Dreamgirls Modern Technology for a Classic Musical
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Copyright Lighting &Sound America March 2010 http://www.lightingandsoundamerica.com/LSA.html www.lightingandsoundamerica.com March 2010 $10.00 Dreamgirls Modern technology for a classic musical Business: Straight talk with Martin’s Christian Engsted ALSO: Lincoln Center’s David H. Koch Theatre Philips Vari*Lite VLX RSC Lightlock NAMM Report THEATRE Copyright Lighting &Sound America March 2010 http://www.lightingandsoundamerica.com/LSA.html Dreamgirls is reinvented for the road in a sizzling, innovative new production By: David Barbour 50 • March 2010 • Lighting &Sound America ow do you improve on instead, it packs every bit of the to backup, then cut out of the act Dreamgirls ? It’s a daunting task, original’s sizzle while taking altogether. Lorrell becomes trapped in as the original production of advantage of today’s technological a dead-relationship with the married Tom Eyen and Henry Krieger’s advancements. (The New York Jimmy. Deena, now a major star, 1981 hit still burns brightly in the engagement was especially exciting, marries Curtis, but their relationship memories of musical theatre fans— as Dreamgirls begins and ends at the devolves into a power struggler over and for good reason: Michael Apollo; when, in the final scene, one the direction of her career. Dreamgirls Bennett’s nonstop staging of a of the characters notes, “Here we traces all of these characters’ complex, epic story was facilitated by are—right where it all began,” it was changing fortunes as black music Robin Wagner’s brilliantly flexible impossible not to get goose bumps.) enters the American mainstream. scenic design and Tharon Musser’s Combining Bennett’s vocabulary with Providing a touchstone with the daring lighting, and Theoni V. modern stage gear and adding his original production is Robin Wagner, Aldredge’s fabulous, instantaneous own distinctive sensibility, whose brilliant scenic concept was the costume changes. Frank Rich, then Longbottom has reinvented the show key to Bennett’s original vision. Here, The New York Times ’ theatre critic, for the 21st century. Wagner has come up with an entirely called it “a show that strikes with the And why not? In this era of insta- new approach that retains what was speed and heat of lightning”—and he celebrities and reality television, the exciting about his 1981 design while wasn’t exaggerating. time is especially ripe for a tale of adding the innovation of video projec - Few theatre productions in the last young hopefuls swallowed up by the tions by the media designer, Howard 25+ years have yielded so many leviathan of fame. Equally pertinent is Werner, of the firm Lightswitch. Also stunning moments: the opening view the show’s examination of how soul on board are the lighting designer Ken of backstage pandemonium at a music was repackaged for a larger Billington and the sound design team Harlem talent show, the towering (read: white) audience, thus providing of Acme Sound Partners. All have tableau of record-industry hacks black entertainers with a shot at collaborated on an unusually striking payola deals, the wall of mainstream success. The theme, then integrated design, which was lighting units in the number “One Night and now, is the same: Show business developed under an unusual set of Only,” and, most of all, the Act I coup is the gateway to the American circumstances—beginning with a de théâtre , in which the heroine, Dream—if you’re willing to pay the tryout in Seoul, Korea. deprived of her career and her lover, price of entry. launches into the furious, wounding Dreamgirls is the story of the One more picture please torch song, “And I Am Telling You I’m Dreams—Effie, Deena, and Lorrelle— Once again, thanks to Wagner, Not Going,” only to be cruelly cut off young women from Chicago who hope Dreamgirls provides spectacle by the falling curtain. to make it big as a girl group. It is seemingly without scenery. In his The result of an intensive series of 1962, the era of the Shirelles, the conception—aided by the expert workshops, Dreamgirls came with a Ronettes, and the Shangri-Las. At a contribution of Werner—it consists seamless original production that talent show in Harlem, they hook up of a rush of images seen in multiple perfectly fit its restless, rangy narrative. with Curtis, a Cadillac salesman configurations. Skylines, highways, In Bennett’s hands, a story tracking turned promoter, who gets them a gig and theatre marquees whoosh by as eight characters across 12 years and singing backup for James Thunder the Dreams make their way to the dozens of locations unfolded with Early, a James Brown-style R&B star. top. When the girls are performing, cinematic ease. So