Harry Potter Marquee- Page 2

[RippedMan]

Posted: 1/31/18 at 11:05pm

That’s what it looks like yes, but you enter on 42 where the box office is. That photo is deceiving.

[thedrybandit]

Posted: 2/1/18 at 9:44am

Notreallysilent 2 said: "Does anyone the validity of those rumors about decorating and modeling the lyric lobby to look like Hogwarts?"

I can't speak to those rumors but by coincidence, I walked by the theater last night and got a couple pictures through the window. I haven't been there since On The Town, and I don't recall it looking quite like this.

Picture 1

Picture 2

[BuddyStarr]

Posted: 2/1/18 at 9:56am

"Environmental" theatreis so rare on Broadway, it's pretty cool that these people have the money and willingness to do something (potentially) spectacular beyond the proscenium.

What other shows have been legitimately environmental in the past few decades? GREAT COMET andRoundabout's CABARET are the only two that come to mind (though I guess there were environmental elements to Lady Day, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and the Follies and LaCagerevivals)."

I recall the original CATS had the whole theatre decked out with lights everywhere.  Also "Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson" spilled out into the audience, likewise with Spamalot I think (although i may have saw it in Las Vegas which was tweaked for the production"

[Call_me_jorge]

Posted: 2/1/18 at 9:57am

Wasn’t Rocky pretty environmental for the final 20 minutes?

[BuddyStarr]

Posted: 2/1/18 at 9:59am

Call_me_jorge said: "Wasn’t Rocky pretty environmental for the final 20 minutes?"

yes, but it didn't make up for the awful show.

[Lot666]

Posted: 2/1/18 at 10:02am

SomethingPeculiar said: "What other shows have been legitimately environmental in the past few decades? GREAT COMET and Roundabout's CABARET are the only two that come to mind (though I guess there were environmental elements to Lady Day, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and the Follies and LaCagerevivals)."

I would say that the current revival of Once on this Island fits the bill.

[BroadwayNYC2]

Posted: 2/1/18 at 10:24am

Since the day the theater opened, the box office and main entrance was on 43rd.

 

42nd street is main entrance and where box office is located.

[Call_me_jorge]

Posted: 2/1/18 at 10:36am

In Alysha Umphress’ first vlog entry for on the town she shows the entrance that doesn’t get used. https://youtu.be/vzACfzevPQ8

Edit: She says it leads to the Madame Tussaud’s, so it makes me wonder if it’s the 42nd street entrance. Seems like the main entrance has always been the 43rd street entrance and will continue with Harry Potter.

Updated On: 2/1/18 at 10:36 AM

[bdn223]

Posted: 2/1/18 at 10:50am

BuddyStarr said: ""Environmental" theatreis so rare on Broadway, it's pretty cool that these people have the money and willingness to do something (potentially) spectacular beyond the proscenium.

What other shows have been legitimately environmental in the past few decades? GREAT COMET andRoundabout's CABARET are the only two that come to mind (though I guess there were environmental elements to Lady Day, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and the Follies and LaCagerevivals)."

I recall the original CATS had the whole theatre decked out with lights everywhere. Also "Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson" spilled out into the audience, likewise with Spamalot I think (although i may have saw it in Las Vegas which was tweaked for the production""

Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson turned the Jacobs into a downtown hipster bar. I know people have mixed feeling on the show, I loved it and think it has never been more relevant. The senic design though was amazing. I remember sitting directly under the taxidermied horse they hung from the ceiling.

In terms of shows that have done smaller environmental sets, there Rent, which purposfully kept the Neaderlander in a state of decay and’s marquee and entrance were pureposefully grundgy.

American Idiot covered the lobby walls of the St James in Graffiti, which still hadn’t been removed in the balcony lobby 4 years after it closed when I saw Bullets over Broadway. 

Once had the working bar on stage, but did’t do much in the rest of the theater. 

Wicked had a somewhat environmental senic design with the maps of Oz in the Lobby and the moving the  faux proscenium 1/3 of the way into the orchestra to make it feel like your entering the dragon clock.

 

[JBroadway]

Posted: 2/1/18 at 2:03pm

It's interesting that this conversation has stemmed from Harry Potter, because as far as I can recall, the London production doesn't utilize an "environmental" concept for the theatre - at least not nearly to the degree that the other shows mentioned in this thread did. There are elements of the show that utilize the house space (and tbh the theatre already gives off a kind of Hogwarts-y vibe as is), but they have not transformed the Palace in London to give it an immersive, magical, wizarding-world aesthetic. If they are indeed doing that here, it will be unique to the Broadway production. 

