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Built-In Look Solutions for The Woman in White
Look Solutions’ Unique hazers, Viper NT fog generators and a Power-Tiny battery-powered fog generator have reprised their role from the London production for the new Broadway musical, The Woman in White.
Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Woman in White, which opens on November 17th at the Marquis Theatre, New York City, is the story of how Walter Hartright’s life is changed forever after a chance encounter with a mysterious woman, dressed in white. The show has an enormous scope with over 60 locations which are represented by projections onto moving scenery.
Paul Pyant lit the original London production of The Woman in White, with associate lighting designer David Howe tasked with recreating Pyant’s design for Broadway. “The lighting and atmosphere of the show has to be precisely controlled because of the projections,” remarked Howe on why Look Solutions’ machines were chosen for The Woman in White. “Previous experience told us the Look Solutions machines were quiet, compact and had no fluid compatibility issues.”
The Woman in White features four Unique hazers, which are placed in the proscenium area of the Marquis Theatre. A Power-Tiny battery-powered fog generator is used for a spot effect on stage; however, it is the six Viper NT fog generators that have the most time on stage. The six Viper NTs have been customized to have a smaller fluid reservoir. To give the Viper NTs a lower profile the units had their rubber feet and also their carrying handle removed. All six Viper NTs were then built into a revolving turntable in the stage floor. The Viper NTs are powered at 220 volts via a slip ring assembly, which also supplies automation power, automation data and DMX512. Controlled via DMX512 are the Viper NTs and the marine fans used to draw the fog through channels in the set.
“I’d never worked with the Viper NT before,” said David Rosenfeld of Hudson Scenic who built the set and was responsible for fitting the Viper NTs into the revolve. “The volume of fog you get out of it is pretty incredible. We had a choice of foggers, but once we had the Viper NT and saw we could make it fit, there were zero problems.” Because of Hudson Scenic’s close relationship with the lighting vendor for The Woman in White, Hudson Sound and Light, they were able to specify a fog machine that suited the needs of the production. “We will always work with the designer, customizing for any requirement – that’s what we are here for,” remarks Rosenfeld. “But working with our sister company, we were able to specify a machine that could handle 220V. That allowed us to use smaller slip rings than if we would have had to use a machine that could only run at 110V.”
The Viper NTs on The Woman in White are using a standard medium fluid, but it is the use of controlled fans and control of the machines themselves that makes the dramatic looks on stage possible. “We have fans to assist with the movement of the fog into tight areas of the space,” says Howe. “However, using the Look Solutions’ machines gave us flexibility – from a dense haze to a very light atmosphere – to add to the quality of the projected images. The range of control on the Viper NT is excellent, especially at the low end where you really need it. The Look Solutions’ machines performed exactly as expected – they were excellent and totally reliable.”
For the Broadway production of The Woman in White, Pyant and Howe were assisted by US-based associate lighting designer Vivien Leone, US-based assistant lighting designer Jared Sayeg and UK-based programmer Vic Smerdon. The Woman in White opens on November 17th at the Marquis Theatre, New York City.
16th November 2005
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