How Ben Mingay is transformed into ogre for Shrek The Musical
It takes up to two hours for actor Ben Mingay to be transformed into a green ogre for Shrek The Musical, with two makeup artists working on his face to apply prosthetics and paint. And that’s even before the “fat suit” comes on. SEE THE PICTURES
Arts
Don't miss out on the headlines from Arts. Followed categories will be added to My News.
As any Shrek fan knows, the world’s grumpiest ogre has a non-existent beauty routine. He gets up in the morning, has a scratch and is good to go.
But not musical theatre star Ben Mingay. The Australian actor’s transformation into the character of the beloved swamp-dweller involves a small army of makeup and costuming experts and takes an hour and forty minutes to complete.
As the company of Shrek The Musical prepares for their first performance on Wednesday at the Sydney Lyric, Mingay gave The Sunday Telegraph the inside running on what it’s like to go green. It’s not easy — but it is worth it, as you can see from these before-and-after pictures by photographer Sam Ruttyn.
Mingay’s Shrek makeup and costuming is so complicated that the actor can’t manage it alone. Instead he has two makeup artists working on his face simultaneously, applying prosthetics and paint. Then it takes two dressers to get Mingay’s slim body inside the fat suit without which Shrek just wouldn’t be Shrek.
“None of it is achievable by yourself,” Mingay said.
MORE ENTERTAINMENT:
Today show snub blindsides weather guru Stevie Jacobs
Jodi Anasta’s Christmas Day baby drama on Neighbours
And when the job is done, Mingay can expect to boil and sweat his way through every performance. He estimates the costume adds 25kg to his weight, not to mention the heat generated by the rubber, foam and fabric lying next to his skin.
“It’s very hot in there, I’ll tell you,” he said.
“One of my dressers has to follow me around and keep feeding me water and sticking a fan on my face to make sure I don’t pass out.”
Mingay takes other measures to avoid overheating. He wears an ice vest under his costume. Because it has always melted by Act 2, he inserts a new one under his costume.
“It does make a lot of difference. Otherwise your organs get too hot,” he said.
Mingay sloshes down untold litres of water, and sits in front of a fan every time he comes off stage.
It’s still a tough ask and will be especially so on those days when there are two shows.
“Because it takes so long [to do the costume], I stay in it on a two-show day. I’ll be stripped down to my boardshorts sitting in the dressing room, and someone will have to bring me food because I can’t go out with the head on,” Mingay said.
Although the prostheses and makeup still allow Mingay to project facial expressions, they do make it hard to eat.
“All the food has to be bite-sized. Eating sandwiches is a no-no,” he said.
The first thing Mingay has as he begins the costuming process is a shave. His hair is then braided so it fits under his skullcap. The skullcap is then glued to his head.
A special cowling is then lowered over his head and is glued into place, and other prosthetic pieces are added to form the chin, jawline, forehead and nose.
“They finish off with makeup around the eyes and mouth to blend in with the prosthetics,” Mingay says.
“Once the head is on, there’s a two-piece fat suit with clips to join them together.”
Now that he’s all cuddly and soft like Shrek, it’s into a pair of 13cm platform clogs, trousers, leather vest and big green hand gloves, and Shrek is ready to go. Mingay said audiences should expect to be impressed by the level of detail in the show’s presentation.
“It just blows everyone away,” he said.
“They’re the best costumes I’ve ever seen.”
The other characters in our pictures such as Donkey (played by Nat Jobe), Pinocchio (Caleb Vines), Fairy Godmother (Sarah Murr) and Red Riding Hood (Monique Salle) have been coached to do their own makeup.
UK-based expert Craig Forrest-Thomas has over a decade’s experience with Shrek The Musical, and flew to Sydney to show the cast how to do their faces down to the last whisker.
Forrest-Thomas would paint one side of an actor’s face, and the actor would copy his work to complete the other side.
Many cast members play more than one role in Shrek The Musical, so the ability to do their own makeup quickly is a must, the show’s associate director Jenny Sawyer said.
“There’s also a makeup bible with drawn and painted designs, and photographs of previous cast in the makeup,” Sawyer said.
Photographs of the Australian cast in full makeup will be added to the “bible”.
Sawyer toured the UK with the musical before coming out to help prepare it for its Australian premiere.
“The design of the show is very intricate, and has been for the 12 years of its existence,” Sawyer said.
All the Shreks, including Ben Mingay, could attest to that.
Shrek The Musical, Sydney Lyric, January 1-February 9, sydneylyric.com.au