Favorite Set Designs- Page 17

[edyw32]

Posted: 5/29/11 at 4:59am

The original Australian production of Jesus Christ Superstar in the 70's - was simply amazing and changed my life.
Loved Les Miz
London Into The Woods (Richard Hudson version) was great
King And I revival with Donna Murphy was beautiful
Grand Hotel

[CurtainCall]

Posted: 5/29/11 at 5:21am

Thanks for the reminder, edyw32. Oh yes, the original London Into the Woods was quite startling, rather like the rest of the production. It's a pity that the videos widely available of the show, never used the sets, so one doesn't that idea.

[broadwaybabywannabe]

Posted: 5/29/11 at 12:01pm

FOLLIES...OBC
PACIFIC OVERTURES...OBC
NOISES OFF...OBC

[charlesjguiteau]

Posted: 5/29/11 at 1:32pm

First some classics I've seen (and let's give all the designers credit by name):

Boris Aronson's "A Little Night Music" & "Pacific Overtures", for exploring all the ways gliding panels can make our hearts sing.

Santo Loquasto's "The Cherry Orchard" & "That Championship Season", for finding ravishing new ways to view old rooms.

Tony Walton's "Pippin" & "Grand Hotel", for creating astonishing richness out of poor materials.

Ming Cho Lee's "Much Ado About Nothing" and "The Grand Tour", for inventing the cliche of lumps mounted to scaffolding and then turning the technique into the highest art.

Onto the next decades:

Heidi Landesman's "Big River" and "The Secret Garden", for building an entire show out of one perfect image (the Misissippi as a walkway of planks, or a girl's face shimmering from a doll house.)

John Lee Beatty's "Talley's Folly", but really any show he tackles that creates huge vibrations within intimate spaces.

Maria Bjornson's "Phantom of the Opera" and "Aspects of Love", for convincing us that an empty stage can still dazzle us with luxury and opulence.

Bob Crowley's "Carousel" at the Beaumont, for exploding our heads with new ways to see the classics.

And some recent masterpieces:

Scott Pask's "Nine" revival, giving stunning new uses for water onstage.

Christine Jones' "American Idiot", transforming newspaper collages into a heart-breaking space.

Mark Wendland's "Next to Normal", showing us precisely what the inside of a troubled mind looks like.

And of course the combined talents that created "Sleep No More" at the McKittrick!










Updated On: 5/29/11 at 01:32 PM

[Rockyfan2000]

Posted: 5/29/11 at 1:55pm

What about the Broadway version of "Starlight Express"? Fantastic set from a great designer.

[charlesjguiteau]

Posted: 5/29/11 at 3:24pm

Rockyfan 2000-- funny you should mention the b'way Starlight Express-- I spent a few months drafting on that thing for john Napier. Glad someone remembers it fondly-- I actually thought John's London set was so much simpler and more effective-- just skater ramps spinning around a hip plexi space with that awesome articulating bridge above, but none of the miles of styrofoam kitsch John was impelled to add for the US show. Different strokes...

[Rockyfan2000]

Posted: 5/29/11 at 5:18pm

...yet very impressive. What about the German version? I was a member of the original German cast and boy, did we have fun....!?! The opening night was postponed two weeks cause the floors in the side tunnels weren't at the right angle and they had to get in a boat designer to get it right! And then I ended up breaking my ankle and my leg in three places skating whilst skating out of one of the side bowls.... Happy memories indeed.....!

[charlesjguiteau]

Posted: 5/29/11 at 5:26pm

rockyfan, Did you ever know that before the Broadway production, there was a version of Starlight that we drafted to tour around the States from rock arena to rock arena! Believe it or not the whole thing was planned to INFLATE in sections, each devoted to a different corner of the US, that the skaters would zip around on. Can't remember if that version had the center bridge or not, but needless to say, the thing never happened.

[Rockyfan2000]

Posted: 5/29/11 at 5:32pm

Charles, no I didn't, but I knew about an Australian / Japanese tour that was around (cause I auditioned for it) which toured in a tent apparently, but had to be cancelled have way through cause of very bad weather. I think that set had "statues" of famous monuments on it but did not include a bridge.

[RippedMan]

Posted: 5/29/11 at 10:39pm

I want to see this Carousel set design I keep hearing about!

Posted: 5/30/11 at 12:14am

"
http://www.guardian.co.uk/stage/gallery/2011/may/22/set-theatre-design-in-pictures#/?picture=374797450&index=0

My favourite is still An Inspector Calls."

Thanks for the link--it's great to see, but kinda obnoxious that they largely didn't choose pics that show the sets at all!

