Michael James Scott’s association with Aladdin dates to the show’s Broadway premiere in 2014, when he was the standby for the Genie. He’s played the role for more than three years in productions from Australia to Los Angeles to London, and has been back on Broadway at the New Amsterdam Theatre since February 2019.

“The Genie is dramatically high energy, and a pretty out-there kind of a role. I tend to be more quiet during most of my day leading up to the show. So when it’s time and the transformation starts, I’m in it. It’s immediate, because for me it’s all about the makeup and the costume—it’s like my armor.”

“The glitter is a tough thing. The makeup artist, Cheryl Thomas, also has glitter on her, and so does my dresser. There’s glitter on everyone around Genie. He leaves his mark, and it’s a fun mark to leave.”

“When you think about Genie, you think about this iconic sort of role. And it’s kind of hard to see yourself in that. So to see myself in the glitter and the costume is quite alarming in terms of the change—you can’t help but feel transformed. I feel like a superhero when that happens.”

“It’s really fun to play a character where there is such an extreme transformation because it’s easier to get into character. When you look at yourself in the mirror, you immediately can see the character.”

Alex Brightman went through multiple makeovers as the Beetlejuiceteam honed the final look for his character over a few years of workshops and out-of-town productions. One version, which took nearly three hours of makeup, was deemed too terrifying. Brightman’s transformation now takes about 30 minutes, leaving him looking otherworldly but still recognizably human.

“I thought I was going to really hate the process. I used to lie to makeup people and say, ‘Oh, I’m allergic to makeup’ so they wouldn’t use it. But I don’t mind it now, because I like talking and have to warm up anyway. It’s nice to get the funny going a little bit.”

“All the contouring they do changes the shape of my face instantly. It looks like my face gets more angular. You’ll see it when the eyes are done. It really looks like somebody else.”

“It’s much easier to do the role [in full makeup and costume], because you feel it’s like wearing a mask. Except this one is light and I don’t feel it. When you wear a mask, you feel more competent in doing the thing you’re doing.”

“When I make the face, it becomes this strange asymmetrical thing with the green spot [on my nose]. It was a mistake, and then I was like, Please leave that. It’s so great. It offsets the face in a way. By the end of the show it gets greener, and then there’s a little bit in my ear. There are little nuances that make him look like he’s continuously leaking or oozing.”

Tshidi Manye sang on the original soundtrack recording for The Lion King animated film in 1994, and has played the narrator, Rafiki, on stage since 2002. She moved from understudy to star in the Toronto production, reaching Broadway in 2004. The role is very personal to Manye, who hails from South Africa, as it’s a representation of her heritage and culture.

“It takes me about 25 to 30 minutes to get ready. They use a water-based paint, which is easy to wash off. It’s very intricate, as they have to make sure the colors don’t bleed. They are very particular with how they put it on, making sure the yellow circles around my eyes and the lines between the blue and yellow and around my mouth are precise.”

“It comes to a point where it’s not about makeup; it’s about you making sure the character is true. Makeup helps you become the character. Even today, makeup is like a mask. But how do you portray the character so that people don’t see the mask, but see the message…the truthfulness? That’s the challenge.”

“I remember the first day when I put that makeup on, I was like…I got chills. I thought, Who knew that I would be doing this? I was so nervous I was shaking. When that makeup was on my face, I remember tearing up. It was a moment I’ll never forget.”

“It’s been an exciting role because I get to share my culture, what I grew up with and what I know. In my family, we have two members who are sangoma. That means ‘traditional healer,’ which is what Rafiki is in the show.”

"When I put on this makeup, it never gets old. Even after doing it for so many years. It’s like, Oh, wow—I can still say I’m one of the lucky ones.”

Ben Crawford has been a Broadway regular since his 2006 debut in Les Misérables. Since April 2018, he’s played the title role in Broadway’s longest-running show, The Phantom of the Opera. It takes about an hour to transform into his character, but he’s found fun ways to keep himself busy in the chair.

“I bring my iPad, and I have a Nintendo Switch. I keep myself busy with those. I can’t play action games, because I was playing a racing game and poor Thelma [Pollard, the show’s makeup supervisor] had to deal with me leaning cause I was in the moment. So I’ve figured out which sort of games I can and can’t play.”

“It’s good to have stuff to take my mind off of it when I’m in the chair. It’s about trying to escape from it, because you’re getting stuff glued on your face. It’s better to just not think about it, in a way. So when Thelma says, ‘You’re done,’ I’m like, Oh, great!” 

“You have to wrap your head around it—that eight times a week you have to sit here and do this. When I was playing Shrek, we had a DVD player and an Xbox up in the corner and I would just be hanging out playing. Here we have more limited space.”

“We tried my makeup a couple times during rehearsal to see how it looked, and got some measurements. We discovered stuff about how it fits on my face and what I need to do when certain pieces go on.”

“When you put everything on for the first time, you put on the prosthetics and you apply the mask, those are surreal moments. It was very memorable for me to see that all come together, and to think about how many people and facets come together to create the Phantom.”

These shows are part of NYC Broadway Week℠, which runs September 3–16.