and Eva’s severe, unforgiving hairstyles.” Not surprisingly, one of Mawbey’s favorite scenes in the musical comes when the aristocracy of Buenos Aires is introduced to Eva, and he has the chance to show off some authentic 1940s hairdressing—a series of beautifully colored human hair wigs that instantly transform the actresses into glamour queens. “If there’s one thing I would hope people remember, it’s the production’s natural period look,” Mawbey says. “It’s not about ‘here comes the wig’—some shows are, but not this one. I just want people to think the stars have great hair and realize that it must have been wigs when they think about the show afterward.” ✂ —Kelley Donahue May 2012 American Salon 43
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