Show Curtains
Posted by boxers7 2005-03-27 00:20:40.0

When I go to the theatre I love to look at the show curtains. I think it really sets the mood before the show starts. Do you have a favorite?
Mine are:
The King and I (1996 Revival)
Aida
Gypsy (Bernadette Peters)
Mamma Mia!
Hairspray

I like Beauty and The Beast n Wicked's maybe a map but its really cool looking!

Hairspray...definately Hairspray....

Hairspray's is awsome and I like the one at all shook up becasue it shows you the town the show is in.

I also love how in London, those hot curtains that are brown and say "Fire Curtain" are dropped during intermission...

Yeah, i know what ya mean. I liked Beauty and the Beasts...I thought Mamma Mia's was pretty cool too. I saw the touring company of Music Man a year or two ago and thought it had a pretty cool one too. What does Hairsprays look like?

It is a big, ruffled hot pink curtain....lemme look for a pic

I <3 Hairspray's curtain! AND the London curtains!

I heart the new "La Cage" curtain. Yes, it's fluffy and hot pink...but whatever.

I also liked the curtain for the "Into the Woods" revival that was dropped at intermission, with all of the books on it.

I like the "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels" curtain...it really sets the mood.

"Spamalot" has a great curtain, too.

Aiiiiiiiiiiiiida. I have a big photo of the curtain as my laptop's desktop background.

I also like Millie's, with the defintion of "modern."

anyone know any links to any of these show curtains? I would love to see them, since i don't get to NYC ever. Either post or PM me. Thanks.

i remember liking aida's when i saw it though now i can't remember it. and la cage's was fabulous!

Aida's.

I remember thinking Aida's was meh when i first saw it
but whatever

Ack, sorry that picture's so big. Someone let me know if I need to take it down.

Definitely Thoroughly Modern Millie, very simplistic but effective.

THE KING AND I (revival)
HAIRSPRAY
WICKED (using the map was a excellent idea)
AIDA (The Eye Of Horus which is an ancient Egyptian symbol, good idea)

And even THE LION KING - though the curtain itself wasn't anything special to look at, but the cutting of the bottom edge giving the impression of the horizon and the two other similar curtains behind it leading up to the sunrise...

i am going with Wicked because most people don't know the towns in Oz and since they mention say Kiamo Ko people know where it is if they read the curtain or the walls in tthe lobby (those are the maps right?) I love the Wicked set

I was just talking to Emcee about how I have a thing for show curtains. I really don't have a favorite. I will always remember my first production's show curtain (it technically wasn't a curtain)...Footloose. I loved it!

I've always loved Hairspray's curtain. But they are all amazing in their own ways.

Hairspray's is so awesome
Wicked's is amazing too, combined with the dragon and the stuff around the set. I like Millie's too, and the current King And I tour.

I love show curtains too.

Hairspray's is stunning.

I love Aida's. It was perfect how the eye just seemed to pop with the special lighting.

The map at Wicked with the green rotating gobo is pretty cool.

But I have to say I also love coming into a theatre and seeing the first scene set, such as in POTO or most straight plays and regional theatres. It's nice to be able to drink in the details that the designer agonized over.

the current little shop curtain is cool with the logo that lights up and all... that was neat.

I loved the Broadway revival of Sound of Music. It was a cool curtain and it had a HUGE snow globee..yes..a SNOW GLOBE actually IN the curatin..very cool

This is the Hairspray curtain being fabricated in the shop....
"Responding to David Rockwell's design of a "Flip" Main Curtain for Hairspray on Broadway, I. Weiss hand-stitched 27,000' of red silicon tubing in 350 pieces to a velour Austrian Curtain. The Austrian was attached to a steel frame to help hold its shape and support the enormous weight of the entire show curtain - altogether 2,250 lbs."

i second the little shop curtain and the millie one.

I saw the Producers recently and it had a plain black curtain. Is that how it is in NYC? I really do like show curtains, i think it def. sets the mood for the musical/play. Anyone else with pictures feel free to post, i love looking at them!

The tour just uses the house curtain, I believe. In Cleveland, it was orangish...and they just threw a gobo wash on it.

i LOVE the "RENT" curtain. It is INCREDIBLE!

Could someone please describe the Millie show curtain to me? On tour, it was just a red house curtain.

its a white screen/ curtain with the dictionary definition of the word modern written on, it was then lit around the edges with a rotating color gobo

Front row at Hairspray - that curtain gave me such a headache.

Jwei123,
There was a RENT show curtain? When I saw the show on tour, the entire set and everything was sitting on the stage before the show.

hehe logan, I was making a joke, because everyone was listing their favorites, and talking about how elaborate, etc, and rent (on tour and on broadway) doesn't have one. my humor sucks


cool icon tho! :)

oh, lol i thought you just meant the large ammount of smoke on the stage before the actors come out

Does someone have a picture of the Millie show curtain? The tour doesn't use one.

Could yall please describe the curtins! I would LOVE to hear what they look like! I've seen some of the ones listed though.

My fav.s are: Gypsy(rev.), Wicked, Millie, and Hairspray(not one of my fav.s but I like it).

I don't really remember Gypsy's all that wel. However, I do remember loving the pink-ish stripes on the proscenium.

I also like Wicked's.

Yeah. Could someone please send me pics or links on where to get pics, because I've never been to New York and would love to see what you guys are talking about.

