Lighting designer Luc Peumans of Painting With Light
has cast Clay Paky Mythos and Sharpy Wash 330 fixtures to play a starring role
in his design for a Dutch stage production of Whitney Houston cinematic classic
The Bodyguard.
The musical, produced by Stage Entertainment, opened
in September at the Beatrix Theatre in Utrecht. Peumans specified 24 Clay Paky
Mythos and 36 Sharpy Wash 330 fixtures from Ampco Flashlight, using them to
swing his looks from the intimate during the more tender scenes, to the big and
bold for the numerous concert moments.
“The narrative is well known as the 1992 movie, so one
of the objectives was to give the show a ‘cinematic’ feel but also present the
story in a contemporary setting using current technologies and high production
values,” explains Peumans.
Peumans worked alongside set designer Carla Janssen Hofelt, content
producer Ad de Haan and technical
director Ed Wielstra on the creative conceptualisation of the show.
“Central to our mission was ensuring that all visual
elements worked together harmoniously to give the audience a unique emotional experience,” continues Peumans.
“As the theatre’s stage and wing space is relatively small and there is only
one set, the lighting performs as an integral extra player to create the many
different story locations. Having a properly multi-purpose fixture to take on
this ‘acting’ role was crucial and that’s why I chose Mythos.”
The show design
sees five large flying video screens along the sides of the stage, plus
automated set trucks partially clad in LED. Two Mythos are attached to the tops
of each flying screen with another two on the floor. Twelve Mythos and four
Sharpy Wash 330 are then hung on winches above the stage area, where they are
flown in and out for various scenes.
“I like the Mythos’ brightness, colour mixing,
dimming curve, effects and its general multi-functionality which has allowed me
to use it as both a spot and a beam,” says Peumans. “At some points they blend
nicely into the background like any theatrical luminaire, while at other times,
especially for the many concert scenes, they are seen in a more ‘classic’
moving light role. It is a refined, high quality and versatile luminaire ideal
for this style of musical theatre and they work extremely hard throughout the
performance!”
As well as on the winches, the Sharpy Wash 330
units are scattered around on the booms, side ladders and on top of the flown
screens.
“The Sharpy Wash 330 fixtures are small, which is
great for concealing in and around set pieces across the stage. The zoom can
quickly go from a tight beam to a very wide flood, which is great for evenly
washing the space. I was also really impressed with the quiet running of both
units, which was ideal for the low-noise moments.”
The Bodyguard runs until
April 2016 at the Beatrix Theatre in Utrecht, The Netherlands.
Photo credits: Louise Stickland
