I came across this article in the New York times, about set design for Broadway plays. The article discusses theaters that are elaborately decorated, which are meant to submerge the audience into the play before it even begins.
The stuffed horse that hangs in the theater where "Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson" is running.
The Bernard B. Jacobs theater, where “Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson” is currently running, is decorated with vintage paintings and chandeliers, not to mention a giant stuffed horse hanging by its legs from the ceiling. In “Rock of Ages,” patrons are treated to music from the “thrashing-hair” era on full blast, with barely-dressed cocktail waitresses walking down the aisles taking drink orders, to create a rock-n-roll vibe.
“Cats” was one of the first plays to experiment with creating n atmosphere for the audience to settle into. The Winter Garden Theater, where “Cats” had its run, was made to look like a garbage dump.
Although this seems like an interesting idea, I do have a problem with it. Broadway shows should be able to stand on their own, without having to create an atmosphere for the audience to enjoy before the show starts. If a play is really that good, the audience will be drawn into the story and world being presented to them, without the need of stuffed horses or cocktail waitresses. I know that hard work and effort is put into decorating the theater during these shows, but this effort can be put into the actual show itself, which is what the audience is there to see.
What do you think?
I don’t really see the problem with extending shows into the theaters they’re being showed in. In fact I think the idea that shows or plays should be required to “stand on their own” is unnecessarily minimalist. After all, we don’t mind jazzing things up with elaborate on-stage lighting and set pieces; what’s so different about expanding those enhancements to cover an extra few square-feet of theater around the stage? As far as I’m concerned, if (admittedly gimmicky) immersion tactics like this enhance the audience’s experience, then the more the merrier.
This sort of thing is even done in musical concerts, where there is sometimes a member of the orchestra who plays an instrument from high up in the balcony. The sudden appearance of a sight or sound from an unexpected perspective can be quite effective. When they perform “A Christmas Carol” in Madison Square Garden they usually have an artificial snow fall near the end of the show to bring the audience into the stage. The Lion King famously opens with the characters walking onto the stage from the aisles. Peter Pan famously had the title character “fly” out into the audience space. My guess is that the current show of Spiderman will employ similar tactics. There needs to be a reason, but this is an effective idea.