I had the opportunity to speak to MAC Senior Artist, Haritha Shan on the makeup created for Pan Productions’ latest musical, The Wizard Of Oz. As with any theatrical production, the makeup artists work under serious time constraints and much more so for this musical where Haritha has only 4 minutes backstage to give The Wicked Witch her look. I take roughly the same amount of time for my own very basic slapdash makeup – I just slap it on and dash out the door. This makes the skill and expertise of MAC makeup artists all the more impressive.

What was the inspiration behind the makeup for the production?

The inspiration came from the West End musical, “Wicked”. Nell Ng wanted to create Pan Productions’ own style of makeup for “The Wizard Of Oz”. We did not want to cut and paste from the movie.

How would you describe the looks?

Dorothy’s look reflects the MAC Spring/Summer 2012 Trend, Nouv-eau. The rest of the characters sport theatrical looks.

Other than MAC Pro Makeup, have you used any products from upcoming collections?

We are using To The People Powder from the Beth Ditto Collection (available May) for the Scarecrow look.

How long has MAC been planning the looks?

We have been working on this project for the past 6 months. The Artistic Team was notified about it in October 2011.

Any major difference between the makeup for Pan Productions’ 2011 “Cabaret” and “The Wizard Of Oz”?

With “Cabaret:, it was more about the beauty look whereas with “The Wizard Of Oz”, it’s a more fun and playful look.

One of the key products used to create the Wicked Witch look is Chromacake. Can you please tell me more about the product and its benefits?

I only used Landscape Green and Black Black Chromacake but there are many more shades of Chromacake. Artists use it for body painting. It can be used on the eyes and lips, all over the face. It is long-lasting and sweat-proof.

Do you use false lashes on any or all the characters?

Yes, all the characters have false lashes, e.g. it’s Lash 6 on the Wicked Witch.

What’s it like working with Pan Productions in coming up with the looks?

After consultations with them, we present them with our face charts. This is our 2nd consecutive year working with them. We are very happy with their trust in us in coming up with the looks for them.