June 2007 entertainment, presentation, communication

www.lsionline.co.uk

Tarzan The MusicalL&SI visits Disney’s latest stage spectacular

Sound for the O2 ArenaThe PA/VA system at London’s newest arena

On Tour: Lionel RichieLive at Sheffield Arena

Three TheatresDutch theatre installs raising the bar in efficiency

National Student Drama FestivalL&SI returns to Scarborough’s vibrant training ground

Technical Focus: ColourTF looks at colour mediums and perception

EurovisionSteve Moles reports from Helsinki

Tarzan (60-66).qxd 05/06/2007 09:15 Page 60

theatreproduction

Lighting&Sound - June 2007 61

The Netherlands - April 2007, FortisCircustheater, The Hague: A 2,000-strongaudience shuffle to their seats as a subtlylit, blue scrim frontcloth sways gentlydownstage. Animated images of theAfrican continent fade in and out. Anothercloth, slightly upstage, dominated by theimage of a massive sailing ship, slowlyundulates. At the same time a sound-scape gradually builds, eventually fillingthe auditorium with the slap of wavesagainst the sides of a moving ship,rigging gently creaking, sea birds cryingoverhead.

Then bang! The houselights snap out.Thunder crashes and lightning explodes -the waves are now smashing into the sidesof the ship, the rigging and sea birds arescreaming and the huge sailing ship startsto break up. As suddenly as the houselightsgo out, the action cuts to the interior of theship where a young couple desperately tryto save their baby’s life.

As the boat begins to disintegrate theperformers, sandwiched between the twocloths, use aerial gymnastics to illustratetheir fight to survive. Just as they appear togive up, the lights fade, the front clothsdisappear, the noise abates and the lightscome up on a quiet, sunny beach scene.

Depicted on a huge backcloth at the rear ofa lush green, vine infested box set,additional cut cloths in the shape of wavesdrop in and out of the picture to lap at thefeet of the vertically suspended stormvictims - now washed up on the verticalseashore.

Tarzan the Musical’s opening sequence isone of the fastest paced, most dramaticopenings to a show I have everexperienced - there were more cues in thefirst five minutes than you could shake a ‘standby’ at. Sound, automation, flying,lighting, projection, traps - you name it, the‘showcaller’ was calling it - a veritable orgyof technical activity.

Visually, aurally and technically, Tarzan is a truly spectacular piece of theatre. With a percussion-based soundtrack by PhilCollins, it’s a showcase of what can beachieved with oodles of time, plenty ofmoney, state-of-the-art technical equipmentand a lot of very clever, conscientious anddedicated production staff.

And dedicated they needed to be! Theshow footprint has been transferred from a much smaller Broadway theatre andexpanded to fit the substantial FortisCircustheater - not as simple as it may firstsound. This was not helped by the fact thatwhen the US design and production teamarrived they were faced with an auditoriumwith no roof or seating, and a load ofcranes where both, in theory, should havebeen.

This state of affairs did not make it easy toinstall the complex cable infrastructurerequired for what is technically andlogistically a very demanding show.Featuring multi-part human flying combinedwith sophisticated stage automation, andLX, video and sound cues running withinmicroseconds of one another, one of themost crucial elements of the show is thecomprehensive communications system.

Performers fly across both the stage andauditorium so there are numerous sightsaround the venue where both visual andaudio communications are essential. Someareas have headsets and a single videomonitor, but others - like the showcaller, theautomation controller, the human flyingsystem, some members of the band andthe people below stage setting up lifts andtraps - have numerous monitors andswitchers to jump between views.

SoundThe showcaller’s desk, positioned highabove the audience at the rear of theauditorium - is more like an air traffic controlcentre than a prompt desk. The show reliesheavily on over 24 cameras, both static and

TTaarrzzaann tthhee MMuussiiccaall

Disney’s latest stage

production has made

the move from

Broadway to Europe,

and grown bigger

muscles on the way.

