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In Titanic The Musical they had a 3 tier stage set like a cutaway of the ship. Really gave you a feeling of the separation of the classes. During the second act that entire stage tilted, with furniture falling over, gradually tilting more and more as the ship sank. Very impressive staging.
The Serenbe playhouse, the one that did the Mrs. Saigon helicopter with a real helicopter, also did a production of Titanic: The Musical were they built a set they could actually sink.
@Olivia Alvord I really wished I could have seen it. I live in Mississippi, and the playhouse was in Georgia. It really would have been worth the 4 and a half hour drive to have seen it.
I got to see King Kong and we got third-row seats and honestly, seeing that thing so close was INSANE. There's a scene where Kong goes to the edge of the stage and looks into the audience to look for Ann, and just his sheer PRESENCE had me shaking in my seat. That puppet alone was worth the full price of admission and then some.
You're honestly so right. In that moment you can hear a pin drop as everyone is so shocked that king Kong is infront of your face with no music, no other actors, just the crazy loud seat vibrating roars
I was amazed too. I went in cold thinking, they'll be some guys in monkey suits dancing, and that might be fun. I wasn't ready for the huge stage spectacle, the transformation of the Kong climbing the Empire State Building, the stage becoming a ship mast, etc. The use of rear projection and forced perspective made it look like Kong was climbing the Empire State Building. It was technical sorcery!
Presence! ONE slip and that thing could literally KILL half of the first couple rows. Remarkable for people that got so close! It's not even a fraction of the size, but my most recent Audrey 2 puppet would move towards the edge of the stage in the finale... so many people were scared it would come right off the stage onto them that they either put their arms or or even moved out of the way! 😂
It's so incredible to me to think how infamous Starlight Express is worldwide while it's a staple in Germany. We have a theater that was built just for it and it's been on there since 1988, still going strong to this day and holds the record for the longest running musical in the same theater. I've seen it several times since I was a child and basically everyone in Germany has at least heard of Starlight Express.
@@AdamBreakey75 That is so cool! I was 5 when it started here originally. I think I've seen it for the first time at age 8 or 9, so I probably missed his time on on the show.
So in conclusion: Trevor Nunn and John Napier never stopped doing The Most, Alex Timbers is their spiritual successor, and someone should have physically restrained Terry Hands and told him No.
I used to skate the streets of Greenwich Village around the time Starlight Express was being developed..a strange man stopped me, and asked if I wanted to audition.. I thought it was a joke..I missed being a Broadway baby...😂
@@WaitintheWings IKR..I remember exactly where I was stopped, East 4th Street and Avenue A..I almost auditioned, while considering not completing my Master’s degree, I think I made the right decision..🤭
Funny story about the Aladdin carpet. I saw the show when it came to Melbourne in 2017. During the performance I went to, they had to stop the show for about 10-15 minutes because they couldn't get the carpet back down. After "Whole New World", the stage curtains suddenly closed and an announcement came over the speakers telling us they were experiencing some difficulties and we should remain in our seats. During that time I think stage mangers were rushing in with ladders to get Jasmine and Aladdin down. When the curtains re-opened, it looked like the actors had JUST gotten back down because they were still giggling when they started speaking.
I saw King Kong live a few years ago, and was stunned by the puppet. It stole the show! Despite the fact that you could see the puppeteers moving it around the stage, the illusion remained shockingly intact. The facial expressions and little movements made it so lifelike.
There probably needs to be an updated video down the line that includes things like the DeLorean from Back to the Future: The Musical. Not only is it able to appear to drive around on stage, but during the final scene, it hovers in midair over the stage and travels over the first few rows of seats, even flipping upside-down with Marty and Doc still inside.
The Groundhog Day musical is like this embodied. I liked the music and the performances were awesome, but what really blew me away were the set and special effects! The car chase, the turning town/room central piece, the sleight-of-hand slipping in and out of set pieces in "Hope". I was glad to see Sunset Boulevard get mentioned though, I remember being blown away by the moving set in particular when I saw it WAY back in the day.
And the magnificent opening, where they suspended somebody from above your head and you looked up as if you were seeing somebody floating in a swimming pool, dead- as if you were at the bottom of the pool looking up… It was breathtaking
Am I Mandela Affecting this, or was their a joke on 30 Rock about Jenna nearly dying on Starlight Express as a very on the nose in-joke to this accident?
I absolutely adored King Kong and saw it several times. It was a shame it never got the following it deserved, that puppet was one of the most amazing things I ever saw. I am still bummed it never got a cast recording! As for amazing sets i truly enjoyed, I loved the She Loves Me set that opened from outside the shop to inside, it was gorgeous.
I love the car in Back to the future. It just drifts onto the stage out of the black and it flies over the audience and goes upside doen! (Including the iconic flipping of the wheels)
I hope that once Phantom leaves this April, the Smithsonian would preserve all the costumes, the elephant from Hannibal, the chandelier, and the boat. Unlikely but one could dream.
