DOWNTOWN — At 6 feet tall with a classically trained operatic baritone, Tony Award-winning actor Shuler Hensley is often cast as towering antagonists, most recently performing in Chicago as the monster in "Young Frankenstein."
But in his latest turn as the green title character in "How the Grinch Stole Christmas: The Musical," which opens Thursday, Hensley will sit in a makeup chair for up to 1½ hours pre-show each day for a fuzzier look.
"It's pretty much head-to-toe fur, and then the face is painted on before each show," Hensley said. "It's fairly complicated — there's two layers to the suit, and it's the second, outer layer that has all the lovely Chia pet fur, as I like to call it.
"I've done a number of sort of 'monster-y' type roles where I've been covered in makeup, but the fur is a new one," he added.
Hensley said he appreciates the getup, which helps him "quite literally disappear into this other character," though he joked that the experience also provided extra insight into the Grinch's motivations in the famous Dr. Seuss story.
"I think I now know why he's so grumpy. We had a completely clear stage, and by the end of rehearsal, my hair was everywhere."
Hensley said he's looking forward to reimagining the iconic villain on the Chicago Theater stage.
"Sometimes people say, 'Are you worried about the fact that you're portraying this character that everyone knows so well?'" Hensley said. "I think it's actually a really wonderful thing ... it's a chance to bring in new layers to it, maybe [show] another side to him that people would just add to their feelings about this character."
"How the Grinch Stole Christmas: The Musical" will be at the Chicago Theatre at 175 N. State St. Thursday through Nov. 29. Tickets are available online and vary in price from $35 to $125.
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