716 posts
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Post by theatre-turtle on Feb 27, 2016 18:13:04 GMT
What are your favourite special effects and tricks in musicals? I was wondering how they did the pigtails throwing scene in Matilda. Does anyone know?
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4,369 posts
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Post by Michael on Feb 27, 2016 18:20:25 GMT
Aladdin's flying carpet on Broadway is really impressive. Still not figured out how it's done.
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Post by crabtree on Feb 27, 2016 18:28:47 GMT
The appearance of the whale in the Royal Exchange's Moby Dick about twenty years or so ago still takes my breath away to think about it.
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Post by crabtree on Feb 27, 2016 18:29:26 GMT
and the guillotine in Danton's Death at the National was pretty amazing.....
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Post by Deleted on Feb 27, 2016 19:43:13 GMT
Aladdin's flying carpet on Broadway is really impressive. Still not figured out how it's done. I saw an excellent flying carpet effect in a panto, and I worked out that it was done with an extending arm from the stage coupled with an extremely tight followspot and a wider ultraviolet light. |
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92 posts
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Post by bjorne on Feb 27, 2016 23:06:21 GMT
Talking about Matilda, the chalk scene is pretty awesome too.
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19,656 posts
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Post by BurlyBeaR on Feb 28, 2016 7:18:03 GMT
The appearance of the whale in the Royal Exchange's Moby Dick about twenty years or so ago still takes my breath away to think about it. What happened? |
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170 posts
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Post by jess173 on Feb 28, 2016 8:47:13 GMT
Aladdin's flying carpet on Broadway is really impressive. Still not figured out how it's done. I saw an excellent flying carpet effect in a panto, and I worked out that it was done with an extending arm from the stage coupled with an extremely tight followspot and a wider ultraviolet light. The flying carpet on Broadway is extremely impressive, especially when they are flying in front of the moon and you can't see a thing. I looked it up on the Internet. It's done in the same way David Copperfield did his flying. There's a patent for it.  I really like all the effects from Ghost. I have figured out most of them but I still haven't figured out the folding letter in Molly's hand. I saw it malfunctioning once but I still don't know how it's done...  |
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1,578 posts
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Post by anita on Feb 28, 2016 11:02:03 GMT
Can anything match the helicopter in Miss Saigon?
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Post by crabtree on Feb 28, 2016 11:09:03 GMT
For Burly Bear, Moby Dick had a plank painted floor, but the exchange has no traps and the thought of flying a whale in was absurd, and their only doors are standard double doors......how the heck was a promised whale going to appear. They had conjured up various parts of the ship with rigging and bunks and such, but as Moby arrived they literally cleared the decks, and there was much watery lighting and smoke, and suddenly the floor, which had been a floor cloth inflated like a huge whoopee cushion, taking the sailors up with it, capsizing an imaginary boat. Just seeing a hump of the whale gave the impression of enormous size. It was simply astonishing.
More recently the Exchange revisited Edward II and after his death Edward was dumped head first into a deep puddle and left there for about ten minutes whilst the coronation happened around him. Not a bubble - a very clever sleight of hand with a breathing apparatus that I did not see.
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5,795 posts
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Post by mrbarnaby on Feb 28, 2016 12:08:38 GMT
It's true, the carpet in Aladdin is pretty impressive.
I remember being impressed with Chitty when it opened. Probably would be underwhelmed now, but at the time it was rather thrilling.
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Post by crabtree on Feb 28, 2016 12:32:25 GMT
And let's not forget Ms Poppins' final flight is pretty brave and impressive.
The ship in Bounty was an impressive piece of engineering and stage craft.....not sure that qualifies as a special effect though.
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5,795 posts
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Post by mrbarnaby on Feb 28, 2016 12:38:08 GMT
I didn't think there was anything magical about Mary hanging from 2 hugely visible cables myself. I thought the moment where she flew on stage where they could better control the lighting much more effective.
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2,242 posts
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Post by richey on Feb 28, 2016 12:43:23 GMT
Can anything match the helicopter in Miss Saigon? Unfortunately where I was sat last night spoiled this effect for me as I could see the guys coming out the other side |
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1,481 posts
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Post by steve10086 on Feb 28, 2016 12:44:05 GMT
I didn't think there was anything magical about Mary hanging from 2 hugely visible cables myself. I thought the moment where she flew on stage where they could better control the lighting much more effective. Mary flying over the audience isn't a great illusion, by any means. But is it "magical"? One of the most magical things I've seen in a theatre! |
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Post by Deleted on Feb 28, 2016 13:12:22 GMT
I can remember seeing Javert's suicide for the very first time at the Barbican, and thinking how clever it was. An illusion of him falling from the bridge, using the actor, music, sound, lighting and scenery combined...
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Post by Deleted on Feb 28, 2016 14:53:24 GMT
What are your favourite special effects and tricks in musicals? I was wondering how they did the pigtails throwing scene in Matilda. Does anyone know? SPOILER ALERT!!!!! (as I dont know how to do the filter on this new forum!!) ---------- I think actress who plays Amanda Thripp is wearing a some sort of harness while the Truchbull grabs a couple of straps (which she - he rather! - disguises by wrapping the pigtails around). As for the landing in the middle of the stalls, she is obviously somehow hiding in the bed of blazers they use to cover Nigel, while a doll drops from the ceiling. |
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4,369 posts
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Post by Michael on Feb 28, 2016 15:51:40 GMT
SPOILER ALERT!!!!! (as I dont know how to do the filter on this new forum!!) Either do it "old school", i.e. use the spoiler tags (spoiler)Text(/spoiler) (replace the round with square brackets), or use the spoiler icon in the editor (it's the rightmost icon):  |
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Post by littlesally on Feb 28, 2016 17:18:56 GMT
Quite simple but the projections of George in Sunday In the Park at the Menier was effective.
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Post by mrtumnus on Feb 28, 2016 17:49:29 GMT
I loved the simple but effective elastic walls in Pippin, Menier Chocolate factory.
Cast members just appeared and disappeared all over the set.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 28, 2016 23:22:40 GMT
SPOILER ALERT!!!!! (as I dont know how to do the filter on this new forum!!) Either do it "old school", i.e. use the spoiler tags (spoiler)Text(/spoiler) (replace the round with square brackets), or use the spoiler icon in the editor (it's the rightmost icon): Awesome, thank you! |
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83 posts
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Post by brenth on Feb 29, 2016 7:01:14 GMT
Old school I know, but the stobe change of Baby June to Dainty June is still very effective 60 years on.
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209 posts
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Post by Flim Flam on Feb 29, 2016 7:54:58 GMT
Slightly off topic (sorry), but I'll always remember the opening scenes of ENO's Pearl Fishers. So clever and well executed. The whole stage transformed by a giant 'fish tank' effect, with the pearl fishers (on wires) swimming up and down from the flies to stage level.
Beautiful.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 29, 2016 8:04:53 GMT
I agree! Absolutely beautiful. Thank you for sharing. (I never go to the opera- perhaps I am missing out...) |
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Post by crabtree on Feb 29, 2016 8:34:01 GMT
simple but beautiful, thank you.
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