Beetlejuice Lydia Levitating Trick

[taylortrensch]

Posted: 6/17/19 at 12:26am

Does anyone know how this is done? Is it magnets?

[TobiasRagg]

Posted: 6/17/19 at 12:32am

I think it may be a hook that comes out of the railing and attaches to some sort of camouflaged harness on the back of her dress. There’s a lot going on near her right before, so someone has the chance to hook her in without drawing too much attention.

Updated On: 6/17/19 at 12:32 AM

[OffOnBwayHi]

Posted: 6/17/19 at 1:16am

 

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So, Lydia is standing by the staircase. On the column of the bottom step, a little bicycle seat pops out really fast. Lydia simply just sits on it while it lifts her up. When it brings her down, it pops back into the column really quick. It’s black and very discreet. Hides into the stair column really well.

At my preview performance, it wasn’t that tight/seamless as it prob is now, so I peeped the ends and outs of it.

I could be missing something, but that’s what I saw.

[TobiasRagg]

Posted: 6/17/19 at 1:21am

OffOnBwayHi said: "

 

Click Here To Toggle Spoiler Content

So, Lydia is standing by the staircase. On the column of the bottomstep, a little bicycle seat pops out really fast. Lydia simply just sits on it while it lifts her up. When it brings her down, it pops back into the column really quick. It’s black and very discreet. Hides into the stair column really well.

At my preview performance, it wasn’t that tight/seamless as it prob is now, so I peeped the ends and outs of it.

I could be missing something, but that’s what I saw."

That makes a ton of sense. Pretty neat. I went to the very last preview and if I remember correctly, Adam, or someone else, sorta gets behind her immediately before like they’re prepping something. Maybe making sure she gets on. That’s why I thought it was some sort of hook, but a seat makes a lot more sense. 

Updated On: 6/17/19 at 01:21 AM

[taylortrensch]

Posted: 6/17/19 at 1:30am

OffOnBwayHi said: "

 

Click Here To Toggle Spoiler Content

So, Lydia is standing by the staircase. On the column of the bottomstep, a little bicycle seat pops out really fast. Lydia simply just sits on it while it lifts her up. When it brings her down, it pops back into the column really quick. It’s black and very discreet. Hides into the stair column really well.

At my preview performance, it wasn’t that tight/seamless as it prob is now, so I peeped the ends and outs of it.

I could be missing something, but that’s what I saw."

thanks so much! i'm flying to the US to see the show a few times next month & i'll keep my eye out.

[Broadway Joe]

Posted: 6/17/19 at 3:31am

It shouldn't need spoilers since the original post is asking about it anyway and I forget who removes the seat exactly but one of the guys walks by and has a bucket he's pushing of same nature and tosses it in there as he walks by. It was done very smoothly when I saw the show, I only noticed it because I was in the second row and was watching to figure out how they did it.

[PatrickDC]

Posted: 6/17/19 at 7:08am

This reminds me, and apologies for potentially hijacking a thread, but this seems like a similar trick that lifted the Witch in the original run of INTO THE WOODS when she visits the Baker near  the beginning. I only saw the PBS video. Bernadette sits on a stool in front of the oven. Joanna stands rather awkwardly, one leg stretched back and flaring her long skirt, I assume to cover some type of lever that comes out of the oven, fits under the stool, and lifts her up. 

[VotePeron]

Posted: 6/17/19 at 8:20am

Both times I saw the show, I was on either far side of the orchestra, and could clearly see the bike seat.

[GlindatheGood22]

Posted: 6/17/19 at 9:12am

I sat on the extreme right side, and

 

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from there you can see how they do it. It looked like a kind of saddle to me, but a bike seat makes more sense. It's attached to the stairs. She doesn't levitate for that long, and after she's down Adam, who's mopping the floor, comes behind her and the seat falls into his bucket.

I'm pretty sure this is the same method they use for lifting Barbara earlier in the act, although I think that happens somewhere else in the set (?)

