The best & worst theatre sets

[Deleted]

I sometimes think the set to a show is one of the most important things! I am a huge lover of all things automation so trucks, lifts, flying scenery etc.

What are your favourite sets you've seen for a show and what are some of the worst?

I can't think of any terrible ones of the top of my head but some of my favourites include: Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Gypsy and Charlie & the Chocolate Factory.

Does a set influence your opinion on a show?

[BurlyBeaR]

Phantom of the Opera. C'mon. You'd have to go a long way to beat that for sheer theatricality and eye boggling fabulousness.

Wicked is up there too.

DRS was tres stylish. 

Didnt  reckon much to Gypsy, it was good in terms of depicting the era but it looked a bit grubby to me. 

[Deleted]

I would agree with Phantom and Wicked, incredible sets!

I really like the Kinky Boots set too.

[HereForTheatre]

I really liked the Kinky Boots set as well. Wicked yeh, though i only saw the touring production so don't know if the london production is better still, will find out later this month. Not a obvious choice but The Play That Goes Wrong set is very clever.

[zak97]

Definitely agree on Gypsy, I like the detail of the many small sets, and even though they were not the most 'textured' sets. I like how the painted design reflect the character of the show.
Having not been born, and would have been way to young for the last years of the original Miss Saigon, I wasn't bothered that the set was scaled down, but the effects very pleasing.
City of Angels is probably my favourite, with Nell Gwynn and Hangmen also very credible.
Even though I generally find 'projection sets' a bit of a cop out on the budget front, I was a fan of the Stephen Ward design, ...and show..., and liked the small set pieces mixed with projects so that the 'history' was dominant, but the overall effect lost in a too big theatre.
I can't think of any sets I didn't like, but generally my least favourite set of the small theatres has to be The Trial at the Young Vic, although that may be influenced by my hate of the version.

[Hamilton Addict]

When I first read this title, I thought it said 'Best and Worst Theatre Seats' and I was about to write all of theatre's that have uncomfortable seats LOL.

[Deleted]

Sept 1, 2016 16:44:13 GMT BurlyBeaR said:

Phantom of the Opera. C'mon. You'd have to go a long way to beat that for sheer theatricality and eye boggling fabulousness.

Wicked is up there too.

DRS was tres stylish. 

Didnt  reckon much to Gypsy, it was good in terms of depicting the era but it looked a bit grubby to me. 

Yeah I forgot about Phantom! 

I I only saw the DRS tour but I really liked the way they flew in the majority of the scenery and I think the hotel set was very stylish. 

Oh oh I loved Gypsy! I really loved all the small sets they used that would come in on the trucks to create different rooms etc. Also liked the use of the small lift in the corner of the stage and the two doors on either side of the wings! 

I agree with people who said Kinky Boots. Simple set but very effective. Talking of Jerry Mitchell shows, I also liked the Legally Blonde set a lot!! 

[BurlyBeaR]

Sept 1, 2016 16:57:17 GMT Hamilton Addict said:

When I first read this title, I thought it said 'Best and Worst Theatre Seats' and I was about to write all of theatre's that have uncomfortable seats LOL.

That's a whole separate thread. Feel free to start it, unless @theatremonkey  beats you to it

[Deleted]

I remember the commitments had quite an interesting set ,which was a model of a giant set of flats, which for some reason has stuck with me.The play that goes wrong also has a technically interesting set considering what happens to it and how they manage to do it.

[Deleted]

Mamma Mia's is one of the naffest sets I've ever seen in the West End. Adored the Miss Saigon set though, and for a tour Mary Poppins' was simple yet impressive.

[jgblunners]

I loved the Jamie Lloyd Faustus set, and the National's Threepenny Opera is brilliant - a great example of simple tools creating fantastic effects. Phantom, Saigon and Wicked are, of course, stunning.

[arlette]

I enjoyed the set of Matilda. The set of the Phantom of the Opera is just magnificent. A Dutch musical called 'heerlijk duurt het langst' is still my absolute favorite. The set, movements between scenes combined with the lights was just superb.

The set I absolutely despise is the Dutch adaption of Beauty and the Beast, which is currently running. It was just not working for the theatre. Lighting was not properly used. Everything just seemed too mechanical which interrupted the flow of the show.

[Deleted]

The Matilda set is pretty incredible in my opinion as well!

[rumbledoll]

My fave were Once & The Nether. And almost every other set at The National (The Magistrate is the top!).

[rumbledoll]

I somehow managed to read the title of this thread as "The best theatre SEATS" and instantly prepared to go babbling about how I'd love to steal on of The Royal Court's wonderously comfy seats for my living room

[Steffi]

Loved the set of Lord of the Rings although it was the mix of set/light/revolve/music/costumes that made the show such an unforgetable spectacle for me.

Once: So simple and understated (some would say non-existent) but perfect for the show in my opinion.

Out of the shows I saw recently I really liked the Groundhog Day set.

And generally: The set of every big Punchdrunk show is on a whole different level than anything I see in "regular" theatre.

[bjorne]

Matilda and The Book of Mormon are my favorites.
The Curious Incident I don't know if it could be called a proper set but to me is stunning.
And I liked a lot the set of Gigi in the last broadway revival.
Tanz der Vampire deserve a mention too.
In the worst part... I remember I hated the old Miss Saigon set at the time, but right now I don't even remember said set or why I hated it.

[lem]

The original Sunset Blvd set at the Adelphi deserves a mention here

Also Starlight Express and JCS at the Lyceum.  

Hmmmm, I wonder if this proves a point that ALW shows put set above storyline?

[jgblunners]

Ooh that reminds me - the ENO sunset boulevard set is another example of how simplicity can be very effective.

[BurlyBeaR]

Book of Mormon is on my worst list. I thought it was cheap, nasty and dreadful.

[Deleted]

I read the thread as Best and Worst Theatre Sex!

Best - King Charles III (Almeida)
Worst - Company (Albany)

[SamB (was badoerfan)]

As I said in its thread, I thought the Aladdin set was very poor, aside from the cavern scene where they've clearly spent all the money.

And to echo The Nether - excellent set, extremely effective.

[richey]

Matilda has to be one of my favourite current sets. I loved the original Miss Saigon, the way things glided on and offstage, and the full size statue of Ho Chi Min (not the scaled down version we got in the revival) Also the original Whistle Down the Wind, with the highway that rose and fell was incredible.

[BurlyBeaR]

Mary Poppins.

That scene on the rooftops with the sweeps and smoke coming from the chimneys was very beautiful.

[David J]

Perhaps the ultimate production for me is when both set, acting, costume, lighting, directing, just every aspect of a production works hand in hand to deliver a truly magnificent experience

Mary Poppins, The Nether, Les Miserables, Phantom of the Opera...

That's what I learnt from the Michael Boyd's Histories season with Tom Piper's designs that spanned 8 histories. His Macbeth, As You Like It and Much Ado About Nothing sets were also great, and he worked with Paul Cummins on the poppy installment at the Tower of London back in 2014

On the otherhand you can get sets that are so ambitious that they can overshadow everything else. Like Benedict Cumberbatch and the cast of Hamlet last year