ACROSS THE HIDDEN HALLWAYS, humming workshops and bustling backstage spaces at London’s National Theatre, preparation is well under way for a musical version of Roald Dahl’s The Witches. Everyone is busy. Very busy. The wham (wigs, hair and makeup) team are working at full capacity on more than 50 wigs, including a fair few that emit smoke on cue. The armoury department has been tackling robotic mice and runaway chefs’ hats for nine long months, the costume department is handling its largest workload in 10 years (300 costumes and counting) and, over in scenic design, the painters have been sampling colours – including 20 different shades of pink – since early summer.
The production team is one of the biggest to work at the National in some time, with each department facing a series of unique and enticingly baffling challenges, most