influential were the Curtis has dreams of selling “race” the stage pulsates with colors and director’s ideas that even the 2006 music to mainstream audiences, and patterns that explode like a series movie version alludes to them in more he sees the Dreams as the vehicle to of novas. The design is more than than one scene. All of which has left do it. (He even takes Effie, the Dreams’ flash and glitter, however; it the question hanging for years: Is it assertive, ferociously gifted, lead provides a technologically gilded possible to stage an entirely new singer, as his lover.) Before long, cage that seduces and traps Effie, version of Dreamgirls ? thanks in part to some well-placed Deena, and Lorrell. The answer has arrived in Robert bribes, the Dreams are climbing the Bennett’s staging of Dreamgirls Longbottom’s new production, which pop charts with a radio-ready version would not have been possible without s u launched a national tour at the Apollo of soul music. Trouble brews, however, Wagner’s scenic design, in which a c r a Theatre in New York. The when Effie, who is deemed too black series of towers—loaded with lighting M n a o director/choreographer has provided and insufficiently glamorous for units—and a bridge remained in nearly J : o t o a Dreamgirls that is no tired imitation; television audiences, is first relegated constant motion. But, as the designer h P www.lightingandsoundamerica.com • March 2010 • 51 THEATRE Billington creates his own version of Tharon Musser’s wall of lights for “One Night Only.” says, that design “was based on configurations. At times, they function Studio, “Each of the five video walls technology from 1981. You can’t even as an upstage wall—with one center is attached to a mechanism that get it, it’s so obsolete.” As a result, he panel flying up to allow for entrances. allows them to rotate. That piece of says, “We decided not to recreate it, The screens can be staggered, form a machinery is attached to a piece that but to do something of our age. And curve, or make a kind of long S shape allows upstage-downstage travel. All Bobby was all for that. that reshapes the stage. They can also of this is attached to an element that “The original concept was to show pivot open. Except for one or two lifts and lowers the panels.” As a how these girls are trapped in the minor pieces of furniture, they result, he notes, when the panels are technology of show business,” constitute the entire scenic design. in full motion, “There are often as Wagner continues. “They’re controlled Wagner worked out the movement many as 15 axes working at the by it. That idea hasn’t changed. The of the panels in an old-fashioned 3-D same time.” question was, how do we make it for set model, to show Longbottom what Control of the scenery is via the now?” As he notes, “The only really was possible and, he says, “to see company’s HMC systems (for Hudson new thing that has come along since how simple we could make it and still Motion Control). Adomanis says the then is the LED screen.” He and give it the technological complexity of automation operator also controls a Longbottom accompanied Werner to show business.” He used this method dozen more scenic effects, including XL Video’s demo room in lower to demonstrate his concept to the deck tracks for various pieces of Manhattan to see what might be team at Hudson Scenic Studio, where scenery, roll drops that occasionally done with video technology. The the set was built. (I. Weiss also mask the onstage musicians, and the director quickly signed on to the idea. provided softgoods to the production.) two big light walls seen in “One Night The design for Dreamgirls consists Working with Hudson, he says, “It was Only” [to be discussed later]. One of of five double-wide panels of LED never a question of ‘Can we do this?’ the project’s big challenges, he adds, screens, hung from a track. Thanks You say to them, ‘This is what I want,’ is “because all of the machinery the automation system, provided by and they’ll find a way to make it work.” moves around, we had to have a huge Hudson Scenic Studio, they are According to Chuck Adomanis, cable-management effort; this is capable of multiple movements and senior engineer at Hudson Scenic especially complicated, because the 52 • March 2010 • Lighting &Sound America cables also handle the power and data went with a previously unknown about a surface that could move and for the video panels. We put a huge screen from the Korean company form different configurations. The D3 amount of design and engineering Vissem Electronics, which was was the godsend that I needed. time in getting all of the interconnec - retained when the production moved “With the D3, we could model the tions for the cables to be put together to the U.S.