The Pillowman curtain was fairly basic (The name of the show bordered by a uneven zigzag box) but very in keeping with the feeling of the show (it seemed like a logo a warped child would draw). The lighting used on it at the begininning and endings of acts along with the incidental music set the tone for the evening.

Yes, could someone PLEASE post a link to a site that has pic. of the curtins!? Or could someone PLEASE PM the stuff!?

some of the best ones are still the shows that don't use curtains...

I know the first one is Rent, but what's the second one? Cats?

yeah. kinda small. I couldn't find a bigger one...

ahhh RENT!

Millie:
Hairspray:

Beauty and the Beast:

42nd Street:

Forbidden Broadway:

DRS:

Good Vibrations:



check out my New Amsterdam Theater pics here:
http://community.webshots.com/album/281223668yqgjcD

I'm just wondering, when did Broadway shows start abandoning the traditional curtain and start making their own individualized curtains? What was the first show that did this?

yeah, I like Wicked's curtain too, especially with the Time Dragon. And anything with an overwhelming amount of hot pink is awesome!

Not every show always used a curtain...

Les Miz's curtain was great.

Aida, LSOH, and Wicked.

DRACULA - I loved dracula's show curtain, I entirely set the mood for the show, very eery! If those eye's would have actually opened, I would have had a heart attack! I also agree however that sometimes the shows without curtains are extremely effective, i.e. Phantom of the Opera!!!

Later

Phantom05

Could you post the pics again, trpguyy, i just got the DRS one.

I loooooove Aida's opening curtain. It is so mesmarizing to look at!

What was LSOH's curtain like? And Millies? I also thought Wonderful Town's Curtain was cool...did not like Producers. (Curtain that is)

Grand Hotel! The curtain only appeared when it was lowered at the end of the show

here's the millie show curtain since the other picture didnt show up.

Really? Thats kinda cool! Not what I expected! Anyone else have pics?

(Above mentioned about Millie Curtain)

If you right-click on the pictures that don't show up and click "Properties," you should see a URL. Copy/paste that URL into your browser and it should come right up.

Blast from the past. Any recent show curtains people like? I love the Sweeney curtain. I wish they would incorperate the slashes in it though. Perhaps let us see the cast through it during the Opening and then raise it when Mano starts singing.

I love WICKED and SCOUNDRELS. And...you'll laugh at me or I'll be hanged...but I actually LOVED the two flop vampire musicals' show curtains...the DANCE OF THE VAMPIRES "skull design" curtain and the DRACULA "cherub" curtain...very simple but very macabre.

What was the Gypsy Curtain?

"cherub" curtain? What does that mean?


I'd love to see pics if you guy can send them.

I thought the Little Women curtain was fairly effective. It was flowing pages with writing all over them.

What is the Producers curtain like on Broadway?

I LOVED the "Little Women" curtain when it was on B'way. It was pages form Jo's book. The lighting could be changed to make it look like it was the pages on a blue background, or at the end,. they took the blue away and it was just the falling papers.

I love the current Sweeny Todd Revival curtain. So creepy.

And yes, if anyone can, I would like to see a photo of the DRACULA curtain.

I thought the Sweeney curtain was really cool. It really set the mood for the show. From where I was sitting you could see the actors getting in place. It was really cool.

That reminds me...JANE EYRE...the swirling words "Jane Eyre"...very cool...

DRACULA: there was a basic design that involved "cherub" statues...the ones you'd find in graveyards. At any rate, the show curtain featured a few of these cherubs. It was cool. The cherubs are normally "light" and "cute" creatures. But, given their placement in graveyards, they're kinda scary. Nevertheless, the curtain was effective, and (as previously stated) the eyes of the one cherub were creepy as all hell!

sounds cool. I always love seeing a show curtain when I enter a theater. I didn't get the Evita curtain.

And the cherub faces glowed...

DRACULA's curtain actually was divided into a base and body...which allowed for changing the shape of the stage.

Sweeney Todd! (revival) and Dirty Rotten Scoundrels

I remember the Chitty Chitty curtain in London was really pretty...
but the one for Bombay Dreams was one of the ugliest I've seen, it looked like it was painted with neon spray cans.

Man, reviving old threads where the pictures are dead is sad.

YAY i missed this thread!! I'm such a curtain whore...nothing sets a mood better for me than a good curtain.

I LOVED the Tarzan curtain. I thought it was very interesting to walk in and instantly be drawn into the neat techincal effects.

I adore the "Color Purple" curtain. Gorgeous in my opinion.

Yes!! This is great! We need more pics and descriptions for sure. Show Drops are the greatest.

I have some myself like Spamalot, chitty, and an off broadway one if anyone can tell me how to post pics

Wonderful Town had the best curtain call!

The Tarzan curtain was one area where the show did not suck, especialy (spoilers) as during the pre-show, the Captain's (Of the ship that Tarzan's family is on) log is being projected onto it to give the feeling of a ship at sea.

The holes in the current Sweeney curtain give it a sense of menace which helps set the stage.

What a great thread this is! I thought I was the only one who cared about show curtains. My fave has to be We Will Rock You in London - the curtain is gorgeous.

soooo. does everyone think it would be possible that if there hasnt been a description on here or if there hasnt been a picture, could you please describe the drops you are talking about? That would be awesome.

Spamalot

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang

Light in the Piazza

Musical of musicals the musical (off-Broadway)

Thanks!

