These are 7 video excerpts found in Ángel de Quinta's blog STAGE DOOR where technology is used to make a change and impact in the performance. I will mention the technology used and how it helped and contributed to the entire performance.
1. "I'm Flying" - Peter Pan
The technology used in Peter Pan's "I'm Flying" is very important in the performance, since it enabled Cathy Rigby(Peter Pan) to make the illusion of truly flying around the stage. Extremely thin strings held her securely, as she glided back and forth in fluid and smooth motion. In addition, she descended and ascended a couple of times, making the flight trajectory more varied and believable. At the beginning, Peter Pan actually comes back to the ground and takes flight again, making the audience believe that he(Cathy) can actually control his flight and stop whenever he wanted. There are other moments when variety in her flight take place. This shows how advanced and effective the technology used was during the performance. This technology enables the musical to be loyal to the actual story of Peter Pan and make the presentation believable and real. Furthermore, when the kids take flight, the whole stage becomes completely dark by the lights brightening the "walls of the house"turning off, with only a few tiny withe spots representing stars. Also, the color lights illuminating the floor change to a varying tones of blue, and smoke begins to appear. This change represent the transition between the characters being in the house and being outside. This makes the stage more interactive and the scene more believable.
2. "Step in Time" - Mary Poppins
In the scene "Step in Time" in Mary Poppins there can be found many different types of technology. The first one seen in the use of lights and colors. Mary Poppins was brightened by a strong light all the time, making the audience pay attention to her most of the time. The lights in the background also changed, from deep blue to a bright orange as the scene progressed. At one time, when the men began to dance using complicated choreography, the lights turned orange to create intensity to that part. Also, there was a moment when the lights began to flash quickly, making the scene more dramatic, intense and complicated. At some parts the stage was brightened completely. These changes of lights and colors made the scene more varied depending of its parts, from soothing to intense. These created changes in the audience's emotions, perceptions and enthusiasm. Another vey important technology used was the strings attached to the man with red (I don't remember the story of Mary Poppins, so I apologize) that made him seem that he was actually walking up the wall and on the roof. I barely saw the strings, so to an audience it looks invisible. The technology was so well designed that the man moved fluently and naturally. This made the scene come to life and reach to an exciting ending. Very fascinating indeed.
3. "Defying Gravity" - Wicked
The technology present in the scene "Defying Gravity" in Wicked was very important in portraying the power of the young witch. This technology enabled her to soar into the air, representing her powers to the audience. I honestly don not know if strings or a platform were used, yet it was designed perfectly to seem as she is actually "defying gravity". Also, a long dark curtain was used to portray the dark magic she used as the remained in the air, victorious. In addition, the curtain moved in swift smooth movements, giving the impression that she was actually flying in through the air. There was smoke appearing behind the witch, intensifying her powerful statement to the audience; in addition, more smoke appeared at the ending, as proof of her power over the people who were pursuing her. These effects make the scene more powerful, believable and intriguing. Being an ending, it has to be perfectly executed and presented. It all focused on the witch's power and exclamation. The technology truly made this scene come alive and impact the audience.
4. 42nd Street
Lights and colors were the key use of technology in the performance on 42nd Street. In the first stage, the stairs had many bright lights that made the stage come to life and pop. Not only did these lights created an amazing view of the stage, but it also highlighted the numerous dancers performing. Usually it is the other way around, having the stage dark and highlighting the performers using light. In 42nd Streets it the opposite: they are highlighted by how dark they look compared to the stage stairs they are dancing on. There was an interesting effect created by the signs and words that seem to float in the air. The letters are very bright, and some are more to the front of the stage than others; in addition, you can see through the first words the others that are behind. This created a sense of perspective to the stage, highlighted by the very bright stairs. Maybe the base is transparent and cannot be easily seen, or it is black and cannot be seen due to the black background, but this technology and use of perception made the stage pop out and the dancers shine even more. I found it very entertaining. In the next stage they appear, at the ending, lights were used as the main technology. I must mention that the background, with its contrast of dark and bright, created a sense of deepness to the stage. Lights changed from blue to golden yellow, highlighting the outfits of the dancers; in addition, lights began to flash repeatedly, emphasizing the quick feet movements of the dancers. Very unusual and effective use of light and color is seen in this performance.