Updated On: 2/1/18 at 02:03 PM

[RippedMan]

Posted: 2/1/18 at 2:39pm

^Actually they kind of did. There’s “H” wallpaper all over the theater, giving it that Hogwarts majestic feel. But yeah, the theater itself already has that quality. I would imagine the same will be done here. But they do have more space to play with so who knows!

[JBroadway]

Posted: 2/1/18 at 3:10pm

RippedMan said: "^Actually they kind of did. There’s “H” wallpaper all over the theater"

Interesting. I admit I didn't notice that when I saw the show, but then again that sort of speaks to my point. They may have made little touches here and there, but people are likening the current theatre-preparation work to what Comet did. And if it really is going to be that extreme, then they are transforming the space much more than they did in London. 

[Up In One]

Posted: 2/1/18 at 3:47pm

Back in the 70"s Candide and Dude tore apart the Broadway Theater. Candide was probably the best use of the space. They extended the mezzanine down to the stage and the entire theater space that remained from the back stage wall to the last row in the mezz/balcony was used for highly theatrical effects. Comet seemed to open the space into more or less a Vegas showroom , it was beautifully done but the space wasn't used as to great effect, 

Speaking of extending the mezzanine to the stage isn't that what they are doing at the Lyric? Wasn't there supposed to be a Harry Potter exhibit in the space under the mezz the back half of the orchestra? 

[BrodyFosse123]

Posted: 2/1/18 at 6:14pm

I recall the original CATS had the whole theatre decked out with lights everywhere. 

It was more than that.  The Winter Garden Theatre was originally a regular proscenium theatre.  For CATS they completely gutted everything and created a semi-in-the-round stage.  The orchestra pit was removed (orchestra was housed in the wings) so the stage floor blended with the regular floor.  Oversized garbage was placed throughout the house so when you walked into the auditorium from the street, you were walking into the CATS world, literally.  Orchestra seats were grouped in sections and in the aisles were exit holes so the 'cats' would run out from the audience onto the stage throughout the show.  Also, the entire roof of the Winter Garden Theatre was painted black and had mini lights on them so they looked like stars.  When the house lights dimmed to begin the show, you felt like you were outside and looking up to the dark sky and seeing the stars.  It was an immersive experience seeing CATS during its original Broadway run.  I always said CATS ran as long as it did (18 years) because it cost so much to transform the Winter Garden Theatre for the show.  

Once CATS closed it took a full year to revert it back to its original proscenium form for its next tenant, another British import: MAMMA MIA!

Updated On: 2/1/18 at 06:14 PM

[RippedMan]

Posted: 2/1/18 at 9:51pm

Oh totally. It’s not that drastic, but again that theater in London already had that majestic feel. And with the front of house here they have a lot more space to work with. So I’m kind of curious to see what they do. There are part of the show that extend past the proscenium, but it’s nothing like Great Comet. Think more like Spider-Man or something like that.

And I’ve always said that if I had seen that version of Cats I’d have been all about it, but instead I’ve only seen janky tours and this half-assed revival.

[Up In One]

Posted: 2/2/18 at 12:14am

BrodyFosse123 said: "I recall the original CATS had the whole theatre decked out with lights everywhere.

It was more than that. The Winter Garden Theatre was originally aregular proscenium theatre. For CATS theycompletely gutted everything and created a semi-in-the-round stage. The orchestra pit was removed (orchestra was housedin the wings) so the stage floor blended with the regular floor. Oversized garbage was placed throughout the house so when you walked into the auditorium from the street, you were walking into the CATS world, literally. Orchestra seats were grouped in sections and in the aisles were exit holes so the 'cats' would run out from the audience onto the stage throughout the show. Also, the entire roof of the Winter Garden Theatre was paintedblack and had mini lights on them so they looked like stars. When the house lights dimmed to begin the show, you felt like you were outside and looking up to the dark sky and seeing the stars. It was an immersive experience seeing CATS during its original Broadway run. Ialwayssaid CATS ran as long as it did (18 years)because it cost so much to transform the Winter Garden Theatre for the show.

Once CATS closed it took a full year to revert it back to its originalproscenium form for its next tenant, another British import: MAMMA MIA!

"Are you sure that's not the set for "Stranger Things, The Musical"?

 

[Sho-Tunes-R-Us]

Posted: 2/2/18 at 1:07am

Uh ... I could be wrong, but I'm pretty certain the picture you have is from the London production.  In NYC there was a proscenium and some on-stage seating both stage right and stage left.  I sat in front mezzanine on my first visit and on-stage for my second.  I don't see on-stage seating in this photo.

 

BrodyFosse123 said: "I recall the original CATS had the whole theatre decked out with lights everywhere.