What about: .The Spongebob Squarepants Musical- Bikini Bottom sets .Frozen the Musical- Elsa's Castle .Beauty and the Beast Musical- The Be Our Guest Set .Wicked- The Giant Dragon Animantronic .Audrey II Puppet- Little Shop of Horrors
I will go to my grave defending the original Starlight Express. You have to remember that things were somewhat different back then. Entertainment mostly wasn’t the full-throttle, in your face, high production value, multimedia wonderland we now take for granted. We’ve gotten a lot better at theatre since then - now you can have good storytelling AND thrilling spectacle - but in the 80s we were still figuring that out. And Starlight Express was a spectacular spectacle. I mean it was JAW-DROPPING. It’s easy to forgive a weak story when the songs are the ALW processed-cheese-food of music, and gorgeously costumed train people are racing past and over you at seemingly real train speeds. By contrast, I would have walked out of the “new and improved” version of the show, if the tickets hadn’t been a birthday gift from my parents. But I’m not ashamed to say the original was dazzling 😝
I saw it when I was in high school and it came to town, it was amazing. Knowing what I know now about all the problems and injuries, I can't believe it toured.
I saw an amateur production where the kid playing Rusty didn’t even learn to roller skate - he ran off and got an aluminium scooter for the races! The Apollo Victoria production was amazing for the set design and the speed the skaters went round. The touring version with the 3D race video is just not the same thing at all and highlights the deficiencies of the show.
I saw it in Vegas, I’m not entirely certain when - - late 80s or very early 90s, I’m guessing? It was very cool visually, and I don’t remember anything about the songs or the story. Absolutely, it was all about the spectacle and nothing else.
I know not every stage can get a mention but I’m going to drop the Great Comet lighting design stats: - 998 light bulbs - 37 chandeliers - 1,950 light cues
I saw the original production of Sunset Boulevard in LA pre-broadway. Around the time it opened, LA had a major earthquake. There was a worry that an aftershock could cause the set to collapse onto the stage, and if it was during a performance, specifically the New Years Eve scene, they could lose most of the cast 😳
I saw Rebecca in Vienna with the original setting and can tell you that the Raimund Theater isn't huge either. The staircase only looks that huge because of a little bit of optical illusion magic.
That Kong puppet deserved a better written and composed show. It was so lovable and scary. Like the actual character that beautiful creature was exploited in terrible show. For a hot minute Jason Robert brown was going to rewrite it for Broadway. If only…
What about the most expensive stage prop in theatre history? Chitty chitty bang bang! A 5 seater car that flew over the audience and rotated 360 degrees, sprouting wings and floatation....
This should become a series… plenty more to mention. 2000 Rocky Horror Picture show with its revolving stall seating that turn into the stage. Lord of the Rings on Stage with its segmented lifts and revolves. Billy Elliot’s bedroom and kitchen lift that spin out of the stage.
This is blowing my mind. I was under the impression that all of these big set elements were being created by a single person whose parents were murdered by theater kids, and swore to dedicate the rest of his life to creating devices that would mash and mangle them.
This reminds me of the musical Hell episode on Pokémon live. But more importantly, makes you wonder:-"what if Sonic The Hedgehog had a Broadway musical back in his hay days"huh?
This channel makes me miss doing theatre, but also gives me flashbacks to when I was timekeeper at a high school competition in the "duet musicals" room, and had to listen to "Light My Candle" three times in a row at varying qualities.
The production design of the musical Ragtime, in my opinion, should be included on this list. It was underrated, but praised for its historical accuracy.
Have you seen the Aladdin Carpet from the Hyperion? It flew over the crowd and one time it flipped and the actors were hanging on for dear life and screaming
I've actually witnessed about half of these! In the original JC Superstar on Broadway the Crucifixion was done against a giant golden triangle instead of a cross. I've done the show thrice and the director of the first one in 1976 said she wished I had shown her the picture of that earlier...
Love this especially paired with the New Yorker article that pointed out the general lack of set design in new Broadway shows. Glad people are talking about this.
Digging your videos! Nice to see/hear fresh takes on the industry that are up-to-date and use current references! BFA in theater production and design and MA in musical theater performance here, so appreciate the scope. Keep 'em coming!
Kopit's Phantom (at least the South Korean version) has both the Lloyd Webber chandelier and a burnt staircase like Rebecca. You get the beeeeest of both wooooorlds
I hate how binge-able your content is! I hopped in for a bit of research...that was 10 videos ago! You and your little hooks at the end of the video to get me to watch another one. YOU did this to me! YouuUOUOUUUU!
Its funny, I entered my theatre degree as the Rebecca thing was happening, so one professor, who wanted us to keep up with the theatrical news, made us bring in points to discuss about that each week. So I remember it well.
