Project Type
Theatre Production
Project Name
UK tour of the musical Miss Saigon, produced by Michael Harrison and Cameron Mackintosh.
Design Criteria
The brief was to create a first class lighting design for a new production of Miss Saigon, with a new set design. We were asked to move away from the show's original operatic Madame Butterfly inspiration and instead focus on its gritty 1970s dramatic and musical roots. The show, through its extraordinary score, retains its epic scale and emotional power. But now - 50 years on from when our war-torn love story was set, during the Fall of Saigon – we were challenged to emphasize the plight and struggles of its innocent characters fighting for survival. making the show more poignant and moving than ever in a world still beset by many conflicts.
Project Description
Working alongside director Jean-Pierre van der Spuy, Designer Andrew Edwards and producer Cameron Mackintosh we created a brand new production of Miss Saigon for a UK tour. We needed to bring the scale and quality associated with a Cameron Mackintosh production but streamline everything as much as possible to allow for weekly touring moves. We had to live up to the reputation of previous productions while creating a new way to tell the story for a modern audience. The big dramatic moments, like Morning of The Dragon, This is The Hour, The Exodus, and The Nightmare need their traditional spectacle, while the more intimate scenes needed a grittier edge. The set is a standing set with moving elements to create the scene, but it is lighting that brings it all together.
Challenges and Solutions
The biggest challenge was to make it tourable - Cameron will not compromise and wanted the show to have the scale of a West End production. This was overcome with very careful playing and making every unit in the rig work as hard as possible, and of course by having an excellent touring team who made the whole thing possible.
A close collaboration with the video designer meant that there was a seamless integration between video and lighting - with colors and looks blending together, something that can always be a challenge.
The show is played live by the band, with no timecode, so we relied on brilliant show callers to hit every lighting moment, while giving the performers the flexibility to make every performance unique.
Having lit a previous production of Miss Saigon, one of the biggest challenges was to rethink moments of the show that I was very fond of and to see it in a new way - responding to th new scenic environment and the new staging rather than memories of other versions.
Photo credit: Danny Kaan
Equipment
Martin Mac Encore CLD. My workhorse theatre light - beautiful quality of light, very quiet, reliable, precise and great beam control. My go to workhorse on so many theatre productions.
Martin Mac Ultra - used as single source backlights for that extra HMI like punch - also as string sources though windows and sonic element. A great light to shape a scene lit by only one or 2 fixtures
GLP X5 and X4 battens - nothing beats these for beautiful colors and creating a sheet of light. I love them both for the beamy list curtain look they can make and for a big wide wash where you just see color in haze and no discernible beams.
Martin Mac Aura - workhorse reliable wash light with very nice beam edges
Martin Mac One - small but perfectly formed - great lens to look at - great colors from the lime chip and punchy for its size when zoomed small.
Team
Director: Jean-Pierre van der Spuy
Designer : Andrew Edwards
Lighting Designer: Bruno Poet
SoundsDesigner: Adam Fisher
Associate Lighting Designer and Programmer: Warren Letton
Assistant Lighting designer: Marc Heimendinger
Production Electrician: Ian Moulds
Production Electrician: Sam House
Lighting Supplier: Christie Lites