I saw Inspector Calls in London as a teen. I still think the play isn't as good as it could be, I admit I'd prefer more of the mystery and less of the plotical view, but the production was outstanding largely due to that amazing set. It was the first time I'd seen water used on stage (I hadn't seen a lot of theatre).

I think Aronson will always be my fave--Particularly for his Hal Prince musicals from Cabaret and Zorba (vastly underated) on. I like Lee's Sweeney Todd, but the mind boggles at what Aronson could have done with the piece.

[chewy5000]

Posted: 5/30/11 at 12:46am

[My Oh My]

Posted: 5/30/11 at 1:27am

I used to collect all sorts of theatre junk as a teen and I remember saving this full page feature on the then upcoming Chicago engagement of the 1st national tour of Sunset Boulevard. It had a really neat, full color computer rendering of the Sunset set and the mechanics that make it work. I will upload it...when I find it. :S

[ruthiefan_felix]

Posted: 5/30/11 at 8:07am

I've seen 11 Christopher Oram designs and they've all been nothing but spectacular!! All his designs at the Donmar are great!! Guys & Dolls, Evita, Red, Passion, Streetcar Named Desire to name but a few!!!!

[CurtainCall]

Posted: 5/30/11 at 9:02am

To Eric: Yes it does seem rather perverse to celebrate 10 great designs and then not show much of them - and there much better shots of the plays available from photo libraries.

'I like Lee's Sweeney Todd, but the mind boggles at what Aronson could have done with the piece.' I can appreciate Lee's construction but as a set for Sweeney it's so wildly unnecessary that it leaves me cold - which has more to do with Hal Prince's choices, so i still wouldn't hold my breath too much for what Aronson might have produced either.

Maria Bjornson's designs for Follies in London were unforgettable - Losing My Mind's deco Central Park setting, the expressionistic skyscraper, showing the years going by, before Ah, But Underneath (which then came complete with walking bath bubbles) and the rather more obvious wedding cake start for Loveland and piano for Make the Most of Your Music.

Updated On: 5/30/11 at 09:02 AM

Posted: 5/30/11 at 9:28am

The Addams Family
Shrek
Spider-Man

[Rockyfan2000]

Posted: 5/30/11 at 2:00pm

Thanks for posting these!

[broadwayguy2]

Posted: 5/30/11 at 10:59pm

I just want to chime in with a word in honor of Rob Bissinger's work on Lucky Guy, which sadly closed far too soon.

Bissinger's set was clever, witty and well constructed, keeping full pace with the quickly moving action. The influence of David Rockwell was evident - Bissinger served under Rockwell on All Shook Up.

From pre-show to curtain call, I was most impressed at a Broadway sized set on an off-Broadway budget, with many units serving as multi-purpose, double-side pieces in numerous scenes.

One particular unit served as scenery for Jeannie Jeanine's concert, a wall of her home and two dressing rooms. Jeannie's "28-room trailer" was built from columns that were giant glasses of champagne, mirroring the champagne element and faux-romance of the scene. There was a large, versatile Grand Ole Opry set and the proscenium of the stage mirrored that piece, with strings that were 'played' by Varla Jean Merman in one scene.

There were hidden gems in the set that were running gags throughout the evening, the most memorable being Leslie Jordan popping out of set pieces and corners in the most expected and hilarious ways imaginable..

i could go on and on, but I thought Bissinger's work was first rate and well matched by William Ivey Long's pitch perfect costumes. The only misstep of the night were two cars 'driven' by Savannah Wise and Varla Jean Merman in fantasy sequence...

[Idiot]

Posted: 5/30/11 at 11:37pm

Les Miserables for the simple beauty of it.

[Sant]

Posted: 5/31/11 at 7:16am

The Phantom of the Opera
Chicago (revival)
Cats
The King and I (revival)
Man of La Mancha (revival)
South Pacific (revival)
Avenue Q
Wicked
Sunset Boulevard
Xanadu
The Lion King
Show Boat (Hal Prince revival)

[Justin D]

Posted: 5/31/11 at 8:11am

Im going to now add in LND Melbourne

[HopeChanged]

Posted: 5/31/11 at 8:25am

1) Avenue Q
2) Next to Normal

[maila]

Posted: 5/31/11 at 2:01pm

CAROUSEL Revival at Beaumont by bob crowley




AIDA by bob crowley

[maila]

Posted: 5/31/11 at 2:14pm

interactive webpage of the set of HOT L BALTIMORE at the Steppenwolf Theater in Chicago:
http://www.steppenwolf.org/hotl/#

[maila]

Posted: 5/31/11 at 2:15pm

sunset boulevard
les miz 25th anniversary production
carousel revival
phantom in vegas
turandot set by david hockney Updated On: 5/31/11 at 02:15 PM