I really like the Spam curtain. It actually makes me want to see the show. It actually looks sort of eery. The Piazza "curtain" - or lack there of - is still really beautifully done.

Lord of the Rings. Though, it has more functions than just a "curtain".

are there any pics of lion king and beauty and the beast's show curtains?

NICE Pic. I have that one too.

By the way beauty and the bast is already up here

Fire, those pics aren't showing up. Can you please change the URL or post a link? Thanks.

Anybody remember the tears coming out of the eyes in the Dracula curtain? This was done with a lighting effect.

ok. sorry. earlier in the thread someone told how to view the pics even though they didnt show up. Anyway here are my links

http://community.webshots.com/photo/2927125580089945005mkmarv

http://community.webshots.com/photo/2674757720089945005JKjGgN

http://community.webshots.com/photo/2956704080089945005fwdDWy

http://community.webshots.com/photo/2833397940089945005iaAqye

Here is Wicked's
if that doesnt work.....

http://community.webshots.com/photo/2821351330089945005PYFILV

I really like the Sweeney curtain. Very fitting for the show and the tears are awesome.

Definetly wicked + Hairspray

The Lion King curtain isn't as innventive as the rest of the show. It looks sort of like how the floor is painted if I remember.

Could you tell me where the sky/clouds is from?

chitty

I think the Drowsy Chaperone curtain with its curlycues is charming.

Is the Drowsy curtain the one they are standing infront of for the curtain call photos from Opening Night?

Yes, it is.

Drowsy curtain:

http://www.broadwayworld.com/viewcolumn.cfm?colid=9372

Thanks.

I wish shows would just go back to the gorgeous, rich colored velvet-ish curtains that are the "standard." They start off the evening so nicely.

I don't see the point of walking into a theatre and staring at a projection, or the show's logo.

I think Sweeney has the worst show curtain..... sry it bothers me that you can see the stage crew setting props and what not it took me out of the experince; i think they shouldn't have one....

also the blue light spilling through was really annoying

Yeah...the Lord of the Rings curtain is pretty damn cool.

Akiva

I like show curtains. It's something interesting. It sort of sparks the interest of the audience before the show starts. It is so theatrical.

I liked the Sweeney curtain. I was actually surprised to see that it had one. I didnt really notice the stagehands. But I was in the balcony, so the light was really blinding me either.

I was sitting front center mezzanine last week. I could see them coming on. It was the actors getting ready. Believe me, props and such are done before the doors are open. It doesn't take much time and many times stage hands will set the show right after a matinee for the evening. Rent boy, I agree show drops really set the mood well. There are certain shows that do still keep the curtains. I prefer it this way. It always allows for excellent artistry.

I love the SWEENEY curtain, it's perfect.

Does anyone have a description of Lestat's? Also what does Tarzan's drop look like?

Lestat is just the logo of the show. It's banal.

The TARZAN curtain (not sure why it's getting so much attention,) is just a map, mainly of Africa. Nothing special.

Chicago in London had this great show curtain...
Come to think of it, Rent in London had the exact same one...
As did Phantom in London...
And Grease in London...
Hmmm......

Does anyone have a picture of the Sweeney Curtain?

What were/are the show curtains in London?

What do the Producers on Broadway use?

If you look on Broadway.com at the Lestat videos, the begining with the music is basically the stage curtain.

The Producers uses a rich red velvety curtain - very old-fashioned and fits the theme of the show nicely.

Yeah, that does. I was just wondering cause on the tour it was a bland black curtain. Not very exciting at all. But I ended up loving the show. Well maybe not loving, but I had a good time.

There is a law in London (all of Great Britain) that the fireproof curtain MUST be seen by the audience to work sometime during each performance. So down and up it comes, usually at intermission - not that I'd know, I've always had a weak bladder. And most theatres have wonderful velour house curtains that date back decades. The "Royal" houses (Drury Lane, Theatre Royal Haymarket and The Royal Opera have the crown emblazonned on the curtains. These curtains are heavy as hell and used to take four or five guys to raise/lower.

So, say a show does have a show curtain, during intermission the fire curtain is lowered and raised in front of it just to show the audience that its there?

The Mary Poppins one was very cool.

i love the Tarzan curtain. it's my new favorite! the map is there, but you can now see through it and see the ship in the background. it's billowing, so it's a great effect. and the whole idea with the ship sailing to Africa is so original and cool!

Yes. And they used to proudly say "ASBESTOS!!!!" in six-foot letters. Ever wonder why so many actors died of lung cancer?

Anyone know what these two curtains are from?

Ugh, why won't it work. I have other pictures to upload too.

I feel like the Sweeney curtain doesn't fit this production..... maybe if it looked like a black padded wall with cuts i would like it more....

I love the curtain for You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown. Just love it.

The Lord Of The Rings curtain reminds me of...oh, never mind.

alterego--

Yeah, me too. But a very frightening one. With teeth.

Okay, first of all could you describe the Mary poppins one or post a description......same with Charlie. Everyone talks about it and gets me excited and then leaves me hanging! :) SO, Rentboy, just post the links to those pics. Also I checked them out by going through the properties function. I feel like I should know the first one, the second one though I have no idea. Is the first one Ms Saigon?

The OBC curtain for Into the Woods was great and one of my favorites. You can see it on the DVD.

Rentboy - I know one is of the Sweet Charity 2005 revival curtain.

I don't know what the other one is either.

How could I have forgotten. I also love Grey Gardens "curtain". When I walked into that theater I was so shocked and amazed.

