“Hoy No Me Puedo Levantar” (HNMPL –
Today I Can’t Get Up) is a hugely successful Spanish ‘jukebox musical’ from
Drive Productions telling the story of two struggling young musicians surviving
in Madrid against a backdrop of drugs, AIDS and other social phenomena and
chaos in the 1980s and immediate aftermath of Franco’s collapsed fascist
regime.
Based on the music of 32 hits by
Spanish supergroup Mecano, this new second version of HNMPL has just opened in
Madrid’s Coliseum Theatre, complete with a fantastic lighting design by Carlos
Torrijos – featuring among others – 24 Robe Pointes.
This is the first time Torrijos has
incorporated Robe products into his work. He states, “I was looking for the best
moving head beam light on the market … and after trying and comparing a few
options .. I chose the Pointe”.
He explains that the first edition of
the production played for five years including two touring versions earning
massive critical acclaim and commercial success, so the pressure was really on
to make this version even better, resulting in a technically complex and
ambitious show.
The specific style of lighting he has
brought to this production is a real mix of theatre and rock ‘n’ roll.
The show has many subtleties,
contrasts and serous messages as well as some glorious ‘rock-out’ moments, and
so a full gamut of dynamics not commonly seen in ‘classic’ theatrical musicals
have come into play, all needing individual visual treatment.
The 24 Pointes are rigged on LX bar
6, a position specially created for this production using an apex-down
triangular truss flown on vari-speed motors and also counterweighted. The
Pointes are spread out on the bottom rail of the truss which is clad in Elidy
LED panels.
Several other set and LED structures
are automated in the show which also features a large quantity of LED screens
as well as mapped projection elements. In total there are over 400 moving and
conventional lights in the rig.
Using the Pointes has enabled Torrijos
to produce many specific effects and lighting environments that would not have
been possible using any other lightsource, which has impressed others on the
creative team.
The versatility of the Pointe – which
can run as a beam, spot, wash or effects
fixture – has helped save space
in the grid and provided a solution for many scenarios.
The Pointes are being supplied to the
show by ASL Light Solutions. Lighting was programmed by Fede Diez and is
currently being operated at the Coliseum by Javier Lapuerta.
Carlos Torrijos is really happy with
the performance of the Pointes and says he is sure he will be using Robe in his
future work, “Robe has huge potential – and the compact and reliable Pointes
have really proved this”.
