Going Gaga

With time running out for Halloween costume planning, transforming oneself into a favorite pop star or pop culture icon is a surefire way to grab a piece of the spotlight.

On one hand, it’s easy because it doesn’t require heavy makeup or getting messy with zombie dirt or monster blood.

On the other hand, pulling off the look is easier than pulling off the superstar/famous person attitude.

Over at Royal Hawaiian Theater, home to Legends in Concert Waikiki’s "Rock-A-Hula" show, tribute artist Jackie Wiatrowski offered tips on becoming Lady Gaga, whom she brings to life onstage six nights a week.

"I love doing Gaga because she’s fun," said the 23-year-old performer, who never thought about becoming a tribute artist until she was spotted in a chorus and invited to audition.

"The thing with Lady Gaga is, you can’t be wrong. You can do so many things with her. Her eyebrows are so very different all the time, her eyes are so very different all the time, and because she’s a living artist, she’s always evolving with new looks. I have thousands of looks to work with."

Wiatrowski has spent a year and a half portraying Gaga.She said she initially got into character by locking herself into a room for a week, playing Gaga’s music and watching YouTube videos of her performances before settling in front of the mirror for her transformation.

Ethnicity, color or build should not stand in the way. "I’ve seen a white male drag queen become Donna Summer, and I’ve seen a white man become Stevie Wonder," she said.

For her own transformation, Wiatrowski starts by covering her brown hair with a wig cap so her natural coloring doesn’t throw her off.

She uses regular cosmetics, no theatrical makeup, to get the job done, starting with liquid foundation and powder to create her canvas. Then she starts by applying red lipstick normally, before drawing outside the lines with darker liner because Gaga’s mouth is wider than her own.

"When I have my lips done, I call myself Ronald McDonald’s girlfriend," she said, puckering up.

Then she frames her face with thick dark brows that she achieves with eye shadow. "I always feel like the eyebrows really help me feel more like the character."

Wiatrowski also learned to snarl in order to bare her teeth, acknowledging Gaga’s "predominant front teeth."

Just about everything about Wiatrowski is delicate and perky, the opposite of Gaga, so in addition to emphasizing her eyes with bold, dark winged cat-eyes, she draws dark circles underneath to make them look droopy. Then she shades the sides of her nose and whitens the top with powder to make it look more pronounced.

"I’m under no pressure to look pretty. The worse I can make myself look, the better," Wiatrowski said.

She finishes her look with ornamented eyelashes and a human-hair wig. Her wigs are custom-made for her at Lace Frenzy in New York for about $500 each.

"Human hair is the way to go because you can do anything you would do with real hair. If you took a hot iron to synthetic hair, it might disintegrate," Wiatrowski said.

As an independent contractor, she pays for all her costumes herself and prefers it that way.

"Because it’s my business, I can get the best quality, whereas if you’re working for someone else, they might settle for medium quality. To me the audience is like a dog that can smell fear. If your costumes are cheap, the audience can sense it."

For Halloween, dramatic sunglasses are an easy way to channel Gaga, and for a dramatic entrance, Wiatrowski said the pop star’s bubble dress is easy to make by covering a nude bodysuit with clear balloons.

"I love the bubble dress because of its shock value," she said, adding that it’s easy to be Gaga by putting on anything that sparkles.

"If people don’t go, ‘What is she wearing?’ or ‘What’s that?’ then it’s not working. I think there’s no limit to how crazy you can be, but it’s best to think of it as being Gaga-inspired rather than being an exact replica because I think she would want that. She’s all about individuality."