I'm from Catalonia, Spain, and here the company Dagoll Dagom keeps making representations of "Mar i Cel" (Sea and Sky), the musical adaptation of the theater play with the same title. Soaring through the stage there's a giant pirate ship and it enters the stage from the side, it rotates, it does wonders... And I always will remember. Sorry, but I needed to say it out loud, I know it's way off Broadway, but the musical pays it off 🥺.
Just gotta say I have been really enjoying your content sir.. super interesting..learning about what goes on behind the scene is just fascinating..you deserve major credit for all the work you put into the channel.. keep doing what you do..
One of my personal favorite set pieces in musicals is Maraczek's Parfumerie in the 2016 She Loves Me revival. It might not be as grand and spectacular as the ones mentioned in the video but the awe and wonder that I felt when I saw it for the first time has stuck with me ever since ❤ Wish I could've seen it live, though 🥺
I’d like to shout out my high school’s stagecraft class, which, after I graduated and the theater teacher left, got its own teacher, which means much more time and dedication given to the sets. Formerly, the director of the play also ran stagecraft and tech. Their performance of A Midsummer Night’s Dream had one of if not the most elaborate set I’d ever seen at that school, a multi-level structure with platforms that folded out, little spaces for fairies to hide and peek out from, a hidden way to climb between the levels, and many ways to move underneath and through the structure. It’s perhaps not very impressive compared to these, but for a small private school? Incredible!
Great list of musicals, many of which I saw in London: Cats, Starlight Express, Sunset Blvd, The Phantom Of The Opera, Les Misérables and Miss Saigon. A couple of these weren’t highlighted in this video and the helicopter didn’t work the night my brother and I saw Miss Saigon. Missing was Simon Bowman too!
Way too excited that you included THE staircase...that came from and went where exactly? The most exspensive, pointless prop ever created for a musical. I thought the white staircase was also a nod to Terry Hands' 'Greece' reference, with the white togas etc. Ralph Koltai was a fascinating man. Translator at the Nuremberg Trials to set designer of Carrie (and Metropolis!).. What a life he led! That London Starlight set was just fantastic. The proximity to actors, speed, lighting, that bridge, which wasn't a problem in London thankfully. Really wish they would bring it back in an arena tour!
my theatre teacher in highschool worked on king kong on broadway and hearing about it always makes me think of all the times in hs he'd come in annoyed about whatever had happened recently with the show (or some of the others he was working on) haha i never got the see the show but the puppet always stunned me from pictures alone
I love spectacle theatre; it's what got me interested in theatre. I'm curious to see how the production of Rebecca going into the Charing Cross Theatre in London handles the staircase and the rest of the set because the Charing Cross Theatre cannot accommodate anything like that.
What a great video! I‘m thrilled to see that a German language musical has made its way to the list since there are numerous European musicals with stunning set pieces, even though I think that the burning steps where added some years later in „Rebecca‘s“ run in Stuttgart, Germany. I remember that it was truly stunning, when I saw the show there, but as far as as I know, the original Austrian version „only“ had burning handrails. Never had the chance to see that first version live unfortunately, but I remember there were some proshots on UA-cam.
If you wanna see something real fun, look into the new run of Starmania, a French rock opera (musical-adjacent!) which had a giant rotating set piece that also split apart & was like 20-feet tall. Plus it has 500+ lights! Currently running in France and I had a chance to see it, was so worth it.
I don't know if it counts as a set piece, but the light effect in the harry Potter play was wild. The water rippling effect from the lighting felt so real. By far the wildest special effect I've ever seen. God i hated that play so much, but goddamn was that cool
a super underrated set piece is the dragon from the west end production of shrek the musical. it flew out into the audience and everybody gasped when it did, i wish there was a video of it somewhere because i cant even begin to describe how amazing it was
When my friend saw Aladdin the magic carpet didn’t work. They never got to see the end of the show but the cast mangers did come out for a meet and greet.
Another great video! Looking forward to you seeing/commenting on Back to the Future when it arrives over there. No spoilers but it has a great contender for this list! ⚡☢️
My mom got to see the King Kong Puppet when she got pulled in off the street to be in the audience for when they filmed the Macy's Parade clip. I wish I could have gotten to see the show! I love a giant puppet
I saw the Miss Saigon production he mentioned that had a real helicopter fly in. It was amazing! That same company did Titanic where the set was in a lake so people were actually falling into the water.
10:24 You know, I just saw a touring production of Aladdin, and I do admit the magic carpet ride during "A Whole New World" was pretty impressive... until I realized that it was just carrying Aladdin and Jasmine in front of a static star backdrop and above dry ice fog for almost the entirety of the 4-minute song. You'd think the production would use projections or miniatures to enhance the illusion.
