I love learning about the wigs on Broadway! It’s such a delight to have a peek behind the scenes of some of the greatest shows on earth.
PBS has a great video about the wigs and the wig decisions for the Broadway show Annie. Tom Watson, hair and wig stylist explains the process of deciding on whether or not to wig an actor, how they measure and make each wig. It’s so fascinating to see Tom Watson and his team at work in their studio!
Click on the image below to be taken to this informative video:

Merry Christmas!
Throughout this holiday season(and especially today) there will be many folks wearing facial wigs. What!? you say? Why?
Well…all those santa beards and “masks” are facial wigs! Have you ever imagined how different Santa would be if he had been portrayed with different facial hair? hmm… well the creators of this silly video definitely put some time and thought into The 12 Beards of Christmas. Enjoy!

*SPOILER ALERT*
More fun news about the Broadway Musical Hedwig and the Angry Inch…

Lena Hall also known as Celina Carvajal from Kinky Boots plays Yitzhak, Hedwig’s Croatian husband. Hall provides a worthy surprise for the audience, also dressed in drag- SHE (dressed as a man) reveals herself as woman at the end of the show. Her transformation from she to he is also quite stunning.

She applies some heavy makeup, giving herself really heavy and slightly melancholy eyebrows and then tops it all off with a greaser-style wig. Below Lena Hall charms us while explaining her start to stage ready process.

More on Hedwig: Hedwig’s Wigs

Alan Eaton has added 8 new styles to the current Envy selection. Shyla and Abbey are both new Envy hair styles featuring a unique blend of 70% heat friendly fiber and 30% human hair that looks, feels, moves, and styles just like natural hair. The construction is the same as an earlier introduced style, Kylie, with the silk chiffon lining and perfect for those with sensitive scalps. Due to the overwhelming success of both Tiffany and Shari (Large cap), Alan Eaton has added new versions of these two styles: Petite Tiffany Mono features a mono top cap construction that allows for the illusion of natural hair growth at the part line
and Shari is now available in an average cap size.

Longer styles with mono tops offering plenty of lush layers are Celeste, Sheena and Brooke. Jasmine, also with a monofilament top, is a medium length longer bob / page boy style.

All styles are available in 25 colors. Even the longer monofilament top styles are offered in Envy’s grey colorations.

Every year Tony awards acknowledge the many amazing talents of those involved with American Theater. Besides the awards for Best Play, Musical and the Casts, awards also go to set designers, musicians, costume designers, and lighting designers. Although it is a given that there are many other contributors to making a successful Broadway show, one group of people that is often not recognized by the public are those who spend numerous hours and efforts designing the wigs that are indispensable to countless in many Broadway productions.

“The problem with being a good wig designer is that if you do your job properly, no one knows that any of your work is on the stage,” Jason P. Hayes says.

Believe it or not, wigs are are present in almost all Broadway productions. For both the audience and the actor, wigs are integral to creating an accurate and believable character. Altering one’s own hair is a huge commitment and perhaps not possible for every actor, wigs provide an easier way of transforming any actor into the character they are playing while helping to minimize pre-show prep time. Actors appreciate the time save as well as the total transformation, especially in cases where an actor is playing multiple characters or a character over a period of time.

“It really is a crucial aspect of the performance, this wig, especially for me,” Reed Birney (who plays Charlotte in Casa Valentina) says. “Your self-image suddenly changes. I can’t see myself, but I see myself in the mirror and I know I’ve got this honey-colored hair and a big swoop and it really does affect the way you move through space.”

What are these amazing wigs made out of? The material of the wig is reall crucial to them performing properly- both on the actor and off the actor. The wigs’ construction needs to be stable enough to survive multiple shows but also style-able. Most wigs on Broadway are constructed out of human hair, which give a more realistic look.

We plan on keeping our eyes peeled for wigs next time we see a Broadway show! Let us know if you can spot who’s wearing what!

Estetica Designs is E-Wigs featured wig brand for September. Now is the time to experience the exceptional value and natural look of Estetica wigs. If you already wear Estetica Designs wigs, make sure you take advantage of this months’ special promo! If you’ve never experienced the comfort and natural look of Esteticas’s great wigs, NOW is a good time.

Because we value you as a customer, and your choices, we are also offering a 10% discount on our other wig brands for new wigs.

20% Off All Estetica wig styles + FREE Shipping (USA)
Enter ed20 in the Coupon Box located on the Order Confirmation page, just BEFORE clicking Add to Cart

10% Off All Brands + FREE Shipping (USA)
Enter tenoff in the Coupon Box located on the Order Confirmation page, just BEFORE clicking Add to Cart

That’s 20% OFF Estetica’s Wigs, PLUS, we will ship your Esteticas wigs for FREE in the domestic US.
For our International customers, our lower discounted shipping rates will apply.

Remember! To again access to this special offer go to our e-Wigs home page and sign up with your email address. You’ll be notified about all future sales.

Every month e-Wigs will feature one of our wig brands in a private sale available only to those people who have their email addresses on the e-Wigs database. We send out an email with a special coupon code that is added on the “Confirm This Order” page.

The NY Times has a great piece with wonderful photos of many of the different amazing wigs used in Broadway productions. This article makes it very clear that hair tells a story unto itself. Each wig is thoughtfully crafted for the character who is wearing it and every placed curl is just as deliberate as the color or length.

For those familiar with the show All The Way this iconic hair was made for the character Lady Bird Johnson. The bouffant style show cases the politics at the time in a way that only hair can do.

This wig here was made for the Broadway production of Aladdin. There are 47 wigs made for this show and 23 facial hair pieces!

To see the rest of the very cool wigs from the NYTimes article Click here!

The late 90′s Off Broadway musical Hedwig and the Angry Inch has been ON Broadway since the end of March of 2014 is not only a remarkable story and amazing display of talent from Neil Patrick Harris but also A LOT of Wigs (and makeup!) !!Illustration: Tom Bachtell

Hedwig and the Angry Inch is a musical comedy drama about a rock band front by Hedwig a transgendered singer from East Berlin. The show is unlike any other on Broadway with it’s bawdy jokes and gritty drama all with a flair of rock and roll and a dash of punk. In order to make Hedwig, well Hedwig a lot of make up and mayn wigs are required!

Hedwig’s most famous wig is the one with the GIANT Farrah curls on either side of her face. When the writer and original Hedwig, John Cameron Mitchell asked Mike Potters to make a “Farrah XXL” in the 90′s Potters says: “So I did the wig—staples, toilet-paper rolls, and glue. Kinda tragic. Kind of punk rock”. How excellent is that??! Like the musical, Potter’s too has come a long way with his wig designing and styling especially with his innovative wigs for the Broadway production. Hedwig remains on stage throughout the entire hour and forty minute production which means that offstage hair, makeup and wardrobe changes aren’t feasible so Mike Potter made all of Hedwig’s elaborate wigs easy for Neil Patrick Harris to change on his own by using magnets!!! This allows the actor to quickly slip off one wig and snap on another. Another neat feature for the opening act is a “bi-level” wig made up of 3 parts so that Harris can easily snap off one part and snap on another.
Photo: Joan Harris