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Post by Deleted on Apr 28, 2017 8:20:06 GMT
How did actors do musicals before microphones in BIG places like Drury Lane? When u go places tiny like Southwark they are mic'd so how the hell did they cope back then? One factor is that the style of music changes as the available technology changes. |
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Post by Deleted on Apr 28, 2017 8:24:32 GMT
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Post by kathryn on Apr 28, 2017 9:55:15 GMT
How did actors do musicals before microphones in BIG places like Drury Lane? When u go places tiny like Southwark they are mic'd so how the hell did they cope back then? Isn't it partly because of the amplified music that actors need to be mic'd? Otherwise they can't mix the levels. Projection is great, of course - and is still taught, I am sure. |
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Post by SamB (was badoerfan) on Apr 28, 2017 13:36:52 GMT
How did actors do musicals before microphones in BIG places like Drury Lane? Also, the acoustics in theatres are far better than we know. If you go into an empty West End theatre, in many of the oldest, you can whisper on one side of the theatre and be heard perfectly on the other - or indeed stand on the stage and speak and be heard at the back of the balcony. They built them using a technique now lost, and it worked. This is true! My local Wetherspoons is a converted former theatre, and there are certain tables where you can hear every word of conversations people are having right on the other side of the pub! |
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Post by Dawnstar on Apr 28, 2017 17:03:15 GMT
Wonder if it should read 21.95, now you mention, Dawnstar, but that is what they printed! The Palladium is 14, though, so 12 could be right. So the Criterion could be wrong. I might see if any of the FOH staff know when I'm next there. Failing that, I could try taking a foot ruler & see if I could measure the stage in the interval ;-) |
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Post by TallPaul on May 1, 2017 10:20:50 GMT
Wonder if it should read 21.95, now you mention, Dawnstar, but that is what they printed! The Palladium is 14, though, so 12 could be right. So the Criterion could be wrong. I might see if any of the FOH staff know when I'm next there. Failing that, I could try taking a foot ruler & see if I could measure the stage in the interval ;-) Straight from the horses mouth. The Criterion has a proscenium opening of 7.707 metres. www.criterion-theatre.co.uk/venue/technical-overview |
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Post by Tibidabo on May 1, 2017 10:28:01 GMT
In recent days we've had reports of both Alfie Boe and Sheena Easton having to be replaced by their understudies mid-show.
Does anyone know how this works with the costumes? Would an understudy have their own set or would they have to undress the star mid-hurl?
I know with teams of children they are chosen partly for size so they can share the costumes. Surely an understudy can't be picked just because they are the same size as the star can they?
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Post by Deleted on May 1, 2017 10:51:04 GMT
How did actors do musicals before microphones in BIG places like Drury Lane? Training. In the old days, projection was an art-form and watchword, as there were no mics to fall back on. Also, the acoustics in theatres are far better than we know. If you go into an empty West End theatre, in many of the oldest, you can whisper on one side of the theatre and be heard perfectly on the other - or indeed stand on the stage and speak and be heard at the back of the balcony. They built them using a technique now lost, and it worked. I'd probably add that audiences were quieter and more respectful too, which helped... Another answer is that audiences listened differently. They actually didn't hear as much because the singers were not above the music but were often buried. It's similar to the way that the lack of light in the Sam Wanamaker (candles only) makes the audience perceive the light differently and adjust to what is there. A show like South Pacific, back in 1949, had Rodgers and Hammerstein add floor mikes because the audience couldn't hear the dialogue properly on the upper levels. Floor mikes were first used in the thirties and, by the fifties, body mikes were prevalent. Wireless mikes came in the early sixties and even performers like Merman were miked (one bootleg of her in Dolly has her mike cut out). Rock musicals, with their need for volume and their use of accepted rock stylings started to make what had previously been invisible, more visible. As is often the case, the idea that there was a golden age when people were superior to all this modern stuff is incorrect. |
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Post by jgblunners on May 1, 2017 12:50:48 GMT
In recent days we've had reports of both Alfie Boe and Sheena Easton having to be replaced by their understudies mid-show. Does anyone know how this works with the costumes? Would an understudy have their own set or would they have to undress the star mid-hurl? I know with teams of children they are chosen partly for size so they can share the costumes. Surely an understudy can't be picked just because they are the same size as the star can they? As far as I'm aware, understudies always have their own costumes, although there may be certain pieces that can be shared because of what they are (e.g. Christine's rip-off skirt in Phantom). |
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Post by samuelwhiskers on May 1, 2017 13:16:21 GMT
