The makeup used by performers in Cats is absolutely essential to the transformation of the human face into a Cat. The most common makeup designs, as used in the Cats Video, are by Karen Dawson, who worked on many UK-based productions. Nancy Powell worked on the designs used in the US tours, Candace Carell worked on the original Broadway production.
Interviews and Stage By Stage Links[]
Often when journalists see "Behind the scenes" on Cats they watch a performer applying their makeup, while interviewing them.
- UK Tour 2014 - Birmingham, Filippo Strocchi and Callum Train
- UK Tour 2006 - Stoke on Trent, Peter Tyler as Alonzo
- Broadway 2016 - Day in the Life of Andy Huntington Jones
"Make-up for CATS"
Karen Dawson-Harding, Make-up Designer, joined the CATS team in 1989 for the tour and was asked to create a stylised look for the production. Karen set to work and had to bear in mind not only the individual character of each cat but also take into account the wigs and costumes that were already designed.
Karen designed the cats’ make-up on the faces of the actors, because after all the make-up will end up on the face - a 3D image. Once the make-up has been designed photographs of the front and the two sides of the face are then taken. It is at this stage that Karen then painted the make-up charts you see below.
The charts give detailed instructions for colours and shading. Each actor is given a make-up chart, a photograph of how they should look and a bag of the correct cosmetics.
New cast members have tutorials with Karen using the drawings as a guide. They are carefully taken through each stage of their make up until all that remains is one eye. They then get the chance to do it themselves. The actors practice their make-up until they are purr-fect at applying it. Most actors have learnt to do their make-up but it can take up to a couple of months to get the make-up correct.
"Make-up for CATS the Video"
There was a difference between the make-up for the stage and the make-up for the screen, because of the very nature of the environment the actors were working in. The difference between stage lighting and the lighting designed for the video has an effect on the make-up as does that length of time and activity of the actors when the make-up has been applied.
Some of the theatre designs would have been too strong for the screen, looking too harsh to the close eye, for film it needed to be more subtle and blended. Also the make-up could have a lighter finish due to the stop and start scheduling of video. In the show the make-up has to stay in place for the whole time while the cast members are on stage.
The most complicated make-up is for Skimbleshanks and Munkustrap, taking anywhere between 45 minutes to 1½ hours. The easiest make-up to do is the kittens - taking around ½ hour.
Karen Dawson Makeup Design Charts[]
Revised John Napier Makeup Design Charts[]
Makeup Product References[]
Backstage photos that include the range of products used by the professional casts.
Makeup Application Collages[]
When you are studying a makeup design independently, it can be very useful to see how a range of performers have interpreted the same basic design. Rather than scrolling through a dozen different photos, these collages bring together several different interpretations in one image.
References[]
- ↑ Make-up for CATS, reallyuseful.com.