Dirty Rotten Guy - don't tease - what did it look like?

Here are the links for a bunch of curtains I found on webshots.

Hairspray:
http://community.webshots.com/photo/365868339/1399660142063572314PmTxqe

Beauty and the Beast:
http://community.webshots.com/photo/210832716/1210833062057270556gfkbfX

Not sure what this is - but my guess would be 42nd Street:
http://community.webshots.com/photo/332023841/1332024623068898635sTbidk

Little Shop revival:
http://community.webshots.com/photo/315653748/1315723873067985938KaUTtt

Dirty Rotten:
http://community.webshots.com/photo/442252832/1442283562077752324NCwvkc

Lion King (bad picture though)
http://community.webshots.com/photo/218841293/1271942204059952511pfFOqx

I have no clue what this is...
http://community.webshots.com/photo/177244508/1177249568058695192IzDRlI

Here's a picture of the Mary Poppins pre-show-curtain...
No 17, Cherry Tree Lane *g*



Before Act 2 and during the intermission it's basically the same scenerie but the house and trees are covered with snow...

RentBoy- When you walk into the Grey Gardens theater, there is no curtain, but the the huge facade of a rundown mansion with vines and twigs growing up on the side of it. It is hard to describe but it is very cool, as you are overcome by this huge old house, Grey Gardens.

Here is the Whistle on the Wind.

I too loved the Mary Poppins curtain.

What was the YAGMCB curtain?

The curtain for Jersey Boys is a very interesting one because it's not really a curtain, it's just a chain link fence, but I think it helps set the mood.
________________________________________________________________
"There is alot more to me than there is to me. Stop the World, I want to get on!"
-The Producers

the Mary Poppins one is sorta boring.

I wish there was a pic for Grey Gardens. it sounds really cool.

I have a picture of the YAGMCB curtain. I'll have to find it.

As I remember correctly, the Mary Poppins curtain moved or got bigger.

http://www.davidgallo.com/DGA_WEB_PAGES/theater/dga_cb.htm

That's David Gallo's portfolio - it shows his design for a lot of his shows.

How awesome is DOTV?

Love the gif at the end.

The WHOLE YAGMCB set looks pretty cool.

How was the Gypsy curtain?

The DOTV set looks amazing.

Look at the last picture for DOTV, it moves.

DOTV - the set is so cheesy, but a good kind of cheesy. I mean "BATS"? "Got Blood"? hahaha.

Yeah the only thing live that was cheesey about DOTV was the last scene. Everything else was visually stunning!

I would have seen it. The whole Times Square scene, I dunno how that couldn't be cheesy.

William Dudley's German DOTV set was WAY cooler...and this is coming from a big fan of David Gallo.

I also really like the Rent curtian :P

Akiva

The pics aren't that great...But...



Woman in White (London) Opening Zoetrope



Little Women Curtain

Here's my question as several people have asked,
Why can't a show have a normal red curtain that has no logo, no design, no anything? Why did this whole "logo curtain" thing begin?

Drowsy Chaperone has a nice normal show curtain.

As did/do:
42nd Street
The Frogs
The Music Man
The Producers

But what started the whole "show curtain" phase?

I like RENT's curtain. So simple.

I cant remember the Chicago curtain. Can someone refresh me as to if it is just a normal curtain?

When we recently went to see Jersey Boys, my reluctant-theater-husband commented that the chain linked fence reminded him of West Side Story. I was SOOO proud that he made a theater connection!! Maybe after 18 years, I am finally making an impact. I know.....I'm wierd....But I was still excited!

Okay, the RENT show curtain joke is a bit old now.

And the Chicago curtain - at least the one on tour - was just a black plain curtain, but it the false proscenium was gold, so it had like a gold outline to it.

I thought the color purple curtain was cool, the different notes depending on what part of the show.

Does anyone have a picture of the Sweeney Curtain?

It's basically just a plain curtain with thrashes in it to where you can see through to the stage. There's lights and stuff. It's pretty cool.

Can you explain the Color Purple one further?

They've had "Show Curtains" going back to the 30's. There used to be a law that the asbestos curtain must be seen by the audience raised and lowered at every performance. Maybe someone put the name of the show on one (or a scene from the show) and it went from there (just an idea). But I do know that some of the R&H shows had show curtains...

I'd personally like to nominate The Wedding Singer for the ugliest curtain on Broadway right now. Such a fun show and that's the best they can do?!

What does the Wedding Singer curtain look like?

very 80s. It is really ugly, but the 80s weren't a pretty decade.

well, i personally LOVE the WEDDING SINGER curtain- i think its my favorite

TARZAN has a cool one...

I want a gown made out of that beautiful royal blue, sparkly one in DRS.

We can all thank the Ekarts for show curtains. Since no one seemed to give a straight answer here, I read the book The Performing Set about their work. Their work on The Golden Apple really began the whole trend of "show curtains" and even no curtains.

firescape, I love the picture of Wicked's curtain! Just like the book. =)

I haven't seen a lot of shows, but I really like Spamalot's. That picture of DRS reminds me of some of the casinos in Biloxi.

"Can you explain the Color Purple one further?"

Sure.

When the audience first arrives the curtain is an entry to Celie's diary about her life and she's questions the changes she's feeling.

SPOILER

The curtain comes down on the first act just as Celie reads a note telling her Nettie isn't dead, but alive and in Africa. The curtain that comes down reads the note that Celie just read.

Not to sure of the fianl curtain, though. It was have just said "Amen."

Actually, I think there wasn't a closing curtain. I have no clue.

Does anybody have a picture of The Wedding Singer marquee?

whoa! i didn't notice that the curtain changed at THE COLOR PURPLE! now i have to see the show all over again just to see the second curtain...gosh :P

I love:
Little Women
Hairspray
Mamma Mia
Beauty and the Beast

this is a picture of THE WEDDING SINGER curtain
(mind you, i didnt take it)

It was cooler in person. It looks sort of out of place now.

The Color Purple one sounds really cool.

Since we are posting marquees like crazy....Let's see some more Show Curtain pics............

Avenue Q pre-show curtain in London:

When I walk into a theatre I feel like I am in a special space.In pre-1990 theatre the house curtain, made of rich brocade or velvet- like material was always down, standing as a border between the here and now and the delights lying behind the curtain.One could look around and admire the architecture and murals. Then the house lights would dim and the overture would start and sometimes the house curtain would then go up revealing a show curtain that was sometimes a scrim so that at the end of the overture the back lighting of the scrim/showcurtain would reveal the actors for the first time. Show curtains such as these were not used in all shows.I remember the first one I saw was in 1958's GOLDILOCKS which had sumptuous sets and costumes (and Elaine Stritch).Beginning in the 1990's it was rare to see the house curtain, although the Shubert's beautiful house curtain was used for CRAZY FOR YOU in the 1990's, remaining in place until the end of the overture.
NOw show curtains are in place, front lit, from the time the audience comes into the theatre,usually revealing some aspect of the show one is about to see. Personally I prefer the old way, with the house curtain in place until the overture begins(if indeed there is an overture).

An innovation for its time was the opening of Gower Champion's CARNIVAL(1961). When the audience arrived it saw no house or show curtain, but rather a bare, dark stage. Ever so slowly the stage lights would brighten, revealing the cast setting up the carnival just as a traveling circus would do in the early morning.Only then would the overture begin, leading directly into the action of the first scene. It was magical. One should buy the CD to hear in their prime Jerry Orbach, Anna Maria Alberghetti, and Kaye Ballard. It received rave reviews. CARNIVAL deserves to be revived.

This is a bit of a threadjack, and I'm probably asking for trouble here, but I'm going to do it anyway.

I know it's horribly illegal to take pictures of a show. I have never done that, nor would I. But what's the policy on these curtain pics? Probably still illegal, but just a little more PC? Seeing pictures posted here with disclaimers are what made me think about it.

Did The Threepenny Opera have a curtain?

More pics please!


I love the Drowsy curtain.

Does anyone have a pic of the original Evita curtain or the curtain of the revival in London. I know that the original curtain had a montage of people on it from the workers to descamisados.

Does anyone have a pic of the following curtains?:
Millie
Seusical
Sound Of Music revival
Lion King
Into The Woods revival
Gypsy w/Bernadette

I love this thread, really good idea.

I personally love show curtains, the atmosphere the theatre gets from them, the whole scene. And yes, I love a good old fashioned overture too!

However, for some reason, My favourite shows are probably Billy Elliot and Les Mis, and neither really has a curtain. Mary Poppins has a great one, and so does Wicked. Miss Saigon I can't remember, I think it was just those blinds that they used on the sides and back of the stage, but I do remember liking it.

The original curtain from Hal Prince's production of Evita was breathtaking. It's in a book on Andrew Lloyd Webber. There's a great chapter n Evita.

I don't have pictures. BUT.

The ITW revival curtain was like a shelf in a bookcase. It was the side of each of the stories covered in the show. it really tied in the sets.

The Sound of Music revival was a red curtain with a snowglobe?

Every Les Mis production I have seen on Broadway and tour had a scrim with the Les Mis girl on it. I saw Miss Saigon in NYC at the Broadway theater and it was only a red curtain.

42nd Street revival.

I think the show curtain for Epic Proportions takes the cake!

I don't get the Evita one. Is it suppose to look like a person?

Thanks for the pic, I think te original broadway show had a different design. This one though I found confusing, I mean there really is no over arching them from Evita. It looks more like a collage of people who were second nature to the show.

"...I think te original broadway show had a different design..."

I think so too. I don't remember what the Broadway Evita curtain looked like. I don't think I like this one as it seems so out of character with the rest of the design of the show. I remember seeing this from the tour of the show about 10 years ago. It wasn't as bright as it appears here. This looks like it might be the designer's rendering. It was very dimly lit as the audience entered the theatre if I recall correctly.

LOVE the Little Women Show Curtain

I despised that evita show curtain. For the recent tour it was that brightly lit and even more hideous in person. It would definitely make my list of ugliest show curtains ever.

GYPSY9 That first paragraph of yours is so evocative of theatre going in my past it made me smile. Thank you.

Morosco, what is Epic Proportions. The curtain is brilliant!

Now I'm more confused. This is a detail of the Natalie Toro tour of EVITA show curtain which looks nothing like the one I originally posted.

alterego: Here's a review of Epic Proportions which will shed some light on it's plot. Not a good show, btw.

New York Times

Morosco, I've just dragged out my original London (197 Evita program and the illustration on the back cover is of the Tim O'Brian showcurtain however, the bottom third of the curtain is different. Similar but the figures are in different poses.