Sarah Rushton-Read

reports on what she

finds to be a jolly

vine show . . .

Performance photos byDeen van Meer

Tarzan (60-66).qxd 05/06/2007 09:15 Page 61

Lighting&Sound - June 200762

theatreproduction

moving, strategically placed around thestage and auditorium. This is backed up bya sophisticated Clearcom communicationsystem, Softcue cue light system and noless than 24 twin-channel fully duplex Telexradio comm units, all of which is suppliedby the UK’s Orbital Sound.

Chris Headlam, managing director ofOrbital, says: “The video and wirelesscommunication elements of this productionare vital for safety reasons - so much so,that if any part of it went down, the showwould have to be cancelled. The show isvideo recorded nightly so if an accidentdoes happen the H&S people can analysethe footage.”

Orbital also supplied the PA system toproducers Stage Entertainment. Sounddesigner John Shivers and his associateDavid Patridge wanted to use anL’Acoustics system, as they had in theUSA. However, the Dutch venue issubstantially bigger than the Broadwaytheatre so the original dV-Dosc PA wasupgraded to V-Dosc.

Headlam explains: “Main PA has increasedin size because the Circustheater is a largervenue. The original US system of dV-Doschas been replaced with a 14 cabinet V-Dosc system providing a seven elementhang L and R. This is backed up by 15 dV-Dosc elements, nine of which form a central cluster whilst three left and righthang under the V-Dosc to cover the frontfew rows of the auditorium. In addition thereare eight d&b B2 subwoofers and d&b E3sfor front-fill. FOH there are 56 L’AcousticsMTD108a, 40 providing FOH surround andthe remainder provide fill and under-balcony cover.

Racks came in pre-setup from Orbital,which helped massively time-wise. Chiefengineer Henni Schwithal discusses the

setup: “It’s a frame-wrap Orbital build to itsown specification. This is an interlockingsystem. There are three PM1D DSPs, oneof which is redundant. The other two workin parallel allowing a single PM1D controlsurface to mix 196 channels. Next along isthe LCS Matrix - three frames, which handleall the sound effects and the surroundsound programming. Above that we’ve gota flat screen (which at the time wasdisplaying the PM1D manager programmefor the remote access in to the PM1D andits diagnostics). Then we have a three-phase mains distribution system. The restof the racks are composed of 40Lab.gruppen LAB4000 amplifiers, the onlyother amps in the system being d&b D12sfor the B2 sub-basses and the E3s. Systemprocessing is done with XTA DP448 unitsworking with a digital input.”

So how did the sound designers feel abouta UK company doing their show inHolland? Shivers responds: “It was reallygood to have Orbital on board. Their levelof expertise was compatible with thecomplexity of the show. There is

a significant amount of technology on thisshow, plus we have 24 video cameras andan LCS surround system. From our point ofview, having a company with such a greattrack record of West End shows was thekind of expertise we really needed.”

In terms of live musicians this is no ordinaryset-up - to maximise bums on seats, theproduction company has reclaimed all buta 3ft strip of the pit. Add to that theextension of the stage and it’s also prettyclosed in.

Sound designer John Shivers discusses:“The production company wanted to havemore seats in the auditorium, which wassomething we didn’t know about beforehand. One minute we were working in theorchestra pit and the next the offstage wallmoved in 3ft! Because we knew how muchpercussion there was we phoned theplayers and asked them to bring their stuffin and position it in the pit. Unsurprisingly,once all the instruments were in, there wasno room for any people!

Tarzan (60-66).qxd 05/06/2007 09:15 Page 62

Document1 04/06/2007 14:46 Page 1

Lighting&Sound - June 200764

theatreproduction

Clockwise from top:

Right, the showcaller’s desk - “air traffic control”.

Truss and access platforms behind the set.

The automation control position.

As a result, a sound-proof percussion roomhad to be built understage. This ultimatelyhas a dual benefit: it gives more room forthe musos, plus the live music level can bemore easily controlled. The onlyinstruments left in the pit are electronickeyboards and strings. Keyboards havetwo laptops each, one as a back-up, and allconnected via ADSL with the keyboardprogrammer in New York. Any trouble andhe can re-program or troubleshoot instantly.