And apparently, the Sunset Blvd mansion would descend from the ceiling to mimic a “split screen” effect. Also, Mary Poppins on Broadway did something similar, where the Banks residence would rise from and lower into the stage floor.
another great top 10 video but I'm sorry but my Dutch pride says that the soldier of orange the musical also belongs in this list. I mean if converting an airplane hangar to theater isn't enough. then you have the seats of the audience rotating along with the activity on stage. and if anyone is wondering why would they convert an airplane hangar that is for the last scene to use a real plane from the era. this musical has also been sold out since its opening in 2010 and they also want to build a theater for the musical in London. Greetings from a Dutch fan
Good lord! I can't believe how many of these shows my wife and I saw! STARLIGHT EXPRESS in London - you came out humming the scenery. But it was amazing. A few years before, we saw CATS in the same theatre - the New Apollo. MISS SAIGON in London - the helicopter was not that impressive - but at least the show was good. SUNSET BLVD - We saw the show in preview before it went to Broadway. The set got STUCK and they stopped the show for nearly an hour to sort it out! My agent at the time said he saw Billy Wilder on the street in Beverly Hills and stopped to ask him what he thought of the show. The old man shook his head - he had no interest. He said, "From a musical, you can make a movie - from a movie you don't make a musical."
Cats has NEVER been performed at the Apollo Victoria. It was either the New London (subsequently Gillian Lynne) Theatre and revivals played at the Dominion.
You should cover the Lord of the Rings musical. I'm not sure if the behind the scenes drama was as extensive as Carrie or Spiderman, but (from what I've been told) the overall budget more than doubled when it was moved from Toronto to London, from (approximately) $21 million to (approximately) _$50 million,_ despite being scaled down and shortened by half an hour. And the 2015 tour never made it off the ground allegedly due to the fact that they simply couldn't find theaters big enough to facilitate its enormous rotating set. It closed only a year after the premiere, marked as one of the worst flops in West End history, despite being an absolute banger. Also, the music was written by a bollywood composer (A. R. Rahman) and a Finnish folk band (Värttinä). Absolute gold.
Honourable mention to the revolving floor in Hamilton, it's subtle compared to a lot of these but they make such consistently creative use of it that it's worth a mention imo... great list though (particularly the Miss Saigon helicopter!)
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In Titanic The Musical they had a 3 tier stage set like a cutaway of the ship. Really gave you a feeling of the separation of the classes. During the second act that entire stage tilted, with furniture falling over, gradually tilting more and more as the ship sank. Very impressive staging.
The Serenbe playhouse, the one that did the Mrs. Saigon helicopter with a real helicopter, also did a production of Titanic: The Musical were they built a set they could actually sink.
And when you say "sank" you really mean sank. The stage was filled with water
@Olivia Alvord I really wished I could have seen it. I live in Mississippi, and the playhouse was in Georgia. It really would have been worth the 4 and a half hour drive to have seen it.
Til there's a Titanic musical.
Oh wow 😮
I got to see King Kong and we got third-row seats and honestly, seeing that thing so close was INSANE. There's a scene where Kong goes to the edge of the stage and looks into the audience to look for Ann, and just his sheer PRESENCE had me shaking in my seat. That puppet alone was worth the full price of admission and then some.
I wish I got to see that.
It looks amazing!
You're honestly so right. In that moment you can hear a pin drop as everyone is so shocked that king Kong is infront of your face with no music, no other actors, just the crazy loud seat vibrating roars
I was amazed too. I went in cold thinking, they'll be some guys in monkey suits dancing, and that might be fun. I wasn't ready for the huge stage spectacle, the transformation of the Kong climbing the Empire State Building, the stage becoming a ship mast, etc. The use of rear projection and forced perspective made it look like Kong was climbing the Empire State Building. It was technical sorcery!
Presence! ONE slip and that thing could literally KILL half of the first couple rows. Remarkable for people that got so close!
It's not even a fraction of the size, but my most recent Audrey 2 puppet would move towards the edge of the stage in the finale... so many people were scared it would come right off the stage onto them that they either put their arms or or even moved out of the way! 😂
It should’ve been reduced to a 30 minute show at Universal Studios after Broadway and people still would’ve loved it.
It's so incredible to me to think how infamous Starlight Express is worldwide while it's a staple in Germany. We have a theater that was built just for it and it's been on there since 1988, still going strong to this day and holds the record for the longest running musical in the same theater. I've seen it several times since I was a child and basically everyone in Germany has at least heard of Starlight Express.
I am so jealous you got to see it!
Wow! That is incredible!
One of my friends was actually a performer in the German production of Starlight - he was one of the original members of that show.
Germans are just built different, I guess.
@@AdamBreakey75 That is so cool! I was 5 when it started here originally. I think I've seen it for the first time at age 8 or 9, so I probably missed his time on on the show.
We love the staircase in Carrie. So ridiculously campy and unneeded.
Isn't the motto of musical theather world is:-"go big, or home"?
Ugh. I hate it, but I also love it. It's a great set piece, but like... There? Really? Ok. We're doing this ig
"If you're gonna fail, fail big." - Alex Brightman
I wish I could do the play Carrie but I did mean girls.....sigh
jk i love mean girls
was the Staircase in the off Broadway production ?
So in conclusion: Trevor Nunn and John Napier never stopped doing The Most, Alex Timbers is their spiritual successor, and someone should have physically restrained Terry Hands and told him No.
I used to skate the streets of Greenwich Village around the time Starlight Express was being developed..a strange man stopped me, and asked if I wanted to audition.. I thought it was a joke..I missed being a Broadway baby...😂
Oh my god hahahaha
@@WaitintheWings IKR..I remember exactly where I was stopped, East 4th Street and Avenue A..I almost auditioned, while considering not completing my Master’s degree, I think I made the right decision..🤭
Funny story about the Aladdin carpet. I saw the show when it came to Melbourne in 2017. During the performance I went to, they had to stop the show for about 10-15 minutes because they couldn't get the carpet back down. After "Whole New World", the stage curtains suddenly closed and an announcement came over the speakers telling us they were experiencing some difficulties and we should remain in our seats. During that time I think stage mangers were rushing in with ladders to get Jasmine and Aladdin down. When the curtains re-opened, it looked like the actors had JUST gotten back down because they were still giggling when they started speaking.
Lol that is priceless
SAME MAN I THINK WE MADE TO THE SAME ONE
"Alex Timbers receives praise for 18 minutes"
Love it!
Alternate title... Alex Timbers didn't have to go so hard but glad he did!! 🤣
Come on, the list gotta be more than just him! Right?
Ngl, there was a breif moment where I thought the list was just going to be Alex Timbers sets. Lol.
I saw King Kong live a few years ago, and was stunned by the puppet. It stole the show! Despite the fact that you could see the puppeteers moving it around the stage, the illusion remained shockingly intact. The facial expressions and little movements made it so lifelike.
There probably needs to be an updated video down the line that includes things like the DeLorean from Back to the Future: The Musical. Not only is it able to appear to drive around on stage, but during the final scene, it hovers in midair over the stage and travels over the first few rows of seats, even flipping upside-down with Marty and Doc still inside.
The Groundhog Day musical is like this embodied. I liked the music and the performances were awesome, but what really blew me away were the set and special effects! The car chase, the turning town/room central piece, the sleight-of-hand slipping in and out of set pieces in "Hope". I was glad to see Sunset Boulevard get mentioned though, I remember being blown away by the moving set in particular when I saw it WAY back in the day.
yes!! this musical is so underappreciated! truly fantastic staging and effects
And the magnificent opening, where they suspended somebody from above your head and you looked up as if you were seeing somebody floating in a swimming pool, dead- as if you were at the bottom of the pool looking up… It was breathtaking
I had no idea that Jane Krakowski almost injured herself in Starlight Express. Props to Bob Torti for his sacrifice.
Am I Mandela Affecting this, or was their a joke on 30 Rock about Jenna nearly dying on Starlight Express as a very on the nose in-joke to this accident?
I absolutely adored King Kong and saw it several times. It was a shame it never got the following it deserved, that puppet was one of the most amazing things I ever saw. I am still bummed it never got a cast recording! As for amazing sets i truly enjoyed, I loved the She Loves Me set that opened from outside the shop to inside, it was gorgeous.
Round of applause for the star* of this video: The Hydraulic lift!
*Honorary mention to John Napier, of course.
Take a shot every time I say "hydraulics" in this video
Special thanks to Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber.
@@WaitintheWings me: *does this* also me:is underage
Honorable mention is the entire stage opening up in hadestown which catches my breath every time I see it!
So surprised that the Phantom of the Opera Chandelier was not featured in this list! It was so Iconic!
I know, right?
I love the car in Back to the future. It just drifts onto the stage out of the black and it flies over the audience and goes upside doen! (Including the iconic flipping of the wheels)
I wish Broadway set pieces were preserved the way some movie memorabilia is. I’d love to see these in a museum
We'd need a Moon sized storage room for them then.🤣
@@erikbihari3625 Alright, NASA, get us back to the moon so we can start hollowing it out.
@@Arlofan. I was kidding.
I hope that once Phantom leaves this April, the Smithsonian would preserve all the costumes, the elephant from Hannibal, the chandelier, and the boat. Unlikely but one could dream.
@@erikbihari3625 I'm not I WANNA SEE THIS MUSEUM 😂
Now I will always refer to Trevor Nunn as Spectacle Daddy
What about:
.The Spongebob Squarepants Musical- Bikini Bottom sets
.Frozen the Musical- Elsa's Castle
.Beauty and the Beast Musical- The Be Our Guest Set
.Wicked- The Giant Dragon Animantronic
.Audrey II Puppet- Little Shop of Horrors
I will go to my grave defending the original Starlight Express. You have to remember that things were somewhat different back then. Entertainment mostly wasn’t the full-throttle, in your face, high production value, multimedia wonderland we now take for granted. We’ve gotten a lot better at theatre since then - now you can have good storytelling AND thrilling spectacle - but in the 80s we were still figuring that out. And Starlight Express was a spectacular spectacle. I mean it was JAW-DROPPING. It’s easy to forgive a weak story when the songs are the ALW processed-cheese-food of music, and gorgeously costumed train people are racing past and over you at seemingly real train speeds.
