It's a beastly job, but somebody's gotta do it.

That would be Honolulu makeup artist Bryan D. Furer, who transforms handsome, clean-cut actor David Spangenthal into a hairy, scary beast.

In the tiny, cramped makeup room upstairs at Diamond Head Theatre, Furer works his magic with prosthetics, adhesives and pots of paint.

Much of the makeup work for the show actually started weeks ago, when Furer made a cast of Spangenthal's face. "From that cast I sculpted out the 'beastie' look," the artist explained.

Spangenthal, who is also director and choreographer of "Beauty and the Beast," says the prosthetic is comfortable enough. "It's molded to my face," Spangenthal said. "It feels like putting on a mud mask but with movement. It can get hot, but the nose holes fit well, so at least I can breathe."

Not that the transformation is completely a breeze. "My cell phone sticks to my face," Spangenthal admits. "Also, I have to pick glue off all day."

A prosthetic has benefits over a mask for an actor, Spangenthal said. "You can still show emotion, whereas with a mask you wouldn't be able to see any expression."

The makeup takes about an hour to put on, but Furer hopes to get it down to 45 minutes.

The first time the makeup was applied, Spangenthal said his face was sensitive to it. Now he doesn't have any reaction. Furer employs tea tree oil to remove the makeup. "I use lots of exfoliants and moisturizers to help my skin when I'm not in costume," Spangenthal said.

The Beast is only one of the "Beauty and the Beast" characters requiring prosthetics and a wig; there are 30 prosthetics and 50 wigs required for the musical.

How does the Beast remove all this makeup seamlessly on stage? That's a secret Spangenthal will not reveal.