It was more than that. The Winter Garden Theatre was originally aregular proscenium theatre. For CATS theycompletely gutted everything and created a semi-in-the-round stage. The orchestra pit was removed (orchestra was housedin the wings) so the stage floor blended with the regular floor. Oversized garbage was placed throughout the house so when you walked into the auditorium from the street, you were walking into the CATS world, literally. Orchestra seats were grouped in sections and in the aisles were exit holes so the 'cats' would run out from the audience onto the stage throughout the show. Also, the entire roof of the Winter Garden Theatre was paintedblack and had mini lights on them so they looked like stars. When the house lights dimmed to begin the show, you felt like you were outside and looking up to the dark sky and seeing the stars. It was an immersive experience seeing CATS during its original Broadway run. Ialwayssaid CATS ran as long as it did (18 years)because it cost so much to transform the Winter Garden Theatre for the show.

Once CATS closed it took a full year to revert it back to its originalproscenium form for its next tenant, another British import: MAMMA MIA!

"

 

[blaxx]

Posted: 2/2/18 at 8:07am

RippedMan said: "^Actually they kind of did. There’s “H” wallpaper all over the theater, giving it that Hogwarts majestic feel. But yeah, the theater itself already has that quality. I would imagine the same will be done here. But they do have more space to play with so who knows!"

I was there this week and the only "H" you could find is in the emergency curtain. There is nothing in the London production at all that extends past the stage in terms of creating environment for the venue. 

The Palace has enough of a feel to it, there's no way to re-create that authentic feeling on Broadway. They will have to build something that the West End production doesn't need from its theatre. 

 

[Justin D]

Posted: 2/2/18 at 8:49am

Sho-Tunes-R-Us said: "Uh ... I could be wrong, but I'm pretty certain the picture you have is from the London production. In NYC there was a proscenium and some on-stage seating both stage right and stage left. I sat in front mezzanine on my first visit and on-stage for my second. I don't see on-stage seating in this photo.



BrodyFosse123 said: "I recall the original CATS had the whole theatre decked out with lights everywhere.

It was more than that. The Winter Garden Theatre was originally aregular proscenium theatre. For CATS theycompletely gutted everything and created a semi-in-the-round stage. The orchestra pit was removed (orchestra was housedin the wings) so the stage floor blended with the regular floor. Oversized garbage was placed throughout the house so when you walked into the auditorium from the street, you were walking into the CATS world, literally. Orchestra seats were grouped in sections and in the aisles were exit holes so the 'cats' would run out from the audience onto the stage throughout the show. Also, the entire roof of the Winter Garden Theatre was paintedblack and had mini lights on them so they looked like stars. When the house lights dimmed to begin the show, you felt like you were outside and looking up to the dark sky and seeing the stars. It was an immersive experience seeing CATS during its original Broadway run. Ialwayssaid CATS ran as long as it did (18 years)because it cost so much to transform the Winter Garden Theatre for the show.

Once CATS closed it took a full year to revert it back to its originalproscenium form for its next tenant, another British import: MAMMA MIA!

"

"

I'm actually not 100% sure that is either Broadway or London (it looks like it might be the japan one which was alot like London, I dont think the broadway stage was quite so 'out in the round' and that photo has in some strange step looking things at the side.

[Justin D]

Posted: 2/2/18 at 8:53am

yes thats the Japan one, but it does give you an idea of what the original Broadway one looked like. (you can kind of see the 'cloud panels' on the roof, I think the broadway one just had the tiny fibreoptic stars

[RippedMan]

Posted: 2/2/18 at 9:32am

They def had “H” wallpaper up in the balcony to hide lights and lighting booth. I thought that was a cute touch.

[Megsamegatron]

Posted: 2/3/18 at 2:51pm

Saw it on Wednesday in the Palace in London. The Hs were the only thing that extended past the stage that they added. The architecture and molding lent it to be a very Hogwarts feeling 

[RippedMan]

Posted: 2/3/18 at 5:53pm

If they are taking the time to paint all the exterior fixtures black. I’d think they are adding quite a bit to the front of house.

[RippedMan]

Posted: 2/6/18 at 10:11am

Walked by it on my way to an audition, and it looks finished. Giant wing of a bird. No actual signage, which makes me wonder is they will even have a traditional type marquee.

Also, what was the boy in the bird’s nest thing in London? What significance is that? I saw both parts but was highly jet lagged.

[fashionguru_23]

Posted: 2/6/18 at 10:19am

I read the script the day it came out, so long ago, but I want to say that the "villian" grows wings...please correct me if I'm wrong.