By contrast, I would have walked out of the “new and improved” version of the show, if the tickets hadn’t been a birthday gift from my parents. But I’m not ashamed to say the original was dazzling 😝
I saw it when I was in high school and it came to town, it was amazing. Knowing what I know now about all the problems and injuries, I can't believe it toured.
I saw an amateur production where the kid playing Rusty didn’t even learn to roller skate - he ran off and got an aluminium scooter for the races!
The Apollo Victoria production was amazing for the set design and the speed the skaters went round. The touring version with the 3D race video is just not the same thing at all and highlights the deficiencies of the show.
I saw it in Vegas, I’m not entirely certain when - - late 80s or very early 90s, I’m guessing? It was very cool visually, and I don’t remember anything about the songs or the story. Absolutely, it was all about the spectacle and nothing else.
Alt. title: "Hey, theatre in the 80s was fuckin' bananas!"
😂😂😂
Yes, it really was!
I know not every stage can get a mention but I’m going to drop the Great Comet lighting design stats:
- 998 light bulbs
- 37 chandeliers
- 1,950 light cues
great comet stage design my beloved. chavkin is a genius
525,600 light cues
525,000 chandeliers
I saw the original production of Sunset Boulevard in LA pre-broadway. Around the time it opened, LA had a major earthquake. There was a worry that an aftershock could cause the set to collapse onto the stage, and if it was during a performance, specifically the New Years Eve scene, they could lose most of the cast 😳
I’m curious how the Rebecca staircase will be done in London later this year considering how small the Charing Cross Theatre is.
I saw Rebecca in Vienna with the original setting and can tell you that the Raimund Theater isn't huge either. The staircase only looks that huge because of a little bit of optical illusion magic.
That Kong puppet deserved a better written and composed show. It was so lovable and scary. Like the actual character that beautiful creature was exploited in terrible show. For a hot minute Jason Robert brown was going to rewrite it for Broadway. If only…
I love so much that half this list is by the same team of Trevor Nunn and Jack Napier 🤣
What about the most expensive stage prop in theatre history? Chitty chitty bang bang! A 5 seater car that flew over the audience and rotated 360 degrees, sprouting wings and floatation....
I am more of a costume nerd, being into Historical Fashion. But a good prop or set piece can be an amazing helper to tell the story.
The set design for "Time The Musical" was absolutely incredible and also by the genius John Napier.
One of my favorites that was London only: the giant chess board from CHESS. Still a beautiful design.
Saw Kong with a rush ticket and ended up right up front. The puppet was incredible.
This should become a series… plenty more to mention. 2000 Rocky Horror Picture show with its revolving stall seating that turn into the stage. Lord of the Rings on Stage with its segmented lifts and revolves. Billy Elliot’s bedroom and kitchen lift that spin out of the stage.
This is blowing my mind. I was under the impression that all of these big set elements were being created by a single person whose parents were murdered by theater kids, and swore to dedicate the rest of his life to creating devices that would mash and mangle them.
😂😂😂
This reminds me of the musical Hell episode on Pokémon live. But more importantly, makes you wonder:-"what if Sonic The Hedgehog had a Broadway musical back in his hay days"huh?
Starlight Express is still going strong in Germany 35 years later, my fellow countrymen and women just love that spectacle, apparently :D
This channel makes me miss doing theatre, but also gives me flashbacks to when I was timekeeper at a high school competition in the "duet musicals" room, and had to listen to "Light My Candle" three times in a row at varying qualities.
I had to pause the video and laugh for a few moments at "spectacle daddy" - that killed me XD
I remember seeing my Mom reading Rebecca, when I was a kid, and your video about it prompted me to give it a read. So glad I did! Thank you for that!
The production design of the musical Ragtime, in my opinion, should be included on this list. It was underrated, but praised for its historical accuracy.
And the Tony Award goes to: HYDRAULICS!
Have you seen the Aladdin Carpet from the Hyperion? It flew over the crowd and one time it flipped and the actors were hanging on for dear life and screaming
That one legit terrifies me haha
You are the king of of storytelling and editing!!
Love love love you videos xo
I was breathlessly waiting for the Rebecca staircase!
The Rebecca staircase now lives at the Andy Williams Theater in Branson, Missouri.
I've actually witnessed about half of these! In the original JC Superstar on Broadway the Crucifixion was done against a giant golden triangle instead of a cross. I've done the show thrice and the director of the first one in 1976 said she wished I had shown her the picture of that earlier...
Love this especially paired with the New Yorker article that pointed out the general lack of set design in new Broadway shows. Glad people are talking about this.
Not strictly from a musical, but shout out to the standing stones from Spinal Tap, "Stonehenge" Oh, how they danced.