Shivers continues: “I’m really happy with thispercussion booth, in hindsight it actuallymakes sense with the choice of speakersand the amount of sub-flow you hear. PhilCollins is very particular about how his showsounds, it’s important to get goodpercussion and drum sounds; that’s thebase from which everything else grows.”

All musicians have an Aviom personalmixer, which provides customisablesubmixes. Each individual unit has 16adjustable channels. It’s all run via Cat 5cabling. Chief engineer Schwithaldiscusses: “Musicians are not too carefulabout how they handle cables. We chose a different Cat 5 than normal, more robustand therefore much more reliable.”

An integral part of the design is the LCSsystem. There are ambiences played

Tarzan (60-66).qxd 05/06/2007 09:16 Page 64

theatreproduction

Lighting&Sound - June 2007 65

throughout the show; when you are sittingin the auditorium you really feel part of theaction, whether in a tropical forest or by thesea. Associate sound designer DavidPatridge explains: “We have been able toexpand locations for the surround and wehave more surround in the ceiling andaround the walls because the room is moreopen and much bigger. There is also areasonably low ceiling FOH. I think sonicallythe biggest challenge has been the shapeof the room, semicircular; the walls tend tocapture the sound and send it back into theroom, fortunately not so much high end,but at the low end it is definitely a problem.Because the low end cancels itself out incertain spots, even with one subwoofer on,you know it’s not an interaction of speakers.Of course it’s physics which, try as youmight, you can’t overcome! We have putmultiple subwoofers on various timealignments to try and move the nodes off tothe sides so they are in the isles to get a smoother response - definitely a challenge.”

Other challenges are the ‘bouncy castle’style set, Patridge discusses: “It has a sound all to itself due to its inherentleakiness. The fans that inflate the wall arequite noisy, plus there is a significantbackground noise level from moving lightfans and scrollers. However, the show is a

pop musical and its level is way above theambient noise floor. Obviously you couldnot do a straight play in this environment!”

The theatre literally envelops the audience -a sort of semi-circle canopy over people’sheads which is used as an effective

metaphor for the canopy of the forest.Speakers overhead and around deliver thesounds of rustling leaves and birds. Thejungle surrounds you as scenes play out indifferent parts of the theatre; the point isshifted so you feel it has a context and a place.

There is no denying this is a sound-heavyshow and in an atmosphere where sounddesigners are constantly in the firing linewhen it comes to amplifying shows, what istoo much and what is too little? How do theduo feel about presenting such a sound-heavy show? Patridge discusses: “Yes, thisis a sound heavy show but essentially it’s a pop musical. We are presently working onThe Little Mermaid, which will be muchmore orchestral and lush as opposed toloud. We definitely believe that hearingeverything should not be a chore for theaudience, on the other hand it certainlyshould not be so loud that it diminishesperformances or feels aggressive and nastysounding.”

LightingEqually as luscious as the sound is NatashaKatz’s rich lighting, which gives dimensionto what is essentially a huge blow-up three-sided box set literally dripping with copiousgreenery, vines and dangly bits. The basefabric is essentially transparent, perfectlylending itself to dramatic backlighting. Tothat end, behind each wall is a four-tieraccess platform attached to which arehundreds of LED fittings, ETC Source FourPars and profiles with scrollers.

Katz certainly had her work cut out. Notonly did she face the challenge of pulling

Tarzan (60-66).qxd 05/06/2007 09:16 Page 65

Lighting&Sound - June 200766

theatreproduction

performers out from this huge andsometimes overwhelming green box, butshe also had to light people working atevery height from stage floor to fly floor.

Tarzan was therefore a show that was nevergoing to adhere to the rules when it came tolighting. The fact that the majority of theperformers spend much of their timehanging or bouncing around in the air ortravelling at breakneck speed through theauditorium, across the stage and bouncingoff the set, makes lighting them - never mindfollowspotting them - an obvious challenge.