5. The Scottsboro Boys
In this scene of The Scottsboro Boys there is not much use of technology; yet, the use and change of lights contributed to the whole performance and its intentions. First of all, when the black men are dancing together they are completely engulfed with light, emphasizing each and every one of them. However, when the white man and the two main black men talk with each other, the other black men sit on their respective chairs. The interesting use of light was that, while the ones having the conversation are brightened by a powerful light, the sitting men are left in the dark and the stage's lights are turned off. What is very effective is that, even though the men sitting on the chairs cannot be seen, the section of the floor under their chairs is brightened, making their feet visible. This is very important because it separated those black men from the others' conversations, yet they were still present. This not only highlights the conversation between the two main black men and the white man, but it does not completely disconnect them from their environment and the people around them. I really liked this effect; it was designed perfectly.
6. Oliver
In this video, many scenes of the musical Oliver! are shown, where we can see many types of technology used throughout the performance. The components and designs used in the different sets of the musical are one of the most important examples of technology use. From very rich in perspective to double sets, without simple technology it could not have been accomplished. There were castle walls, hidden rooms, tops of towers, sets rich in detail, flamboyant backgrounds, bridges and many more! I wonder: How do they change from one set to a completely different one? It may not be seen in this video, but there must have been a very effective and complete technology that enables that change. Different platforms, moving parts, very sophisticated machinery? Whatever kind of technology used to change the sets was very effective. This great variety of sets gives the story(and performance) a more complete sense of reality, plus it makes it even more believable to the audience. In addition, it actually entertains and amazes the spectators, having so many different sets with different effects. Some of these effects that I mention, that are also part of technology, are the lights, smoke and use of colors. In some sets, like the one on the top of a tower/building, there is use of smoke and deep colors. That scene occurs at night and the lights are many dark shades of blue and smoke almost everywhere, especially below the characters. Not only does it make the set more believable, but it also immerses the audience in the coldness of the night(with the use of colors and smoke). Like this one I mentioned, many scenes use light and color variation and smoke to create a more powerful effect to the performance. In general, technology was a crucial part of this musical.
7. Porgy and Bess
In this presentation of Porgy and Bess at the Tony Awards 2012, very advanced and simple types of technology were used throughout the short performance. First of all, the use of lights was very effective in highlighting the important aspects of the performance, like the main characters. As the background changed, the lights giving color to the floor of the stage also changed according to the image of the background. The background itself was truly a remarkable use of technology. Instead of traditional sets and platforms, the background was actually a digital screen that showed a very realistic image as the whole design of the scene. This applies except for the first background, which was actually a colored wall that, at the end of that scene, ascended and revealed the digital background. In one occasion, the image of the digital screen changed to a completely different darker image (from the sky to a dark decaying house) very quickly, and the lights also became darker as the background changed. This permitted a smooth and quick transition from a scene to another. Not only did this advanced technology proved effective in creating a quick and simple set for the performance, but it also reached a level of complexity that attracted the audience's attention. The use of lights according to the background image completed the sets and made the presentation more realistic and extraordinary, even if they were the only things used for the entire performance. Very impressive and effective use of technology indeed.
***
After watching all these video excerpts from STAGE DOOR, I can conclude that technology is a very crucial and important part of any musical performance. It is used to enable the performance to be more realistic and out-of-the-box. Some may have implemented technology more than others, yet all performances used it effectively and with great knowledge. Not only does it contribute the story, but it also promotes different and profound reactions and perceptions from the spectators. From simple light variation to walking on walls, technology has made the difference in any kind of performance. As it keeps developing and changing, it will be used in all presentations in any way. It is exciting to imagine how many possibilities can emerge this next years and how will they be applied in theater and performance.
Since I have not seen nor heard about many of these musicals that I presented, I will surely take some of my free time to learn more about them! Hope you enjoyed this analysis as much as I did.
Have a good day!
Sincerely,
Michelle
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