In recent days we've had reports of both Alfie Boe and Sheena Easton having to be replaced by their understudies mid-show. Does anyone know how this works with the costumes? Would an understudy have their own set or would they have to undress the star mid-hurl? I know with teams of children they are chosen partly for size so they can share the costumes. Surely an understudy can't be picked just because they are the same size as the star can they? In lower budget (ahem) productions actors are sometimes cast for that very reason - sometimes you see casting breakdowns specifying dress size and it usually ends in tears. |
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Post by Kim_Bahorel on May 1, 2017 13:39:13 GMT
In recent days we've had reports of both Alfie Boe and Sheena Easton having to be replaced by their understudies mid-show. Does anyone know how this works with the costumes? Would an understudy have their own set or would they have to undress the star mid-hurl? I know with teams of children they are chosen partly for size so they can share the costumes. Surely an understudy can't be picked just because they are the same size as the star can they? In big productions U/S & swings have their own costumes & wigs. Both are tailor made for the performer. |
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Post by TallPaul on May 1, 2017 19:05:22 GMT
It's not that easy to check, most (if not all) theatres close off online booking a couple of hours in advance and I don't go to theatres that are big enough or shows that are unpopular enough that I can trust any seats that were available in the morning will still be available. Anyway, legally you shouldn't move seats, especially to a different price band, as you're then using something you haven't paid for. I have heard that theatres will sometimes demand a person pay the difference. But morally I don't see why you shouldn't, as you're not taking a seat from a person if it hasn't been sold. Just do it with grace - if you're spotted by theatre staff and asked to return to your seat, do so without arguing, that sort of thing. Asking is a bit of a gamble, as there's a chance they'll say no where you could have otherwise snuck by successfully, but I've seen people complaining about their seats and being moved by the house manager before, so it's up to you if you want to give it a go really. It depends on the theatre. The WMC for example train their users to be uber strict on this, and it's only if given 'permission' by one can you manage it. Other theatres are more relaxed about it in the sense of 'if nobody's sitting in it once the show has started someone may as well' certainly at the Sherman we preferred to move people closer should they want to.
Rule of thumb generally is wait until the interval is polite, if you're going to.
When I recently went to see Travesties at the Apollo, the two old ladies who should have been in the seats next to me moved as soon as I arrived. (Not sure what that says about me.) Then they moved again, into their third set of seats, all before little Tommy Hollander had even set foot on stage. I suspect they were seasoned professionals, who buy the cheapest tickets for any given productions, then move, and move again, until they are front and centre. If I was able to afford top price tickets, I would be absolutely furious if I found myself next to someone who only paid for a restricted view ticket. |
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Post by BurlyBeaR on May 2, 2017 15:56:47 GMT
What do the ushers do while the show is in progress? I only ask because I quite fancy it as a little job in the dim and distant future when I retire, or get sacked from the day job. This is providing ATG can find a tabard big enough of course, or I could run one up myself on the old Singer. Anyway, I'm assuming that they just stand at the back watching the show, that's right, yeah? And eat the unsold ice creams in Act 2?. This is why it's basically my perfect job and why I'm going to be one  Seriously though, what sort of duties are performed while the show is underway? |
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Post by Deleted on May 2, 2017 18:04:37 GMT
What do the ushers do while the show is in progress? I only ask because I quite fancy it as a little job in the dim and distant future when I retire, or get sacked from the day job. This is providing ATG can find a tabard big enough of course, or I could run one up myself on the old Singer. Anyway, I'm assuming that they just stand at the back watching the show, that's right, yeah? And eat the unsold ice creams in Act 2?. This is why it's basically my perfect job and why I'm going to be one Seriously though, what sort of duties are performed while the show is underway? Depends on the theatre, and where you are positioned, and how much of a taskmaster your FOH manager is  Some are seated in the auditorium, watching the show (the dream! unless it's week 6 of a 12 week run of Mama Mia) some are positioned outside waiting for latecomers, on standby for emergency etc. Those outside will either be left to sit around until the interval (I've seen NT ushers reading etc) when they are then dispatched to Ice Cream duty etc, or put to work. WMC for example likes to get it's pound of flesh for the 6.50 an hour and will employ ushers not inside to mainly move furniature around the building for seemingly no good reason for the duration. ETA: When I worked at the Sherman in Cardiff we were split between bar and theatre fairly randomly shift to shift. And we did indeed get to eat leftover cake from the bar, and 'gone off' ice creams...could be why profits took a nose dive for a while |
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Post by Deleted on May 3, 2017 13:35:36 GMT
Well funny enough following my comments about the WMC ushers yesterday they've announced they're recruiting 200 volunteer ushers. That are definatly not replacing their (under) paid existing ones, and is totally about engagement with the arts and not about free labour.
