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Post by BurlyBeaR on Feb 19, 2018 16:40:11 GMT
I remember Carrie at Southwark Playhouse. It's a small venue but they had a scene where they had things levitating and moving by themselves. I saw a play at National 3 Winters they had the most fasinating set changes I have ever seen. It moved between 3 time periods. The walls would move and as they move the set changed. I assume behind the moving wall had stage hands picking up the props and set and the overlapping wall has someone putting down. It was all seamlessly done.
The door in Ghost, which I mentioned earlier, where the person literally walks though it, does anyone know how it was done please?
Very old magic trick using mirrors. I can’t remember the detail but it’s on YouTube. I remember looking it up when Ghost was previewing in Manc. And another manc preview, Bat Out Of Hell and the underwater quick change.
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Post by bimse on Feb 19, 2018 17:13:08 GMT
Some memorable moments that stay with me include all the effects in "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" and all the effects in "Mary Poppins". Characters flying out over the auditorium are always exciting and to have three at once in "The Witches of Eastwick" was a special treat. And Paul Kieve's effects for "The Invisible Man" (various productions) and "Ghost" were mind-blowing. Flying out over the audience is always impressive ...... how can I ever forget Dame Edna rising and floating out over her audience, throwing gladioli as she levitated , saying at the peak of her flight “I hope I don’t do anything involuntary “. Very well done, well costumed , and looked spectacular from where I was sitting safely in the circle . I think the show was possibly “Back with a vengeance”.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 19, 2018 17:40:30 GMT
The one that stands out to me, decades later, was the 'exit pursued by bear' in the RSC's Winter's Tale back in... I don't know, the mid 80s?
The court scenes in the first act were all white and wintry - everyone wore furs and there was a GIANT polar bear rug covering the whole stage. When the court finished, the back of the stage dropped away, and the rug sank away into the pit. Then later on, it got stormy and dark and the rug lifted out of the pit with its eyes glowing and its claws rearing up, with thunder and lightning and roaring. It then came down on top of the actor and wrapped round him, dragging him down into the pit. I was 11 or so and it was wonderful.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 19, 2018 17:47:15 GMT
Son of a Preacher Man provoking applause.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 19, 2018 19:09:43 GMT
This is probably fairly niche to, well me. BUT the way the Angel in Angels in America arrived most recently. Simply because it flew in the face (pardon the pun) of how it's "normally" done.
And also because I was a bit too close and she scared the sh*t out of me.
I'm a sucker for the Phantom illusions too.
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Post by daisy24601 on Feb 19, 2018 20:47:10 GMT
Like you, decades on I still am overawed by the sight of Jesus, in the original Palace Theatre Superstar, rising from the depths of the stage in cross formation, even though there was no cross to be crucified on... I thought it was breathtaking. The first time I saw two pieces of rubbish, either side of the stage in Les Miserables, join to be come a barricade I was dumbstruck. We’re all used to it now... The same goes for Javert’s ‘jump’ from the bridge on the Seine into the swirling river... OMG! These are just some moments I’ll never forget. Javert's Suicide on the 25th Anniversary Tour was amazing, they did it differently but I can't remember exactly how. It actually looked like he was falling through the air. This was the first time I'd seen the show and I was awaiting that moment when I first saw it and London and was slightly disappointed! Valjean walking through the sewers was also very impressive.
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Post by crabtree on Feb 19, 2018 22:36:29 GMT
ah yes the Wild Honey train was a great piece of sleight of hand. The royal exchange, again, had a brilliant moment of stage craft in their last Edward II, where after his messy death, Edward was dumped into a puddle, head and shoulders well under water, whilst the huge coronation of his son carried on around the puddle. Not a ripple, not a bubble for many, many minutes. Emi, like you, I get upset that we have to apologize for being impressed by War Horse. It is a staggering piece of theatre.
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Post by crabtree on Feb 19, 2018 22:39:11 GMT
And yes the flying in Poppins is so impressive; impressive for its' uncluttered simplicity, unlike the awkward and clumsy Defying Gravity, which to me, is such an overrated moment. So clunky.
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Post by BurlyBeaR on Feb 19, 2018 23:44:45 GMT
Javert's Suicide on the 25th Anniversary Tour was amazing, they did it differently but I can't remember exactly how. It actually looked like he was falling through the air. This was the first time I'd seen the show and I was awaiting that moment when I first saw it and London and was slightly disappointed! Valjean walking through the sewers was also very impressive. In the 25 tour he was on wires, as was the bridge. When he jumped off, the bridge was flown up (complete with attached lamp post) and he was suspended on his wires arms and legs flailing. I agree it was better than the original. It was better than the film too!
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18,861 posts
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Post by BurlyBeaR on Feb 19, 2018 23:45:47 GMT
Son of a Preacher Man provoking applause. Still smarting huh? Me too 😐
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Post by Phantom of London on Feb 20, 2018 1:03:14 GMT
The door in Ghost, which I mentioned earlier, where the person literally walks though it, does anyone know how it was done please?
Very old magic trick using mirrors. I can’t remember the detail but it’s on YouTube. I remember looking it up when Ghost was previewing in Manc. And another manc preview, Bat Out Of Hell and the underwater quick change. This could be the video, done a bit of digging, if not it will show the awesome door trick. Not the one that Kenwright did for his version, which wa terrible.
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Post by ada92 on Feb 20, 2018 11:41:11 GMT
Tap waning on the ceiling in Mary Poppins
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Post by ada92 on Feb 20, 2018 11:41:56 GMT
*dancing - where did THAT come from?? Haha
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Post by TallPaul on Feb 20, 2018 13:14:05 GMT
^ Could have been worse, much worse!!
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Post by Phantom of London on Feb 20, 2018 17:13:05 GMT
The Divide that played the Old Vic recently.
You had a theatre curtain lowered, so that you couldn't see the bottom half of the stage, you had the very young actor dive into a swimming pool (unseen and hidden by curtain), only to come up dry. how can this be done without the actor injuring himself? Does he dive into a ball pond?
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Post by ada92 on Feb 20, 2018 17:40:31 GMT
^ Could have been worse, much worse!! I am grateful it missed out that extra letter, believe me!!!
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Post by daisy24601 on Feb 20, 2018 17:51:24 GMT
Javert's Suicide on the 25th Anniversary Tour was amazing, they did it differently but I can't remember exactly how. It actually looked like he was falling through the air. This was the first time I'd seen the show and I was awaiting that moment when I first saw it and London and was slightly disappointed! Valjean walking through the sewers was also very impressive. In the 25 tour he was on wires, as was the bridge. When he jumped off, the bridge was flown up (complete with attached lamp post) and he was suspended on his wires arms and legs flailing. I agree it was better than the original. It was better than the film too! Yes! It looked amazing. I found a rogue video of it on youtube.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 20, 2018 18:34:26 GMT
Son of a Preacher Man provoking applause. Still smarting huh? Me too 😐 Yep. Got to keep shouting about how damn terrible it was else Horwood et al will think it’s a good idea to flog another damn tour at some poor unsuspecting audiences.
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Post by crabtree on Feb 20, 2018 22:28:31 GMT
Opera's are often full of staggering design and effects. Back to the Lord of the rings musical, the slow disappearance of Bilbo at the start was pretty astonishing, a good use of Pepper's Ghost.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 21, 2018 0:07:44 GMT
In terms of illusions/magic tricks I would also like to add to Chitty, Mary Poppins and Groundhog Day too. Also Matilda (although I felt Matilda herself could've performed a few more tricks once she discovers her powers, dare I say it, like she does in the film).
Also the head-spinning in The Exorcist worked quite well when I saw it last year. And the RSC's A Christmas Carol had a very clever trick from the same illusionist as The Exorcist, Ben Hart, with Jacob Marley's Ghost.