The first one - the collage - is the same curtain I saw when I saw the tour last Febuary. I didn't get it then, and I still don't. What's the London revival curtain look like?

A couple years back, the touring company of Kopit and Yeston's Phantom had a really awesome curtain. Somewhat similar to Wicked's curtain (I was immedidately put in mind of the Phantom curtain when I saw Wicked), it showed a cross-section of the Paris Opera with the various floors of the theatre and the mass of the cellars beneath the playhouse. I'm pretty sure it was a painted scrim, too, so during the overture parts of it were backlit and showed the inner workings of the theatre and such. I loved it!

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Here is Wicked when it was in Toronto, you can see how much the Front of House set is scalled down on the tour.

Mamma Mia is quite nice, and simple, and its cool how when the show starts the ripples start to move...

Toronto...



and London at the Prince Edward...(dont know whst the steps are for, no one used them in the show)

I'm was used to seeing the show at those 2 theatres, was a shock for me whsn i saw it in NYC becayse it looks strange there since that theatre is so wide.

Last 3 for today

Lion King (a fav. of mine) at the lyceum in London

(BTW, thats how many people were infront of me at that particular show, I;ve never seen Lion King so empty)

Billy Elliot, doesnt really have one, just a slightly curved black scrim (that whole show was dissapointing to me)


The recent revival of My Fair Lady at the Dury Lane, very pretty with roses, as the show starts the lights change and somehoe the Roses turn into faces of people in a crowd, very impactful.

This is both a bump and a reiteration of a question:

Did The Threepenny Opera have a curtain?

First things, first - I love looking at all these pictures. They're beautiful - some of these curtains are gorgeous and really, really creative. So don't get me wrong - I love looking at the pictures.

HAVING SAID THAT...lol....Isn't this highly illegal what you guys are doing, taking these pictures and posting them? Set designs (curtains included) are copyrighted material of a designer, and I have always been told/taught that you cannot take pictures of even the set, without the designer's permission. I am not trying to be a killjoy, but at the same time, if everyone gets up in arms about videotaping musicals, then it's almost like a double standard with the show curtains. If you take a picture in a theater of a show, whether there's nothing happening on stage, or whether Liza is belting her guts out, it's illegal. Am I right in saying this? If I am wrong, please correct me - with manners, of course, not "You're a moron." LOL

Regardless, all these curtains are lovely.

Who cares? Let them delete the thread. EVERYTHING is illegal.

And no, THE THREEPENNY OPERA didn't have a curtain that I recall.

NO it is not illegal!! From what I understand of the numerous times I have been to Broadway and taken pictures before the show, it is okay. Most of the ushers just make sure that there are no pictures during the show. Now, if you saw a plethera of those on this site that would be a different story. You don't though because that IS illegal!! There are some houses, depending on how they are managed, that are more strict on cameras from the get go but I never have a problem before the show or during intermission taking pictures in the open view of any usher.

Actually, it IS illegal.

It's illegal to use a camera inside a Broadway theatre period.

Just because an Usher doesn't stop you from doing it doesn't mean it's okay.

Okay, obviously all of us have our opinions and no proof so who knows? Yeah, who knows? There should be a lot of firings going on then. Until I get no's for taking pictures before the show like taking them during the show I will keep snapping and keep posting! I even took a frickin' picture with Frank Wildhorn during the previews od Dracula with the show opener as a backdrop!! hmmmm

So far, Broadway producers seem to have taken a far more enlightened view than movie studios. Posting a few photos is just good business. It makes people want to see the show. Notice how the photos from the MOVIE of Hairspray drew such a quick negative response? Sites like this serve an incredible practical purpose. Now if someone had links to vidoe THAT would be a different and potentially more damaging thing.

The Billy Elliot curtain is sooo boring. That would def. not get me excited for the show. As creative as the show is said to be, I'm suprise they didn't extend that creativity to the beginging.

To be fair about Billy Elliot, since it is set in the UK, in the rehearsal scene for the Balet company, they use a faux safrty curtain that was quite pretty, but wasnt the show curtain, other than that the designs for Billy are very boreing, the only interesting part is the house set that screws out of the stage like a dril bit (coal drill apparently) but it was so narrow that there was alot of unused space.

the "fantasy ballet" was magical, but that was just smoke and a chair.

Oh. I guess I always thought of it was a "big show." Guess not.

It oculd be, the stage looked huge when i saw it, then again you can see the angle where i sat.

i was very dissapointed with this show, alot would have to change for it to do well in the states. the design was boreing, the songs were unmemorable, except for the Maggie Thatcher parody ( will the average broadway audience know who she is?) and the protest chance (solidarity)

the movie was far more touching.

there is a razzle dazzle song that to me soinds like a knock off of the one in Chicago.

and the accents... my my, its hard to understand in the movie, was harder in the theatre,e ven though the brochure had a section that translated what phrases meant.

but this is turning into a billy elliot review/bashing, i saw post more photos, lawyers be dammed, lol.

Yeah. Well, I don't find the score that great either. I'm kind of curious as to why it's become such a big hit.

DRS is awesome. It sparkles and has moving water. Simplistic and has some of the logo on it.

DRS, Wicked, and Little Shop all had really purty curtains. Something I don't think about very often/

i looove the Hairspray curtain
it is so fun and creative
it does set the mood 4 the show!

Hi everyone, I'm a long time lurker on this board and I'm glad I finally signed up, as I love reading the intellectual discussions concerning theatre here. Anyway, I found a pic of the curtain from the Original Broadway production of Evita at this website: http://geocities.com/evitainternational/prod.html. Now we just need the curtain from the current London revival...

