VIDEO: RUTHLESS! Star Tori Murray Transforms into 'The Shirley Temple Of Doom'

Playing the cutthroat child star-to-be in the hit musical comedy RUTHLESS! is quite an acting job for the sweet and charming vocal powerhouse Tori Murray, but to be thoroughly convincing as "The Shirley Temple of Doom," the young star needs a little extra help from hair and makeup artist Sarah Garcia.

Watch how Garcia styles Murray's straight blonde locks into the iconic 1930s curly-top.

RUTHLESS! opened July 13th at St. Luke's Theatre. Book and lyrics are by Joel Paley with music by Marvin Laird. Paley also directed the original 1992 Off-Broadway production as well as productions in L.A., South Beach and the record-breaking concert event starring Bernadette Peters. He once again serves as director of the newest incarnation of RUTHLESS!, with Marvin Laird on board as music supervisor as well.

When THE BAD SEED meets GYPSY, it's fun for the whole dysfunctional family! Tina Denmark is a pretty, charming and diabolical eight-year-old who "was born to entertain." With the encouragement of slick and overbearing potential agent Sylvia St. Croix, Tina will do anything to play the lead in her school play. The question is, where does such remarkable talent and unstoppable ambition come from? The answer is shocking in this award-winning Stage Mother of all musicals.

11-year-old Tori Murray has scored a triumph with her Off-Broadway debut in RUTHLESS! Rex Reedreported in the Observer that "Tori Murray looks like Shirley Temple and sings like Ethel Merman!" and Theatermania said she "has one of the most powerful sets of pipes currently exhibited Off-Broadway in this genuine star turn. Tori Murray has a big future in showbiz!" By day, Tori is a sixth grader at Edison Intermediate School in Westfield, NJ.

Also featured in the cast of RUTHLESS! are Kim Maresca (Westport's TWELFTH NIGHT), Paul Pecorino (DEVIL BOYS FROM BEYOND, THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW), Rita McKenzie (ETHEL MERMAN'S BROADWAY, RUTHLESS! L.A.), Andrea McCullough (URINETOWN, GREASE), and Jennifer Diamond (INTO THE WOODS, JEKYLL & HYDE).