 

[TobiasRagg]

Posted: 6/17/19 at 12:06pm

GlindatheGood22 said: "I sat on the extreme right side, and

 

Click Here To Toggle Spoiler Content

from there you can see how they do it. It looked like a kind of saddle to me, but a bike seat makes more sense. It's attached to the stairs. She doesn't levitate for that long, and after she's down Adam, who's mopping the floor, comes behind her and the seat falls into his bucket.

I'm pretty sure this is the same method they use for lifting Barbara earlier in the act, although I think that happens somewhere else in the set (?)

"

Yes. The Barbara thing happens to the left of the staircase, next to the front door. Could be a similar method too, although she seems more pinned to the wall there. 

[OffOnBwayHi]

Posted: 6/17/19 at 5:01pm

taylortrensch said: "OffOnBwayHi said: "

 

Click Here To Toggle Spoiler Content

So, Lydia is standing by the staircase. On the column of the bottomstep, a little bicycle seat pops out really fast. Lydia simply just sits on it while it lifts her up. When it brings her down, it pops back into the column really quick. It’s black and very discreet. Hides into the stair column really well.

At my preview performance, it wasn’t that tight/seamless as it prob is now, so I peeped the ends and outs of it.

I could be missing something, but that’s what I saw."

thanks so much! i'm flying to the US to see the show a few times next month & i'll keep my eye out."

No prob! Enjoy! It’s a fantastic show. Worth the money.

[Testing1232]

Posted: 6/17/19 at 6:12pm

It's a mini cherry picker/ lever that is inserted and removed from the staircase - Adam removes it ( very quickly) and places it in the water bucket during that scene -

[JuneJune]

Posted: 6/17/19 at 8:25pm

TobiasRagg said: "GlindatheGood22 said: "I sat on the extreme right side, and

 

Click Here To Toggle Spoiler Content

from there you can see how they do it. It looked like a kind of saddle to me, but a bike seat makes more sense. It's attached to the stairs. She doesn't levitate for that long, and after she's down Adam, who's mopping the floor, comes behind her and the seat falls into his bucket.

I'm pretty sure this is the same method they use for lifting Barbara earlier in the act, although I think that happens somewhere else in the set (?)

"

Yes. The Barbara thinghappens to the left of the staircase, next to the front door. Could be a similar method too, although she seems more pinned to the wall there."

 

I was sitting in the left orchestra and, unless my eyes were playing tricks on me, Barbara doesn't sit on a seat or anything. I clearly saw what looked like some kind of bar coming out of her back that bobbed with her every movement, so I'm thinking she was in a harness.

Or maybe it was a seat? Just looked too high up her body to me.

[logan2]

Posted: 6/17/19 at 9:12pm

Since someone brought up Into the Woods, how did Bernadette do the quick change from old crone to beautiful? Was she wearing a mask?

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 6/17/19 at 9:24pm

logan2 said: "Since someone brought up Into the Woods, how did Bernadette do the quick change from old crone to beautiful? Was she wearing a mask?"

This has been discussed here before and I believe this was the answer.

 

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In the show the entire scene before the transformation was performed by a double and a voice over. Bernadette was already in costume upstage ready to switch with her. For the video release they reshot the preceding scene with Bernadette so the use of a double was less obvious.

[bwaybrent]

Posted: 6/17/19 at 9:25pm

logan2 said: "Since someone brought up Into the Woods, how did Bernadette do the quick change from old crone to beautiful? Was she wearing a mask?"

I believe Bernadette’s witch makeup on actual Broadway wasn’t as intricate as it was for the PBS recording, making it easier and faster to run off stage and do a quick change while a body double took her place on stage with a hood up in the ugly witch garb. 

[logan2]

Posted: 6/17/19 at 9:37pm

Thank you bwaybrent and CATSnyrevival

[ChairinMain]

Posted: 6/18/19 at 12:21am

I believe Bernadette’s witch makeup on actual Broadway wasn’t as intricate as it was for the PBS recording, making it easier and fasterto run off stage and do a quick change while a body double took her place on stage with a hood upin the ugly witch garb."

Covered above; a body double performed the entire scene; Bernadette had about 9 minutes from the end of Stay With me to change from the ugly makeup to the glam Witch and get into place for the transformation. 

Her make-up was, indeed changed for the PBS broadcast. For comparison: