Vanemuine Theatre in Estonia\’s
cultural hub of Tartu has premiered the country\’s first version of the classic
ABBA jukebox musical \”Mamma Mia\” with a non-replica version licensed
by Musical Theatres International (MTI) staged in Vanemuine’s Big House auditorium,
directed by Ain Mäeots with lighting designed by Meelis Lusmägi.
Meelis has taken full advantage of
Vanemuine’s house rig which includes a substantial amount of Robe moving lights,
weaving 20 x MMX Spots, 10 x 600E Spots, 30 x LEDWash 1200s and 12 x LEDWash
600s into his scheme for the lively and colourful show set on the Greek island
of Kalokairi on the eve of Sophie’s wedding to Sky.
Ain assembled the creative team for
this show and Andres Sarv, head of lighting at Vanemuine initially suggested
that Meelis would be a great choice. He\’s also worked on previous musicals and
other productions with Ain, who understands the crucial importance of technical
elements like lighting in any production and to the completion of his vision. He
and Ain have a fluid creative dialogue with each understanding what the other
needs and wants to achieve in respect of telling the story.
Meelis has actually been working
with Robe products since he first discovered the ColorSpot 1200E AT circa 2005,
and has always been a big fan of the brand, a loyalty which has remained and
grown over the years.
Among the best things about Robe is
the reliability he states. “Right from the start their products have been rock
solid, which has been further boosted with all the LED technology now being utilised
which makes them all the more indestructible!”
He also finds the light weight of
the products very useful. It means they can be rigged easily in a variety of
places.
So naturally he was delighted to be able
to use the Robe fixtures at Vanemuine to light this stage show, written for
stage by Catherine Johnson and incorporating 22 foot-tapping universally
recognisable ABBA hits.
The lights are all rigged on the Big
House’s extensive above-stage house bar system.
The MMX Spots are being used for effects,
gobo looks, texturing the set, etc. and for all the big dance numbers when the
stage needs to come alive and look very animated. The MMX offers “an excellent range”
of effects says Meelis.
The LEDWashes are used for all the
basic stage washes. “I love them, they are fantastic for theatre shows, the
quality of the wash is smooth and even and they can produce the full spectrum
of warm and cold colours needed for any show”.
The 600E Spots were used for
specials and for supporting the MMX Spots with another layer of effects and
atmospheric treatment
Challenges of lighting Mamma Mia
included large numbers of people onstage at certain times and ensuring that
they were all well-lit, and also lighting the set – designed by Riina
Degtjarenko from the Estonian Drama Theatre –
appropriately. Reflecting the balmy temperatures of the Greek Islands, the
eclectic mix of characters, the different lifestyles and heady emotions of the story
was a lot of detail to get across in a short time, so the scenic aspects
included many white and pastel surfaces and props.
While reflective and light coloured elements
assisted lighting in some ways, Meelis was also under pressure to be very
precise and detailed in focussing and choosing his effects and colours. It also
made getting the few darker scenes properly dark an interesting task!
With Robe in the house, these goals
were all achievable!
He has enjoyed working on the
production and with the entire team – creative, production and all the cast,
“Everyone is fun and full of positive energy. It’s been a great experience all
round”.
For Ain, who’s been a fan of ABBA
since childhood when Estonia was part of the Soviet Union and it was extremely difficult
to access any ‘western’ music, ensuring the work is coherent, entertaining and
superbly produced is an emotional as well as a directorial journey. “Estonian
audiences are extremely critical when it comes to theatre, you can’t fob them
off with clichés it has to be a careful balance of humour and poignancy to
get the narrative across”.
He recalls seeing the first Mamma
Mia touring production in Tallinn 15 years ago which he didn’t like. Proudly
Estonian, he wanted to ensure that as the first Estonian production, this was
one of the best and most critically acclaimed Mamma Mia’s worldwide.
“Lighting and set are absolutely
crucial to how the production is presented and received by the public. I really
love the way lighting technology is advancing and increasing our options all
the time it’s like oxygen,” he says.
Vanemuine is in a unique position of
having all the resources and talent in-house to produce big shows of this
quality including the technology, technicians and engineers, actors / dancers and
musicians.
The production, executive produced
by Marika Goldman, will also play the Nordea Concert Hall in Tallinn, and is
expected to run for several months, such has been the demand for tickets.
Photos : Louise Stickland