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Post by sophizoey on Feb 21, 2018 1:46:09 GMT
I'm pretty easy to impress to be honest. You don't grand special effect to wow me. One of the stage effects that affected me most is probably during Empty Chair at Empty Tables when they cast the huge shadows of Marius' friends on the back of the stage. I know thats incredibly simple lighting but it gets such and emotion out of me.
As for astonishing and kind of 'how is that done'. Flying car at Chitty and I was about 8 years old. Don't think anything will beat that for me. (It's mot that astonishing but I was 8 so I would think it is)
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Post by tonyloco on Feb 21, 2018 9:23:33 GMT
As for astonishing and kind of 'how is that done'. Flying car at Chitty and I was about 8 years old. Don't think anything will beat that for me. (It's mot that astonishing but I was 8 so I would think it is) I disagree – it was astonishing! I saw Chitty some ten or twelve times from various parts of the house and I was always astonished and thrilled when the car flew. And at Dick Whittington at the same theatre a few months ago I was equally thrilled and astonished when the red bus flew, even though I was at the back of the stalls – and I am now eighty years of age!
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Post by Deleted on Feb 21, 2018 10:15:31 GMT
I'm fairly easy to impress too. At the beginning of 'The House of Bernarda Alba' at the Amleida a few years ago, there was a very simple effect when a curtain dropped so quickly to reveal the action which I thought was just smashing at the time.
Obviously, 'Mary Poppins' was glorious too. Laura Michelle Kelly flying into the roof, Gavin Lee dancing upside down, the house appearing and disappearing to reveal the rooftops.
There are so many . . . mem'ries, light the corners of my mind . . . .
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Post by Deleted on Feb 21, 2018 11:02:42 GMT
I booked Bernarda Alba after being told how impressive that curtain bit was, and I was not disappointed.
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Post by Someone in a tree on Feb 21, 2018 12:28:36 GMT
I saw Chitty at the Paladium and not impressed with the car (gasps)
But ...
The epic staircase in 42nd Street Act 1 finale in any production of Sunday is amazing The chair in Sweeney, everyone knows how it’s done and it always gets a titter Phantom 20 odd years ago was amazing and I suspect it still is The whale and turning into a boy in the NT’s Pinocchio
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Post by crabtree on Feb 21, 2018 22:17:28 GMT
ah yes, a few more trains - the hurtling towards the audience and then disappearing away train of the NT's Wild Honey, then the train in On the twentieth century was pretty amazing, and but then the magnificent train in the Kneehigh Brief Encounter was pretty thrilling. The Royal exchange did a pretty bizarre train in their Ghost Train a few years back. We could do a whole topic of trains in the theatre. And of course 42nd street features one.
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Post by Phantom of London on Feb 22, 2018 0:32:16 GMT
I'm pretty easy to impress to be honest. You don't grand special effect to wow me. One of the stage effects that affected me most is probably during Empty Chair at Empty Tables when they cast the huge shadows of Marius' friends on the back of the stage. I know thats incredibly simple lighting but it gets such and emotion out of me. As for astonishing and kind of 'how is that done'. Flying car at Chitty and I was about 8 years old. Don't think anything will beat that for me. (It's mot that astonishing but I was 8 so I would think it is) Wow I have seen Les Miserables countless times and have never noticed that, I have to pay more attention next time I see it. However the lighting effects for the sewers are amazing as is the whole of Les Miserables. Similar effect down in Billy Elliot in the community hall, after he sees the ballet class and the keys are thrown over to lock up, he practices a few steps, with a giant silhouette of Billy on the back wall, very beautiful as is the whol of Billy Elliott.
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Post by BurlyBeaR on Feb 22, 2018 7:38:08 GMT
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Post by anita on Feb 22, 2018 10:14:38 GMT
The train in "Whistle down the wind".
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Post by londonmzfitz on Feb 22, 2018 12:25:24 GMT
The train in Woman in White ...
I was sat mid-front stalls and it was pretty effective there.
But NOT the staircase ....
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