Do you ever think video blogs are a bit like buses?  You wait ages for one to turn up and then two or three come along in rapid succession….?

We have delved into our archives – in actual fact only a couple of weeks ago but so much has happened along the Love Never Dies production process that it seems like AGES – to bring you a clip of the landmark day when Ramin Karimloo, our Phantom, met his make up, wig and mask for the first time.  We were there to capture the moment on our trusty Flip camera to try and give you a little teaser into what the Phantom now looks like.

So let’s go back to the end of January as the cast near the end of their stint in the rehearsal space and prepare to move into the Adelphi… and in another West End theatre a specialist team gather to create the Phantom’s look…

In our previous Disfiguring the Phantom blog post you will have seen the first stage in the process to create the make up and prosthetics which will transform Ramin into the Phantom.

This week saw the culmination of all the effort by Neill Girton, who made the prosthetics,  Naomi Donne, who has created the make up, Campbell Young, the Wigs Supervisor for the show and Ivo Coveney who has created the Phantom’s iconic mask.  For the first time all the team gathered in a dressing room at The Palace Theatre with Ramin, to apply their handiwork for the first time.  Neill prepared Ramin and began applying the prosthetics.  For Love Never Dies the prosthetics will be made in silicone rather than the foam used for The Phantom of the Opera.  This material – although slightly heavier than foam – allows the actor much more freedom for facial expression and also looks much more “skin like” in texture.

As Neill worked he gave a running commentary on the process so that Sandra O’Brien (Biddie) who will be Wigs Mistress on Love Never Dies and Debbie Goodship (Lolly) her Deputy, could take notes and photographs.   The process at this early stage takes well over an hour, but Biddie and Lolly are confident that over time they will be able to complete the make up in around 45 minutes.  Before Naomi took over to put the finishing touches to the make up, Campbell stepped in to apply the wig and complete the transformation.  Then Ramin was helped into his costume and led to the stage so the final look could be tested under the lighting.  Oh… and sitting in the auditorium to witness this was Andrew Lloyd Webber, Director Jack O’Brien and key members of the creative and production team

Obviously it was a time of great excitement for all, as the months of hard work became a reality.  It is safe to say that everyone involved was thrilled by the result.

Check out our exclusive video clip for a little teaser of the make up process and a few words from Naomi and Campbell…

I know we have talked about the electricity surrounding the show… but the scale of the buzz increased ten fold as the cast said farewell to their temporary rehearsal space and gathered at the Adelphi at the end of last week for the first time.  This marks a major landmark in the build up to first preview and the rehearsals gather momentum as the cast start to work through the show on the actual stage.

The auditorium was filled with technical, production, crew and make up personnel, pouring over dozens of computer screens at makeshift desks as everyone arrived and the intake of breath was audible.

Our regular bloggers Niamh Perry (Fleck) and Adam Pearce (Squelch), together with the third member of their trio, Jamie Reid-Quarrell (Gangle) fill us in on the initial reaction.  We also collared other members of the cast who are rendered almost speechless by the surroundings…and Head of Wigs and Make Up Sandra (aka Biddie) who talks about getting the Phantom into make up for the first time!

No special birthdays to celebrate in the rehearsal room today, but even without the lure of cake we called in to see how the cast were feeling at the end of another gruelling week. We arrived just as the cast were breaking for lunch and asked them how things were going and for their highlights of the week so far!

This is Miss Fleck again reporting for blog duty. I thought I would fill you in on my recent make-up session with the amazing team here at the LND rehearsal space. Basically, like many girls I am obsessed with make-up. On my last job I wore very little so when I read the call sheet for Monday and saw that I was scheduled to be in make-up for 2 hours I got ridiculously over-excited! I was greeted by Naomi (Make Up Designer) who was holding eyebrow glue. I was a bit worried. I sat down in front of three huge tables of every type of make-up you could possibly think of. It was like Christmas! On the wall opposite were hundreds of inspirational photos and I was drawn to a black and white picture of a gorgeous French model. Lucky for me that was Naomi’s idea for my Fleck makeover!

So basically we tried the eyebrow glue to make my eyebrows look thinner and higher but (thankfully) it didn’t look quite right so we had to stick to my own! After 15 minutes of trying to find a foundation that is pale enough (I am so pale there is a hint of blue to my skin, what can I say I’m Irish!) we got down to work. 10 eyeshadow shades and 45 minutes later, I had the most amazing eye make-up I have ever seen. They’re estimating that it will take me 45 minutes to apply my make-up before every show. Aaagggghhh! Fake eyelashes and a gorgeous lipstick colour later and I have turned into Miss Fleck. No-one recognized me!

Let’s hope I can take it off quickly or else I will be getting some funny looks on the train home every night!

Everything is going swimmingly in rehearsals. We’re working on one of the final scenes and it looks stunning! Believe me, you will not be expecting this!

We’ve had so many birthdays over the past few weeks and therefore have had a constant supply of birthday cake. Unfortunately there don’t seem to be any more in the foreseeable future and I am a bit gutted. Probably best for my waistline!

Anyway until next time,

Niamh xx

Adam Pearce’s blog

Well, as Miss Fleck (aka Niamh Perry) has reported, yesterday was the Meet and Greet.

