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Le Maitre Chosen to Feature Special FX in Never Forget Musical
Le Maitre’s latest and greatest special effect product line offering, the Aqua Visual FX is playing a key role in the new musical Never Forget.
Just when you thought the Take That comeback could not get any better, here comes Never Forget – a new musical featuring the songs from Take That and some very special effects supplied by Le Maitre. The production, which features the incredible catalogue of music by Take That, is a feel-good comedy about love, friendship, ambition and betrayal, with an original story written by Danny Brocklehurst.
The producers were having some very real issues finding a company that could make it rain on stage in a controlled way that wouldn’t get the audience wet! But Mark Thomas showed the producers the Aqua Visual FX and their jaws hit the floor! The producers immediately said “we have to have it!”
The system feeds fresh water to a 28ft water screen that drops 1 metre from the front of a stage. A very small gap in the staging allows the water to drain into a 1500L water tank fitted under the stage.
The musical’s rain sequence includes doorways opening, closing and moving throughout the 28ft section as the performers interact with the water. The rain also goes through five stages of intensity from light droplets to a torrential downpour where the cast (all dressed in raincoats) perform a perfectly choreographed number.
The entire rain sequence takes place at the end of act one during the song ‘Back for Good’. The sequence lasts for approximately five minutes and astonishingly only uses approximately 200L of water per performance (about one bathtub of water).
Along with the rain, Le Maitre has also supplied a 28ft wall of fire that uses the popular and tried and tested Dragon propane system. The Dragons are connected to four custom-made flame bars that seamlessly fit into a gap in the stage mid way. There are four pilot sections that are all sub-stage, so no flame is ever visible at floor level until the effect is fired. The system is capable of creating a 20ft wall of fire, but height has been set to a more modest 7ft! The system also includes an under-stage CO2 delivery system to immediately extinguish any tiny after-burns of gas, so that the performers and crew can cross the bar immediately after firing.
The show also features two of Le Maitre’s hugely popular electric air cannons that fire glitter and confetti over the audience at the end of each performance – much to the disgust of the cleaners! The cannons are fired from the top boxes either side of the stage and add an extra touch of magic at the very last beat of the music.
Following a terrific run in Cardiff where the cast received standing ovations from the audience at every performance, the tour gathers momentum and moves north to Scotland, then Manchester, Stoke and Edinburgh before transferring to London's West End.
15th August 2007
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