Digging your videos! Nice to see/hear fresh takes on the industry that are up-to-date and use current references! BFA in theater production and design and MA in musical theater performance here, so appreciate the scope. Keep 'em coming!
Kopit's Phantom (at least the South Korean version) has both the Lloyd Webber chandelier and a burnt staircase like Rebecca. You get the beeeeest of both wooooorlds
I hate how binge-able your content is! I hopped in for a bit of research...that was 10 videos ago! You and your little hooks at the end of the video to get me to watch another one. YOU did this to me! YouuUOUOUUUU!
....now I have to go watch Rebecca...
What about Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, a car that can fly and is also considered the most expensive stage prop in history?
12:51 Oh dear god those poor sound designers… how was anyone gonna hear anything lol!!
Its funny, I entered my theatre degree as the Rebecca thing was happening, so one professor, who wanted us to keep up with the theatrical news, made us bring in points to discuss about that each week. So I remember it well.
I'm from Catalonia, Spain, and here the company Dagoll Dagom keeps making representations of "Mar i Cel" (Sea and Sky), the musical adaptation of the theater play with the same title. Soaring through the stage there's a giant pirate ship and it enters the stage from the side, it rotates, it does wonders... And I always will remember.
Sorry, but I needed to say it out loud, I know it's way off Broadway, but the musical pays it off 🥺.
Just gotta say I have been really enjoying your content sir.. super interesting..learning about what goes on behind the scene is just fascinating..you deserve major credit for all the work you put into the channel.. keep doing what you do..
One of my personal favorite set pieces in musicals is Maraczek's Parfumerie in the 2016 She Loves Me revival. It might not be as grand and spectacular as the ones mentioned in the video but the awe and wonder that I felt when I saw it for the first time has stuck with me ever since ❤ Wish I could've seen it live, though 🥺
Man I wish this video was AFTER the bttf broadway transfer. Easily my favourite set piece I've ever seen, can't wait to see what the US does with it
I'd much prefer these sets to the bare minimum we've seen recently!
I saw King Kong when it first opened in Melbourne in 2013 and it was amazing!
my mom saw starlight express on the west end in the late 80s & still raves about the roller track lol
I love extravagant stuff like this, learning about the pratical effects needed to pull off that kinda stuff absolutely fascinates me!
I’d like to shout out my high school’s stagecraft class, which, after I graduated and the theater teacher left, got its own teacher, which means much more time and dedication given to the sets. Formerly, the director of the play also ran stagecraft and tech. Their performance of A Midsummer Night’s Dream had one of if not the most elaborate set I’d ever seen at that school, a multi-level structure with platforms that folded out, little spaces for fairies to hide and peek out from, a hidden way to climb between the levels, and many ways to move underneath and through the structure. It’s perhaps not very impressive compared to these, but for a small private school? Incredible!
Great list of musicals, many of which I saw in London: Cats, Starlight Express, Sunset Blvd, The Phantom Of The Opera, Les Misérables and Miss Saigon. A couple of these weren’t highlighted in this video and the helicopter didn’t work the night my brother and I saw Miss Saigon. Missing was Simon Bowman too!
Way too excited that you included THE staircase...that came from and went where exactly? The most exspensive, pointless prop ever created for a musical. I thought the white staircase was also a nod to Terry Hands' 'Greece' reference, with the white togas etc. Ralph Koltai was a fascinating man. Translator at the Nuremberg Trials to set designer of Carrie (and Metropolis!).. What a life he led!
That London Starlight set was just fantastic. The proximity to actors, speed, lighting, that bridge, which wasn't a problem in London thankfully. Really wish they would bring it back in an arena tour!
Lest we forget Aida-
The giant triangular Hollywood Squares-esquires set that spewed forth boiling hot hydrolock fluid onto the actors
Oops!😮
my theatre teacher in highschool worked on king kong on broadway and hearing about it always makes me think of all the times in hs he'd come in annoyed about whatever had happened recently with the show (or some of the others he was working on) haha i never got the see the show but the puppet always stunned me from pictures alone
I love spectacle theatre; it's what got me interested in theatre. I'm curious to see how the production of Rebecca going into the Charing Cross Theatre in London handles the staircase and the rest of the set because the Charing Cross Theatre cannot accommodate anything like that.
I worked on the King Kong puppet back at Creature Technology. Nice to see it still getting some love.
Perfect timing for this video! My school musical just did load in and my fingers are sore from carrying our set
What a great video! I‘m thrilled to see that a German language musical has made its way to the list since there are numerous European musicals with stunning set pieces, even though I think that the burning steps where added some years later in „Rebecca‘s“ run in Stuttgart, Germany. I remember that it was truly stunning, when I saw the show there, but as far as as I know, the original Austrian version „only“ had burning handrails. Never had the chance to see that first version live unfortunately, but I remember there were some proshots on UA-cam.
