The latest show by the "giga-star" creation of Australian comedian, Barry Humphries, Dame Edna: Back With a Vengeance! has just been extended through June 4th at Broadway's Music Box Theatre, where Dame Edna dons Sennheiser wireless equipment along with her purple wig.
"Sennheiser SK5012 transmitters are being used just for Dame Edna. [Humphries] is one of those artists where everything has to be right all the time, so we obviously picked the best that's out there," explains show sound designer Dan Scheivert, vice president of NY-based sound company OMNItech. "Right now, the 5012s are one of the most reliable out there."
The unobtrusive SK5012 ultra-compact body-pack is used in conjunction with an ultra miniature lavalier microphone. "It's the smallest possible combination we could get," Scheivert says. "It's a system we've devised to make the smallest possible set up for him, because the mike is worn in his glasses."
Dame Edna is joined on stage during several song-and-dance numbers by a pair of girl dancers, dubbed the "Ednaettes," and two male dancers, the "TestEdnarones." "They're using Sennheiser SK50 transmitters," says Scheivert. "We love the SK5012 and SK50 because of their reliability and the way they sound. They're the standard in the industry. We've used different transmitters, but the 5012s and the 50s are the best combo for us and the most reliable."
Act 2 includes a film sequence highlighting the life of Dame Edna, during which a long shotgun microphone equipped with a Sennheiser SKP30 is put to use. Hapless audience "volunteers" often find themselves the subject of Dame Edna's skewering wit or recipients of her marriage counseling during the show segment.
"It's a plug-on transmitter that we stick on a shotgun to pick up the characters that [Dame Edna] calls on stage," Scheivert explains. "We use the transmitter on the back so the actor operating the boom doesn't have any cords flying around, because he's walking around a table. We also use a Sennheiser MZW70 blimp windscreen and MZS20 mount with the shotgun."
Six Sennheiser EM3032 true diversity receivers are also in use, together with Sennheiser-made antenna boosters and distribution. "The receivers are used for the wireless transmitters and also two handhelds. There's a handheld for the piano player, who uses a Sennheiser SKM3072-U, and we also have one as a backup."
Scheivert is obviously pleased that out-of-town OMNItech is working on the Great White Way. "This is our one show in New York. We're excited about it and hope we get more."
