Favorite Set Designs- Page 4

[Scott Briefer]

Posted: 8/5/08 at 10:45pm

I have had the incredible pleasure of meeting Mr. Walton on several occasions. He's an absolute gentleman and genius. I even have a rare signed print of one of his designs hanging on my wall next to my original Chicago poster.

Mr. Walton rocks!

[Judas]

Posted: 8/5/08 at 11:30pm

I saw the London "Into the Woods" in a set design book and it was beautiful! It looked much darker, which I liked.

I really want to see Eugene Lee's design for "Dude" as well. It's the one where they made the Broadway Theater into runway seating, correct? I think we learned about it in my design class. (Runway seating is where the audience sits on either side of the stage, but not around it.

Example:

XXXXXXxAudienceXXXXXxx

S T A G E

XXXXXXxxAudienceXXXXXX

[Tag]

Posted: 8/5/08 at 11:36pm

I've known that to be 'avenue seating' but runway would also make sense.

[Judas]

Posted: 8/5/08 at 11:38pm

Oh, I think I've always heard runway, which makes sense because one end - or both - would have to be exits for the actors, much like a runway.

[Scott Briefer]

Posted: 8/5/08 at 11:42pm

Dude wasn't "runway" seating. It was environmental seating. The Broadway Theater was torn apart and reconfigured with stages and ramps and platforms throughout. The orchestra (musicians) was split into several sections with the conductor looming above. Seating sections were cleverly labeled to represent the land. Dude was bizarre to say the least, but very interesting.

Unfortunately, Dude closed after only 16 performances and The Broadway Theater was put back only to be torn apart again soon after. Candide also employed a Fran and Eugene Lee environmental set.

I remember seeing pictures many years ago and I wish that I could once again see those same images. Again, if anyone has access to pictures of Dude...

[Judas]

Posted: 8/5/08 at 11:55pm

Ah! Thanks Scott! That actually sounds more like the stuff we discussed about Eugene Lee. It's amazing to me that he was in our books for his unconventional, environmental seating, and yet look at the shows he's done recently: Wicked, The Homecoming (I'll give him that one), and The Pirate Queen. Hm... I guess a paycheck is a paycheck.

[Scott Briefer]

Posted: 8/6/08 at 12:27am

It was very costly to tear apart The Broadway Theater. I doubt that today's budgets would allow for such designs. At the time, Dude was the most expensive flop of all times at 800K. Today, you couldn't even think Broadway for less than several million dollars.

Anyway, the two Broadway Theater environmental sets - Dude and Candide - by the Lees were amazing. I loved both of them. I will say I was very confused by Dude's script. I saw Dude after it started previews, had some major technical problems, temporarily closed and reopened.

My understanding was the original flooring was dirt, but due to dust was watered down right before opening the house. This unfortunately had the effect of causing the audience to being covered in mud. (By the time I saw Dude the floor material had been replaced.) There is also a story about them releasing hundreds of butterflies only for them to be drawn to the lighting, zapped dead and finally falling on the audience. Rumor was that this was extremely gross. (As you can see Dude had issues.) There are also stories about chickens and chicken s%&@, but again, by the time I saw the show these "effects" had been cut or changed.

What I saw was a very confused mess with an extremely energetic and talented cast. Nell Carter was in Dude! I didn't quite understand what I was watching, but it was fun to watch. I don't think I will ever forget Dude!




Updated On: 8/6/08 at 12:27 AM

[jv92]

Posted: 8/6/08 at 1:18am

I also love Tony Walton's set for the original Chicago. I wish there were good pictures of it. I haven't found many.

[Judas]

Posted: 8/6/08 at 9:42am

Can you describe the original Chicago? I like the Chicago revival, but it would be nothing without its lighting.

I'm going to try and find a review of Dude! on the NY Times website....

[Scott Briefer]

Posted: 8/6/08 at 1:10pm

The original Chicago was similar and yet very different than the current revival. Basically the stage was dominated by a center tower with the band on top. The tower had two sliding doors that opened with a wagon that slide downstage from inside the tower. The tower was flanked on either side by revolving stairs that let from the stage deck to the band on top and an area in front of the band where announcements could be made. These steps eventually revolved around the tower.

The wings were also these gorgeously painted towers that during Razzle Dazzle Them rotated. Various set pieces on wagons entered and exited from the wings.

If you've even seen the original poster, you have an idea how the towers were painted. They had these absolutely beautiful deco images of people in a vaudeville setting.

In addition, downstage where the orchestra pit normally would be, was a platform that rose up with Mama and Velma in two chairs, and a table with a radio. This is where they played, Class.

Stunning, but very simple. In fact, my one complaint was how simple and sparse the set was. I think Mr. Walton's budget should have been a little more and he could have added a little more grandeur.
Updated On: 8/6/08 at 01:10 PM

[morosco]

Posted: 8/6/08 at 1:24pm

I'd like to add something to Scott Briefer's excellent desription of the original production. The design also incorporated a large amount of neon. Most notably the large CHICAGO sign and the large ROXIE drop upstage of the bandstand. The neon was used to great effect; sometimes garish, sometimes just a warm glow.

Jules Fisher's lighting was also magnificent.

(Side note: Some portions of the musician's scores were printed with phosphorescent ink so that at certain points during the show they played in complete darkness.)

[morosco]

Posted: 8/6/08 at 1:28pm

Another side note: Tony Walton's scale model for CHICAGO can be seen in the Fosse film ALL THAT JAZZ.