This is where almost every single person involved with the production from around the world all get together in one room and introduce themselves. There were cast, creative, wigs, wardrobe, casting, production, design, chaperones, marketing,  digital…the list goes on and on! So, we all sat down with tea, coffee, pastries, biscuits, everything you can imagine. Up steps the Lord to welcome us and he gives us the inside story on how he came up with the idea for the new piece.  He had been collaborating with a number of writers, but they just didn’t seem to work. Then he found a great team in – amongst others – Jack O’Brien, Jerry Mitchell, Bob Crowley, Ben Elton and Glenn Slater. Then Jack stood up and said a few words of inspiration. No matter what Jack talks about, you can’t help but be enthralled by his voice. I’m sure if he was even describing on how he opened a packet of crisps, your jaw would drop open and you would end up marvelling at the man!!

So we are making our way round the group, introducing ourselves. The Lord starts, then Jack, and we go round. I’m watching and trying to remember all the names and jobs, low and behold, it has come to my line. This is where I start to panic. I am 5 people away and I have stupidly just taken a giant mouthful of pecan Danish!!! So I’m chewing and chewing… Now 3 away… 2 away… chewing chewing chewing!!!  1 away… I swallow just as I start to stand. Thank goodness!!!…. But then realise I have not put the rest of the Danish down and am now holding it out in full view of everyone (including the Lord) Stupidly, I say ‘Hello, I’m Adam Pearce, and I play Squelch’ and find myself holding the pastry like a glass and am doing a kind of toasting gesture with it!! And to make matters worse, I look around and nobody else is eating, nor even holding any food what so ever!!  How embarrassing!! The curse of the ‘chubby funster’!

With week 1 of rehearsals over, the cast have been put through their paces!! For this show, for most of the cast, strength is a big factor. So every morning they have been in 10am -12.30pm doing an intense physical warm up and work out, increasing lower body and upper body strength, core strength and stability, just immense!!! God bless them, and all their blood sweat and tears, but it will hopefully all be worth it!!

We are extremely blessed to have such an amazing group of people here who are going to become family for the next year ahead. Cast, company manager, stage management, music team, creative team, wardrobe, wigs, it’s going to be a great year! Good times!!

As anyone who has read our make up features on the official Phantom of the Opera website will know, the actor playing the lead role is transformed each performance using tailor made prosthetics which, along with the specially designed make up, produce the disfiguring effect which is revealed so dramatically when the mask is removed.

The prosthetics have to withstand movement, heat, moisture and of course allow for the actor to sing so to ensure the most secure fitting each piece is produced specifically for each actor (including the understudies and covers) and are used only once for each performance. In order to ensure a regular supply of perfectly fitting pieces can be produced the workshop work from a mould of each actor’s face.

This same process will continue for Love Never Dies and we were privileged to be invited along to a landmark day in the count down to the new show when we went along to the workshop to witness Ramin Karimloo being immortalised in plaster and rubber!

Also at the studio were Naomi Donne, who is overseeing the make up for Love Never Dies, Neill Girton, the owner of the studio who are making the prosthetics, Campbell Young, the Wigs Supervisor for the show and Ivo Coveney who will be making the Phantom’s mask.

It was the first time the team had met with Ramin who will be playing the Phantom and it was a great opportunity to discuss exactly how the Phantom will look ten years on.  It was also the ideal time to talk about how the prosthetics will be removed on a nightly basis!

As Ramin has been playing The Phantom for the last two years he is no stranger to the rather unique, and not entirely pleasant, sensation of having your entire head encased in plaster.  The process begins by the hair being covered by a bald cap which is fastened securely.  Campbell then began taking measurements of Ramin’s head and covering his skull with cellophane tape to form a cap which will be used as a basis for the production of the wig(s). Neill then begun drawing around Ramin’s hairline with a special paint which will transfer the markings to the inside of the mould.  Ramin’s eyebrows were covered in cream to stop them from sticking to the mould. 

Assistance was called in and the process began of soaking the Mod Roc bandages in water, then wringing out before applying to the head.  Neil explained that they would begin by covering the back half of the head with the bandages as this half would require a less detailed plaster shell. The front half of the head however would need an intricately detailed mould so this would be covered in Alginate, a bright blue rubbery substance produced from algae, which would then dry and peel away from the face smoothly capturing every minute feature. To stabilise the mould the alginate would in turn be covered in the same Mod Roc bandages as the back of the head.

The bandages were applied to form a distinct ridge which would allow for easy separation and removal of the cast in two halves.  Once the back was complete the blue alginate powder was mixed with water to form a thick paste.  As Ramin would be totally covered during the process (aside from two nostril holes to enable him to breathe!) and would therefore be unable to speak Neill briefed him on what to do if there was a problem and he needed the mask to be removed immediately.  A thick layer of alginate was then swiftly applied to his face – as the application was underway you could see the material begin to dry and set very rapidly.  As soon as a uniform layer had covered the face this was then topped up by the soaked plaster bandages.  Throughout the process Neill kept Ramin informed what was happening and gave regular updates to let him know what stage had been reached.  Neill confirmed that he, and anyone who was involved in the headcasting process, had undergone a headcast themselves so they could empathise with the person experiencing the procedure.

The plaster hardened almost immediately and it was clear that the cast had become very heavy.  Support was given as the back half of the cast was gently prised away.  The front half was slightly more delicate so was very slowly worked away from the face.

The mould was taken away to be cleaned up and prepared. Neill then took headshots of Ramin which he will use in Photoshop to create the desired look and feel of the prosthetics before starting to model them in three dimensions. Once these prototypes have been approved then production starts in earnest.

Check out our video blog of the process. Sorry to tease you but we have had to remove some of the audio as we can’t reveal too much detail at this stage – you will have to wait until February to find out just how the Phantom will look ten years later!