The Oz Project
Performing my makeup magic on Tony nominee Joshua Henry, our beloved cowardly lion from The Wiz.
When director Sean Barrett emailed me at the recommendation of Broadway actress and mutual friend Pamela Bob (A Gentleman's Guide to Love & Murder and Hand to God), he introduced himself and told me that he wanted me to come on board for a very special project. Sean asked if he and Pamela could meet me at Gossip Coffee in Astoria (our favorite local coffee-spot), to tell me more. A big fan of all things Broadway, how could I possibly say no?
So on June 2nd, 2016, I walked into Gossip, said hi to all of my favorite baristas, and grabbed us a table where we could talk. Sean Barrett walked in first, and it was a thrill to meet him in person. Then Pamela walked in, and after excited hugs and orders of coffee and donuts, we finally sat down to hear what this project was all about. Just before he began, I turned to Sean and said "I am getting goosebumps! Like something big is about to happen!" He grinned at me and said "Oh Honey... HUGE. Something HUGE is about to happen. TRUST ME." Pamela said "We should get a picture of this moment!" And so we did. :)
Left to right: Director Sean Barrett, Broadway actress Pamela Bob, and face and body painter Lenore Koppelman.
By the time we ordered our second round of tasty caffeinated goodness, we were squealing with excitement over Sean's idea: To take the story of The Wizard of Oz, unite it with the story of The Wiz, and to create a music video mash-up of both musicals. Brought to life by an all-Broadway star cast. All in time for the anniversary of The Wizard of Oz!
Our star-studded cast of Broadway favorites includes Kate Rockwell and Brynn Williams as Dorothy, Henry and Ben Jacoby as the Lion, McClure and James T. Lane as the Scarecrow, Grasan Kingsberry and Ryan VanDenBoom as the Tin Man, Nancy Opel and Jennie Harney as Glinda, Liz Larsen as the Wicked Witch of the West, Mykal Kilgore as Evillene and Patrice Covington as Addaperle with Andrew Keenan-Bolger, Natalie Joy Johnson, Ashlee Dupre, Alan Wiggins, Julia Knitel, Marty Thomas, Louis Jones and Gabrielle Reed.
Our crew was equally as talented! Here I am with the rest of "The Four Musketeers", my hair and makeup family on set. We became like family!
From Left to Right:
Rachel Estabrook (beauty makeup for The Oz Project)
Ish Peralta and Lenore Koppelman (SFX makeup for The Oz Project)
Marty Thomas (hair artist for The Oz Project)
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Feel free to browse through the galleries for The Oz Project by scrolling on through! Simply click on the arrows to experience the magic for yourself.