So did The Threepenny Opera just have a black, blank stage or were all the neon signs lit up?

The Threepenny Opea had a brick wall in the back and 2 costume racks with various pieces hanging on them. There was also a row of lights laying in the back of the set, however as I recall they were not turned on. When the show began all the actors came on the stage, put something on from costume rack, and did the line makeup on each others eyes. Then the turned, got in place, said "The Threepenny Opera'. At that point the overture began. I believe the lights turned on and began to rise, blinding the audience for a second. The signs all came down light at one point, I think it may have been by the end of the overture, but I cant be sure.

My fav curtains:

DIRTY ROTTEN SCOUNDRELS
MAMMA MIA
LION KING
WICKED

There seems to be several variations of the Evita curtain. The Broadway is different from the London and Australian productions. I wonder if it delibrate?

no, although i can tell you what it looks like...

it's a scrim that hangs down and has the words of celie's first letter to god written on it...

it's pretty beautiful

i always kinda like the fact that RENT doesn't have a curtain. it makes you connect that much more with the show/cast, like you're immediately a part of their world

bump

Does anyone have a pic of the Piazza tour's curtain?

the tour has a curtain? yuck.

Ya, its a picture of Italy from a birds eye view almoust.

BUMP AGAIN!!!! We need to get pics of recent show curtains. Its been a while since we got really good ones.

The little shop revival was cool, so was hairspray. I hates the billy elliot one and i wasn't a fan of the show. Mamma mia reminds me of a beach and is so tranquil. All disney shows have good curtains. Like in tarzan, they have a map of africa and notes from journals appear. Then 5 minutes till the show begins you could see the boat behind the "transparent" curtain

Post more

All for laura's photo of The Woman in White's "show curtain" was bit blurry. I found a clearer picture.

It's from the London production at the Palace Theatre.



From the interval:


Notice how the doors in the wall are indented? That was a problem in the London production...only one side of the walls had the door in line with the rest. The NY production fixed this problem by having the doors on a track inside the wall, moving them back and forth depending which side of the walls were shown out to the house.
http://blog.yam.com/kaya/article/5693029

that is really nice

The palace theatre isn't as beautiful as I thought it would be on the inside. Maybe it's just the lighting.

I've never been there myself, but I do think it's the lighting...this photo from alexandrasilber.com gives it a better angle, but the lighting in the theatre is still very obtrusive:



I think it looks almost simply elegant rather than extravagent.

The Wedding Singer (take from a cell phone in the front row):


Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (take from a cell in the last row of the rear mezz):


Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (During the Entr'acte):

the palace is nicer on the inside than the outside.

I was wondering if anyone may have a photograph of the Woman in White at the Marquis Theatre in New York? I've been trying to find one to look more into the difference in shape/size of the stage and walls between the London production (seen in my above post date 1/13/07).

bump

I liked the slashed Sweeney revival curtain. Very ominous.

If anyone has a picture of the "Sweeney" revival curtain, would you mind posting it, I'm curious.

Although, I still miss the big red house curtains. They're always my favorite.

Cabaret in London. Sorry the picture is so bad. I didn't want to stand up.

The cirle in the "curtain" opens up and the Emcee is in there and that is where he sings the opening from.

Now THAT is cool.

Nice Cabaret Curtain

The steel pier curtain was cool along with into the woods

I really thought Spamalot's curtain was creative. Nothing extravagant or amazing, but I thought it was cool.

Esp. because it was my first Broadway show.

And, despite what was BEHIND it, Tarzan's curtains were really cool!

A very blurry pictures of the pre-show Jersey Boys set up. I took it without the flash, so any small movement messed it up.

I also had an opportunity to take a picture a close up of the bucket of blood in Sweeney, being in the first row on the left aisle, right where they keep it during intermission. However, being so noticable I decided not to. I didn't want to risk being kicked out of that wonderful show.

I love The Apple Tree's curtain.

I'm curious of what the Sweeney Todd revival curtain & the Miss Saigon curtain look like!

I can't seem to put my hands on my Sweeney program - is there a glimpse of the curtain in that? The curtain was bluish-black with hundreds of small diagonal cuts running from the upper right to lower left, as though someone had taken a straight razor to the cloth. They were actual cuts - you could see bits of the stage behind.

No, there aren't any pictures of the curtain in the Sweeney program. It was a very nice curtain. Maybe when the show goes on tour, someone can get a picture then.

What does the Apple Tree curtain look like?

I know there's a picture of the Sweeney Curtain in EugLoven's blog, cause I remember reading his review and seeing the pic.

I'm seeing Movin' Out tomm. Is there a show curtain for it?

There is no real curtain for The Apple Tree. In the middle of the stage there is this gold long rectangular thing with a picture of an Apple Tree on it.

I found a picture of the Sweeney curtain:

Miss Saigon has a curtain? What does the old BATB curtain look like?

Let's see I like
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
Lestat
Spamalot
Wicked
The Secret Garden

I'm feeling all that anticipation just looking at pictures of show curtins.

My favorites are:
Hairspray
Tarzan
Fame Becomes Me
Wicked
the Imperial Theatre's regular curtin.

The old Beauty curtain was a traditional red theatre curtain. I believe they dumped it when they moved to the Lunt.