Honestly that theatre is a hard ushering job as they go (1500 half cut hen party attendees for Mama Mia anyone?) not to mention that ushers are there for safety reasons as well as general customer service. I wouldn't have done it again if you paid me...which is ok because now they aren't....
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Post by hal9000 on May 13, 2017 2:15:38 GMT
I assume lead actors/celebrities who star in West End productions have car transfer from the theatre back home written into their contracts. '(Could you imagine Nicole Kidman on a bus or in an Uber?)
What happens if they go out for a late drink after the show? Does the car drop them off at the restaurant and they find there own way back?
What about someone like Jamie Parker who lives outside of London? His battles with trains were tweeted with great sweary rage. Would he be driven to and from Sussex or wherever? I imagine Harry Potter is too big a production to risk Harry being stranded by a strike.
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Post by mistressjojo on May 16, 2017 2:53:37 GMT
I think you'd be surprised at how many lead actors have to shift for themselves.
I know of actors using the Tube, trains, buses and even the odd cyclist!
Many of our forum members have mentioned meeting the stars of shows they've just seen on the same transport home.
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Post by Deleted on May 16, 2017 6:51:58 GMT
Alexandra Burke walked to the Adelphi when she did The Bodyguard there. And notably, Helen Mirren took the Underground to get to her theatre for The Audience on Broadway.
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Post by Mr Snow on May 16, 2017 7:41:58 GMT
I believe Placido Domingo walks from the ROH to the Savoy. Street cred!
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Post by kathryn on May 16, 2017 8:12:22 GMT
I think you'd be surprised at how many lead actors have to shift for themselves. I know of actors using the Tube, trains, buses and even the odd cyclist! Many of our forum members have mentioned meeting the stars of shows they've just seen on the same transport home. Rumour has it that Tom Hiddleston tried getting the tube home after Coriolanus but had to give up and get a car because of fans following him. He is regularly spotted on the tube. |
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Post by samuelwhiskers on May 16, 2017 8:19:21 GMT
If they're huge they may be able to negotiate extra perks in their contract, but generally they make their own arrangements. So if they wanted to go out they'd call the car service to pick them up from the bar/restaurant. In the event of a strike the onus would be on them to keep an eye on it and make alternative arrangements.
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Post by Deleted on May 16, 2017 8:19:51 GMT
I think it's rare in London for a car service to be included in an actor's 'package' (ooh er etc etc) and most of them get tube/bus/cab etc obviously the bigger Hollywood types either have it written into a contract and/or pay for their own as it's the manner to which they're accustomed. Broadway seems to be a different beast though, as a mispent youth at Stage Doors tells me most of the main actors seem to have a car service home at least. Lots of our more 'theatre' actors live outside London too so can be seen dashing to the nearest station post-show (I saw Jenna Russell do a mad dash a few times) I haven't seen a sweary train rant from the Parker in a while so perhaps the power of HP is getting him home |
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Post by hal9000 on May 16, 2017 13:21:31 GMT
That or TPTB have ordered him, given the family friendly nature of the show, to keep off the Twitters when a delayed train causes him to miss a matinee.
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Post by Lemansky on May 17, 2017 11:53:07 GMT
What about someone like Jamie Parker who lives outside of London? His battles with trains were tweeted with great sweary rage. Would he be driven to and from Sussex or wherever? I imagine Harry Potter is too big a production to risk Harry being stranded by a strike. I've seen Jamie Parker getting the train back after HP before, so assume he does that most nights. I've also encountered Rebecca Trehearn after Showboat, although she was easier to spot as she still had all of her stage make-up on. I'd imagine most of our West End actors have to get themselves to and from home. |
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Post by mmmbop on May 25, 2017 14:42:49 GMT
Sorry if this has been asked before but why is it a show's closing date always advertised as "MUST END"? What started that particular terminology as it seems to me a slightly weird turn of phrase?
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