Beauty and The Beast is a classic production with wonderful storytelling, costumes and sets, and lovely music. Our goal with making prosthetic pieces for this production is to try to leave The Beast's mouth unobstructed so that his voice can carry without being muffled.  Also a quick-change into the prince can make for a challenge if you're not prepared.

When planning for how many copies of prosthetic pieces are needed this production, add up the total of not only the performances, but also makeup tests, dress rehearsals and any promotional photos or events you may be holding as each of these counts as an application of the latex prosthetic pieces.

The characters

The Beast -  Most productions will want to use Beast Face in hot foam latex for The Beast.  Some productions choose to use the Evil Brow, however many producers would prefer not locking their beast into one specific emotion. If your actor playing The Beast will quick-change into the prince, there will need to be a double of The Beast for the fight with Gaston. This double can use the Beast Face in slush cast latex since he has no lines and is only seen briefly.  Some productions also choose to use our 20.5cm (8") Beast Horns and put them into a wig.

Our Beast Face should be made in hot foam latex to give your actor the most flexibility in his mouth movements and facial expressions, this is important considering all of his lines and signing. Without obstructions or false teeth in his mouth, your actor's voice should carry just as well as though he were wearing no prosthetics. Some productions order the Beast Face pre-painted, however we discourage this, simply because it will be much easier to match the prosthetic to your foundation makeup and actor's skin tone on your end, rather than us use a generic beige or tan color.

Expect the face piece to last about 3-5 applications before you need a new copy. It's the edges that will get worn out the quickest since they're thin and fragile.  It is necessary to use a strong adhesive like Pros-Aide to keep the face in place for the show's duration. Avoid Spirit Gum as it's weaker and can prematurely ruin pieces with used adhesive build-up that becomes rigid. It is a good idea to have a back-up copy of the Beast Face as there's a chance the piece could be torn during removal for the quick change.  In our experience, The Beast didn't need remover by the end of the 2nd act, his sweat was enough to loosen the piece sufficiently in order to peel it off, though having remover onhand can help in an emergency.

For the double of The Beast, we recommend the beast face in slush cast latex.  The double will have no lines and is only on stage briefly. You may even be able to attach the pieces to a spandex hood or add a strap or elastic, this could make the pieces last for the entire run. If you're gluing them on, expect them to last 10 or so applications before used adhesive build-up makes the pieces too difficult to use.

Our 20.5cm (8") Beast Horns can be mounted into a wig with pins or glue. To make them more stable, consider using a plastic headband worn under the wig.  One set is all that should be needed if you're styling your own wig, the double will likely use the same wig as the main Beast. They can be painted with latex + acrylic paint, Pros-Aide + acrylic paint or with makeup.  We can also paint them on our end. Being in latex means that they are soft and flexible and won't shatter or crack.

It's a good idea to use a water based makeup or regular cosmetic foundation for The Beast.  With the quick-change, you may want to have foundation on hand to put onto the prince's face to hide any redness or leftover glue residue stuck on his face from the quick-change.

Wolves - Some productions choose to use our Wolf / Dog Nose or any of our Wolf Muzzles for the forest chase scene. They would only need to be in slush cast latex since there are no lines and they could last for 10 or more applications since slush cast is more durable.  Using prosthetics for the wolves allow for more jaw movement for howling and snarling to help liven them up compared to static masks