If you wanna see something real fun, look into the new run of Starmania, a French rock opera (musical-adjacent!) which had a giant rotating set piece that also split apart & was like 20-feet tall. Plus it has 500+ lights! Currently running in France and I had a chance to see it, was so worth it.
The whole set of Metropolis The Musical. Also designed by the Carrie designer.
It’s not as flashy, but I would like to shout out the foam cube from the Falsettos revival, it’s so versatile :)
love this answer, the falsettos set is superrrrr cute
I don't know if it counts as a set piece, but the light effect in the harry Potter play was wild. The water rippling effect from the lighting felt so real. By far the wildest special effect I've ever seen. God i hated that play so much, but goddamn was that cool
a super underrated set piece is the dragon from the west end production of shrek the musical. it flew out into the audience and everybody gasped when it did, i wish there was a video of it somewhere because i cant even begin to describe how amazing it was
Thank for always remembering theatre icon Diana the musical, many wouldn't but that's why you're high class
“Also no” 🤣
When my friend saw Aladdin the magic carpet didn’t work. They never got to see the end of the show but the cast mangers did come out for a meet and greet.
Ok but like what about the chandelier in Phantom of the Opera that falls above the audience
Another great video! Looking forward to you seeing/commenting on Back to the Future when it arrives over there. No spoilers but it has a great contender for this list! ⚡☢️
Another great setpiece is the car in back to the future. Thing literally fly’s above the audience then turns upside down WITH THE ACTORS INSIDE IT
May not be the most popular or successful, but by far the most ambitious and complicated - Lord of The Rings. Now THAT was a set to behold!
My mom got to see the King Kong Puppet when she got pulled in off the street to be in the audience for when they filmed the Macy's Parade clip. I wish I could have gotten to see the show! I love a giant puppet
Yeah! Carrie representation!
I saw the Miss Saigon production he mentioned that had a real helicopter fly in. It was amazing! That same company did Titanic where the set was in a lake so people were actually falling into the water.
the musical Via Galactica had the entire stage covered in trampolines. The actors literally couldnt walk. The entire stage was a trampoline
That was huge fun! HYDROLICS! The answer to literally everything!
10:24
You know, I just saw a touring production of Aladdin, and I do admit the magic carpet ride during "A Whole New World" was pretty impressive... until I realized that it was just carrying Aladdin and Jasmine in front of a static star backdrop and above dry ice fog for almost the entirety of the 4-minute song. You'd think the production would use projections or miniatures to enhance the illusion.
And apparently, the Sunset Blvd mansion would descend from the ceiling to mimic a “split screen” effect.
Also, Mary Poppins on Broadway did something similar, where the Banks residence would rise from and lower into the stage floor.
another great top 10 video but I'm sorry but my Dutch pride says that the soldier of orange the musical also belongs in this list.
I mean if converting an airplane hangar to theater isn't enough.
then you have the seats of the audience rotating along with the activity on stage.
and if anyone is wondering why would they convert an airplane hangar that is for the last scene to use a real plane from the era.
this musical has also been sold out since its opening in 2010 and they also want to build a theater for the musical in London.
Greetings from a Dutch fan
Good lord! I can't believe how many of these shows my wife and I saw!
STARLIGHT EXPRESS in London - you came out humming the scenery. But it was amazing. A few years before, we saw CATS in the same theatre - the New Apollo.
MISS SAIGON in London - the helicopter was not that impressive - but at least the show was good.
SUNSET BLVD - We saw the show in preview before it went to Broadway. The set got STUCK and they stopped the show for nearly an hour to sort it out! My agent at the time said he saw Billy Wilder on the street in Beverly Hills and stopped to ask him what he thought of the show. The old man shook his head - he had no interest. He said, "From a musical, you can make a movie - from a movie you don't make a musical."
Cats has NEVER been performed at the Apollo Victoria. It was either the New London (subsequently Gillian Lynne) Theatre and revivals played at the Dominion.
You should cover the Lord of the Rings musical. I'm not sure if the behind the scenes drama was as extensive as Carrie or Spiderman, but (from what I've been told) the overall budget more than doubled when it was moved from Toronto to London, from (approximately) $21 million to (approximately) _$50 million,_ despite being scaled down and shortened by half an hour. And the 2015 tour never made it off the ground allegedly due to the fact that they simply couldn't find theaters big enough to facilitate its enormous rotating set. It closed only a year after the premiere, marked as one of the worst flops in West End history, despite being an absolute banger.
Also, the music was written by a bollywood composer (A. R. Rahman) and a Finnish folk band (Värttinä). Absolute gold.
That rocky set was amazing!
The fact that the Falsettos cube isn't in here is a CRIME
OMG ❄️🐻 reference 😂😂
Honourable mention to the revolving floor in Hamilton, it's subtle compared to a lot of these but they make such consistently creative use of it that it's worth a mention imo... great list though (particularly the Miss Saigon helicopter!)
Starlight Express had one of the wildest sets, in my opinion. Absolutely wild, in terms of everything.