Favourite Sets

Have to say it here and now:

This thread is worthless without pics.

The CATS sets always stun me:

New London Theatre, 1981-2002


UK Tour, 2003-2004



They made you feel so involved in the action, and it's one of the only sets I have felt it with.
The Mary Poppins UK Tour set is absolutely magical to watch, but unfortunately, I don't have any pictures of it =(

Oedipus - National 2008/2009

I don't have a clue haw to insert images, but I absolutely adored the set for Nicholas Nickleby, more so in Chichester than at the Gielgud. It was beautiful.

Please jaqs,from which show are your amazing pictures ?

Yes such a shame the book and score didnt live up to the set, and costumes.

I quite agree with the previous comments with regards to Lord of the Rings' book, music and lyrics but I'd also add the set to the list of culprits for this shows failure.

For whilst it was spectacular to look at I thought it failed to help the show as at times it offered spectacular realistic solutions to the problems of putting the book on stage but then at other times they just said oh for this bit use your imagination.

As an audience member that's confusing so when it came to the mighty battle scenes and they just pointed to the back of the auditorium and said oh look there's an army of 50,000, I couldn't visualise it as I was just thinking well you managed to show me giant tree men etc is pointing at the back of the auditorium the best you can come up with?

I think with a show like LOTR the set should be a springboard to help the audiences imagination rather than try to answer the problems realistically as our imaginations have a much higher budget than any theatre production can afford.


(but I did like the end of act one when they blew bits of video tape into the audience to remind you that you would have been better off at home watching the films)

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The August: Osage County set just wowed me.
Ingenious in a realistic sort of way.
And the castle in Tanz Der Vampire. Actually pretty much all of the Tanz set is beautiful. That and Stage Entertainments Beauty & the Beast. That was stunning. Not any pics that show off the set for either of the latters, so enjoy yhe A:OC image :)

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That's the same genius who designed On The Twentieth Century: Robin Wagner

btw just to clarify...i love A Chrous Line.

Dreamgirls, 1981

This one needs a LOT of explaining because my iffy quality video of the Tony awards performance is rather lacking.

What we have here is one of Broadway's first fully automated sets: at the corners are four fully mobile and automated aluminium and plexiglass towers filled with lights capable of spinning 360 degrees. At the top are a bridge with lighting on the front and underneath as well as (I believe) a truss again packed with lights. Last, J-Hol is sitting on a motorised platform which was computer operated and relied on electromagnets to lock it into place during scenes. As a result, a more cinematic than film series of transitions shifted the action from cramped offices to giant stages, hotels, and everywhere in between instantly.

During the end of this scene (AIATYING), Effie delivers the final notes of her song and gets dragged back on the moving platform as the bridges are lifted out and the towers pull back, spin, and light up the Dreams (minus Effie) as a curtain drops in front of Effie before the act curtain drops on the Dreams.