[Tag]

Posted: 8/6/08 at 1:45pm

Lord of the Rings
Designer: Rob Howell

[Scott Briefer]

Posted: 8/6/08 at 3:29pm

I forgot the neon. You're right! The Roxie neon drop was magnificent.

[morosco]

Posted: 8/6/08 at 3:44pm

I can't remember for sure but I think that Roxie neon drop was installed at Studio 54 after CHICAGO closed.

[dramarama2]

Posted: 8/6/08 at 5:06pm

What is KA??? That set was awesome...

[benny123]

Posted: 8/6/08 at 5:13pm

Yes i agree that Lord of the Rings is one phenomenal set...

I love the Miss Saigon set also :)

[Judas]

Posted: 8/6/08 at 5:28pm

Well I guess I need to Netflix FOSSE

[chrysler99]

Posted: 8/6/08 at 5:48pm

I thought the Lord of the Rings set was highly overrated. while it was very effective at times, it was really just a series of platforms that were raised and lowered in different configurations and at different heights.

[morosco]

Posted: 8/6/08 at 5:50pm

Here are a couple shots of Tony Walton's scale model for the original production of CHICAGO.

[TheatreFreak05]

Posted: 8/6/08 at 8:10pm

In the Heights
designed by Anna Louizos



Updated On: 8/6/08 at 08:10 PM

[eatlasagna]

Posted: 8/6/08 at 8:14pm

i'm going to agree on KA... that show was absolutely stunning to watch from beginning to end... and the climactic battle at the end of the show is simply awe inspiring... the strength these people have with the bungees... oh man... i can't explain it well but picture watching a battle sequence from the top... amazing... from the lighting to everything... GO SEE KA!

other favorite sets... Dead End at the Ahmanson theater in LA... i also liked the Morning's at Seven set from the revival (was it a revival that played the ahmanson as well?)... and i quite liked the Little Shop of Horrors revival set...

[TheatreFreak05]

Posted: 8/6/08 at 8:33pm

Here are some pictures of the Little Shop revival

Sets designed by Scott Pask

[Scott Briefer]

Posted: 8/6/08 at 8:34pm

KA. First, let me say that my repeated comment, "KA maybe the most lavish production in the history of western theater", isn't mine. It's taken from the LA Times review. Rumor has it that KA cost around $200 million to produce. Consider that number when you think about lavish Broadway productions costing approximately $15 million.

KA is the Cirque du Soleil (CDS) production at The MGM Grand in Las Vegas. It is the first CDS to tell a story, although the story is a minor part of the overall experience. It is the journey of two twins through the elements of Water, Earth, Air and Fire. Of course, good and evil are also themes that are represented.

Unfortunately, with, O, being the "water" show and, Love, being the "Beatles" show, KA hasn't received the attention it truly deserves. (Please know that I am a great fan of both O and Love as well as Mystere and even Zumanity.)

Mark Fisher was contracted to design KA and was given an unheard of budget. He basically gutted the existing theater and rebuilt it to accommodate this show. There really is no stage per se, but what they call the "void". Within the void are several stages that are elevated into place at various moments in the show, but two of these platforms are extraordinary. One is sort of a huge draw that slides in from the back, and the other - perhaps the most massive and exciting playing area in the history of stage design - is an enormous deck that has the capability to rotate 360 degrees, lift up and down almost the full height of the void (basement to rafters), and tilt to almost 90 degrees. Spectacular, but what blows one away when you see it, is that it can do these movements in any combination. The potential - and reality - is visually staggering. Mind-boggling. (The photographs don't even begin to do this production justice.)

In addition, to the sheer spectacle of the theater and it's stages, their is a one-of-a-kind projection system which can track the live movement of the actors and respond accordingly. The designer of this system claims that the programming is so complex and unique that they aren't quite sure how and why it works. They were themselves amazed at the final results. It is explained that there is an enormous computer that using sensors constructs a virtual model of the live performance and then builds the projections based on that virtual model. All in real-time!

What we see is the actually stage reacting to the actors. I fear I've already said too much, but I can tell you that this effect is unlike anything you have ever seen. As the actors touch the deck their impact causes a ripple effect.

And this is just the beginning. Honest. Each seat in the auditorium is outfitted with it's own stereo speakers in the headrest. The sound system and hence design is wild. Sound has the ability to come from virtually anywhere. (This was repeated later in the, Love, theater.)

I was fortunate enough to see the show with someone who is dear to the bass player. This afforded me an extensive backstage tour that took me and my friends to areas that I'm sure a more organized tour wouldn't be able to. I stood on the catwalks behind these stages and saw the huge hydraulic lifts that make all of this happen. The wild part is from the audience, you can't see these machines and so the stage truly appears to be floating. From behind, with the work lights on, they are massive.

Safety is a huge issue, as KA is considered one of the most dangerous productions to perform. As there is no truly connected stage to make an entrance on, you have to be at the exact catwalk at the exact time to meet the moving platforms. The logistics are in themselves beyond anything imaginable. In addition, performers are constantly having to either leap or fall from these platforms. To make this happen and to accommodate the constantly moving stages, there is a sophisticated series of nets and pillowed cushions that have to move in and out of position on tracks that we never see from the audience's perspective.

Do I go on too much... As you can tell, KA made an impression on me. I could go on...







Updated On: 8/6/08 at 08:34 PM

[wicked_beast4]

Posted: 8/6/08 at 8:43pm

Thats my ITH pic!!! ^_^