Movin' Out does have a curtain. It's sorta purpley and dark and nothing to write home about. It blends in with the huge speakers on the sides of the stage.

What was The Secret Garden curtain?

I saw the national tour of The Secret Garden and I remember it being the logo.

It was the picture of a Victoria garden with the logo in the middle. Like an old post card. I've only seen it on a video but that's what it was.

singtopher, that's also what they used when I did the show as Martha.

Not too shabby of a memory for being 15 years ago.

ANyone have a Ragtime curtain pic?

Question about London curtains...
Do they only drop the saftey curtains during intermission? I mean, I've seen photos of curtains during intermission, so how does this saftey curtain thing go about?

Thanks in advacned.

Safety curtains (or fire curtains, as they are known in North America) are required by law in the UK to be flown in during a suitable intermission to demonstrate to the audience that it is in working order.
Usually this is done 10 minutes into intermission when most patrons are out of the theatre.

What is the function of a saftey curtain?

If a fire breaks out onsatge (and remember, theatres used to use live flame lamps) the safety curtain falls into place (it can be tripped or it will be tripped when the heat causes the thermostatic release to trigger) and keeps the fire from entering the audience long enough for the patrons to flee the theatre (and, hopefully not be killed in a stampede.) The curtains used to be made of one-half-inch thick asbestos, which probably explained why so many actors used to die of lung cancer.

Do you know how they used to figure out the maximim number of seats in a theatre? They would make a scale model of the theatre house with seating in place and the exit door open. Then they would pour steel ball-bearings into the model - one for each patron - and shake the model. All the ball bearings had to clear the theatre in 120 seconds (and they could be added incrementally until the limit was reached). It was assumed this would measure the capacity seating.

allofmylife: very interesting.

Tag: Isn't it somewhat pointless to fly it in during intermission when nobody's in the theater? Or I guess that's the point, huh? So that it doesn't ruin the aesthic of the show.

Yes that is pretty much the point. As long as *some* patrons see it then it seems to be alright.
Also some theatres have fire curtains painted to fit in with the décor of the house but it is usually just a beige colour. Some older theatres have fire curtains that actually say "Safety Curtain" on them in large lettering.

Now I get the joke in ELAINE STRICH: AT LIBERTY where she talks about how the asbestos was down!

The original London SWEENEY TODD (1979) program had a excellent photograph of the large cloth (not really a show curtain) which greeted you when you arrived in the theatre. It was of a sort of beehive shaped illustration of the British class system.

A friend read my post (didn't even know he was a closet Broadwayhaulic) and told me they STILL use the ball-bearings to measure safe escape times for airliners.

The Gershwin actually has the only "Water Fire Curtain" Which i think is kinda cool.

bumpalicious

bumpy

I love studying curtains before a show.

My favorite are:

Hairspray

Mamma Mia!

Now this one really takes me back - in Australia the 70's revival (note REVIVAL!) of NO, NO, NANETTE had a fabulous Art Deco floral curtain. I suspect the Broadway production had it too. Set and costumes were by Raoul Pene Du Bois. Does anyone here remember that?

Show curtains:

The "eye" from Aida was great. Much better than what happened in the Atlanta preview.

My fav is still the drape of skulls and bones at Dance of the Vampires. My friends and I sat there trying to figure out what the hell we were looking at! =...

...and then the overture started and the vampires were crawling down the proscenium!

BUMP, anyone have pics of YF or TLM?

Is the Young Frankenstein curtain as boring as The Producers curtain?

I wonder if the merchandising people have considering offering smaller versions of show curtains for folks to use as shower curtains?

lol

My favorite show curtains are definitely:

Wicked
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
Lion King

I was wondering if anyone had a Pirate Queen curtain photo.

1) Hairspray
2) Wicked
3) Cabaret in London (Current)
4) Les Mis- Just because its such a classic

here are some pictures:

Into the Woods Revival:


Joseph and the Amazing...(professional production, but not broadway):



The Wiz (don't know if this counts):

I found one of JERSEY BOYS.

a jersey boys curtain? they don't use a curtain...
or like a shower curtain?

Yeah, what is the Young Frankenstein one? Does Cry-Baby or A Catered Affair use one?

Young Frankenstein:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/theshizzknit/1726453531/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/pineapplegate/1560329230/

"A Catered Affair" didn't use one. It's merely set for the first scene, with the buildings and fire escapes. "Cry Baby" just used a red grand drape.

I was a little disappointed in "... Mermaid's" curtain. It seemed a little too busy. "South Pacific" has a great curtain, though-- the final curtain actually made me feel a bit weepy. They have different 'curtains' for show's beginning and end that have apropos quotes from the Michener book. They're great.

Cry-Baby has a traditional red "grand drape" curtain. I like it. It's very old fashioned. The Overture is very funny (the cast members yell stuff out at the audience from behind the curtain)...P.S. lol

Gypsy?

I liked the mermaid one, especially during the overture as the colors change:)

Bump and a haircut
Two bits!

does anyone have a picture of the little mermaid curtain?

LuPone!GYPSY

Legally Blonde
Mamma Mia
Mary Poppins
The Grinch

Les Miserables

Little Mermaid

Young Frankenstein
Gypsy

And some shows that utilized not having a curtain...
Glory Days

Macbeth

Passing Strange

A Chorus Line
and In The Heights

Great pics! Thanks, the.hard.part!

Goodness. I must be more observant. Thank you for this thread. I've never given the curtains any thought before.