Harry Potter Marquee — Page 2

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

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

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.

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.

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?

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!

"

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.

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.