With so much human flying the electricstrim height has to remain at least 45ft offthe stage, resulting in pretty steepoverhead lighting angles. The three-wallednature of the set leaves little lighting accessfrom the side, and the flying means thereare limited FOH positions. However, despitethis, Tony Award-winning Katz, inassociation with her moving lightprogrammer Aland Henderson andassociate LD Yael Lubetzky, hastriumphantly created a rich and magicalenvironment full of movement, colour,dimension and perspective.

Katz is no stranger to Disney-stylespectaculars having lit Beauty and theBeast, Aida and currently working on TheLittle Mermaid. You can’t help but envy her.

These are shows with substantial budgetsfacilitating the use of state-of-the-art, latestgizmo lighting kit. They also allow time forexperimentation during the design andprogramming process.

However, Katz is true to her art and is notone to use technology for technology’ssake. Whilst Tarzan does indeed featureliterally hundreds of Lagotronic LEDfixtures, which can equally give thetransparent walled set a rather ethereal,slightly fluid quality or make it appear solidand impenetrable, she also uses a lot ofconventional fixtures. There is anabundance of the latest Vari*Lite fixturesoverhead and FOH. However, Tarzan is stillwhat Katz describes as “very much a meatand potato set-up”. This is born out by thefact that she effectively uses hundreds ofSource Four profiles and PARs, PAR 16birdies, heaps of James Thomas PAR cansand plenty of Wybron colour scrollers.Ampco Flashlight supplied all lighting - hireand sales - under the watchful eye ofproject manager Guus Hogenes.

Katz says: “The challenges have beengreat but I believe that on every show youcan always defy some of the rules. In thiscase I have achieved this with colour andtexture. When you can’t dig in from the sideand back this is probably the only way topull your performer out from his or herbackground.”

The show is loaded with gobos, manybespoke designed. Some directly sampledfrom the set design plus images of realleaves transformed into greyscale. Theseare layered with colour and shape to give a 3D environment that flatters its contentsas opposed to overwhelming them.

Whilst Katz uses colour to achievedimension and perspective, it’s not sosimple when the environment you arelighting is almost entirely green. “It’s reallybeen fascinating and challenging to me;the fact that the box is green throughout theshow completely changes one’s perceptionof colour. We all talk about warm white, coolwhite and keying off white - but here we arekeying off green. On a green set, red isblack, orange becomes red and blue turnsgreen. It’s a complete colour mind bend -you are constantly re-evaluating your ownperception of colour.”

Another very subtle and clever Katztechnique is that many of the set andcostume elements have been treated withvarying measures of UV reactive paint. Itwould be imperceptible if you didn’t know itwas there; however, once you do, you cansee what an impact it makes. Katzelaborates: “The UV reactive paint isparticularly effective on the Leopards thatkill Tarzan’s parents and on the vines thathang down from the set. Every moving lighthas a UV filter and this really does lift theset out of its otherwise total greenness. Myaim was always to get a good sense ofcomposition, musicality, structure andcreativity in the lighting. I hope I’veachieved that.”

Tarzan is a testament to the creative team,the technicians, specialist companies andbackstage staff that ensure the safety ofperformers, the continuity of the show andthe sharpness of the production. The showcertainly has its moments of brilliance,however the plot supplied a whole newmeaning to the protagonist’s long-familiarsignature cry: Aghh-aghh, Aghh-aghh,Aghh-ahh - whereas technically it was more‘Ooh, Ahh, wow!’ Need I say more?

Clockwise from top left:

Lighting programmer/operator Mennc Dak.

Showcaller Jacco Vroom.

Sound designer John Shivers andassociate David Patridge.

The understage percussion room.

Orbital’s Chris Headlam (right) with chiefengineer Henni Schwithal.

Tarzan (60-66).qxd 05/06/2007 09:17 Page 66