The lights are on, and the star ring stage of the fire tree and silver flower lights up the court ball in 1812, and the unique immersive stage is a sight to behold. Tonight, the new production of the Broadway immersive drama "Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812" (hereinafter referred to as "The Great Comet") opened a preview at the Grand Theater of Shanghai Nine Trees Future Art Center.
The performance mode of "Sing to the End" brings the audience a hearty audio-visual experience in one go, and the newly produced stage art, lighting, scenery, and costumes also bring a new feeling. How much hardcore technical support is needed to light up this "Big Comet"?Produced by.
1. Zhang Xiaoding, general manager of the Shanghai Grand Theatre, said: "The difficulty is no less than the opera "The Ring of the Nibelungen". ”
Caption: ** Drama "Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812" Xinmin Evening News reporter Wang Kai photo (the same below).
Taichung Terrace: The 100-meter mother frame structure supports the "comet universe".
The original idea for The Big Comet came from a tavern where writer and songwriter Dave was inspired by his time in Russia. So, whether it's the Off-Broadway version or the later Broadway version, the stage is a restaurant-style setting.
The Shanghai version of the stage production featured Korean stage designer Oh Bi-young. He found a different way to find inspiration in the orbit of comets - the stage is made up of red circles from top to bottom, and the audience sits in four circles according to the four families in the play, as if they are in the vast universe, while the actors wander on the tracks, as if interstellar.
In order to support the "Comet Universe", Wu Biyong abandoned the original equipment of the theater and placed all the devices that needed to be hung in the set with 66 CNC hoists in the 100-meter mother frame structure to meet the total weight of 15 tons of stage decoration and hardware. Among them, the five circular decorations suspended in the air weigh 12 tons, in addition to 2 tons of hardware equipment and 1 ton of crystal chandeliers.
In response to the lyrics that "the outside world is experiencing war and cold", the thick red curtains hanging from the stage and several large trees standing on the snow create a strong contrast with the warm and luxurious interior world through lighting effects, which also gives a subtle expression of the background of "war and peace", achieving a harmonious unity of creativity and aesthetics.
New technology: light and sound tracking makes audio-visual more "high-definition".
The dazzling stage is inseparable from the help of high technology. The lighting and sound of this version of "The Great Comet" all use tracking technology, and Li Bowen, one of the lighting designers, said: "In addition to setting off the atmosphere, the lighting can also tell a story. His partner Zhang Han directly threw out a set of data - this "Big Comet" uses nearly 80 new cutting lamps and lanterns, as well as 4 new light-chasing PTZ equipment and nearly 100 imported moving head dyeing high-power lamps and lanterns in China, so that every move of the actors on the stage is presented in front of the audience, and the "high-definition" function of the stage is realized.
As a ** drama that "sings to the end", the cue points of the lighting in the audience are close to 600!Li Bowen said: "In the past, there were very few ** dramas that achieved 500 cue points. "Lighting isn't just about lighting up and setting the mood, it's about expressing the inner emotions of the actors. Zhang Han gave the example of the heroine Natasha's solfège "No Other": "The tone of this song is romantic, we will first give an atmosphere lighting, as the actors keep changing the stage position, the lighting will lead the audience to focus on different details like a camera. And when the atmosphere is set to a climax, the lighting will also have emotional ups and downs, and the mood changes between light and dark. ”
According to Nick Kurtes, one of the sound designers, this version of the audio uses a full set of imported equipment, including 10 sets of TiMAX audio tracking systems, and 40 sets of wireless head-mounted microphones. On the stage, in addition to 65 hanging sound points, "ambush on all sides". In the same space, how to balance the immersive experience of the audience in the "family seat" and the listening needs of the actors on stage is a major technical difficulty. Another sound designer, Briden Anies, said: "With the sound tracking system, we can precisely change the sound source to give the audience the immersion of being surrounded by the actors, which is a great experience for the audience sitting in the family seats." ”
Extravagance: 200 costumes, 2,000 props, 30 trucks.
Corresponding to the dazzling stage, the costume of the play is also worth paying attention to. There are nearly 200 sets of fashioned costumes, including 6 sets for the heroine Natasha alone, and each group performer also has 3 sets of costumes of different styles, and 5 makeup and hairdressers work non-stop for a total of nearly 10 hours to complete the makeup and hair styling.
The props include more than 200 stools, more than 500 books, more than 800 letters, 1 custom piano, in addition to more than 2,000 props such as quills, matchboxes, paperweights, prop wooden boxes, candles, tea sets, wine bottles, etc., which need to be transported and loaded by nearly 30 trucks.
This version of "The Great Comet" is produced by Shanghai Grand Theatre, Changyang Culture, and West Bund Grand Theatre, and co-produced by Shanghai Grand Theatre Creation Center, West Bund Grand Theatre, and Yuhua Culture. The play will be rehearsed at the Nine Trees Future Art Center until January 1, 2024, and a grand dance party will be held again after the performance on December 31, 2024 will welcome the arrival of 2024 in the electro-sound dance segment of "The Big Comet".
From January 13 to March 3, 2024, the ** drama "The Big Comet" will officially open its Asian premiere at the Grand Theater of Bank of Communications Qiantan 31 Performing Arts Center. (Xinmin Evening News reporter Zhu Yuan).