1/3 GALLERY: Putting on the glam
By PAUL VIDELA
http://www.bradenton.com/2011/01/03/2845560/13-gallery-putting-on-the-glam.htmlEllie Pattison, at left, gingerly applies eyeliner after gluing fake eyelashes to actor Michael Bajjaly while he gets glammed up backstage for his role as Edna Turnblad in the Manatee Players' upcoming production of the Broadway hit musical, "Hairspray." It's one small step in a an exhaustive gender-bending transformation of wigs, dresses, stockings and makeup that requires Bajjaly to wear a custom padded fat-suit to help plump up his figure to acceptable levels. It's a casting curiosity that started with the original 1988 cult classic film, "Hairspray," and Bajjaly carries on the long tradition of men playing the overweight Edna, the sensitive mother of a teen who dreams of dancing on a local television show. The show starts January 13th at the Manatee Players Riverfront Theatre in Bradenton.
