Idina Menzel and her "flying machine" — Page 3

on the same token how do they do the beast transformation at the end of beauty and the beast

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Musseta: I DO NOT GET THE JOKE! PLEASE EXPLAIN IT TO ME!

perfect liar: at least disneys making a lot of money off of it no matter how cheesy it is. what do the kids care. They think its "magic" "ooo there he is over there" *giggle"

I did, didn't I? YAY!

Next thing you know, I'l be saying that there are no such things as easter Rabbits, Santa Clause, and the tooth fairy (except for gay dads), and Peter Pan doesn't fly, he hangs on a wire.

DGrant wrote:

Keeping a little decorum shouldn't hurt the ability to make your point.

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It does for anyone too inarticulate to make their point in a different, more congenial manner, which, unfortunately, is a category that too few people with the ability to use the Internet fall into.

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At TCR, we were considering PETER PAN for this coming season, which meant researching how rigging for flying actors is set up and how it impacts the scenic design. In the case of PETER, the impact is pretty severe: the set must be positioned in such and such a way so that the fly rigging doesn't come near it.

My guess is that with WICKED, there simply wasn't room to put in the kind of rigging needed to fly her out over over the audience. It's a big show, with a lot of scenery, and one would be hard pressed to figure out how to work around that for the sake of one special effect.

Now, granted, when she goes up, it's pretty amazing to watch. Yep, the audience screams and yells and applauds. But bear in mind that they also do that when the train comes onstage for HELLO DOLLY. :)

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>> It is a WELL known fact that Rigby took to the sky in the Gershwin over the heads of the audience as Peter Pan

Indeed she did. That was the big marketing gimmick. She didnt go very far into the house, but it was still impressive to watch.

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>> I still remember that same flight in the early 90s, when I saw my first BIG professional show

God I feel so old right now... :)

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I was raised in the Texas panhandle on a working cattle ranch and was blessed with an aunt who lived in Dallas and who decided she was gonna drag me to everything "artistic" she could: productions of AIDA at the Fort Worth Grand Opera that was performed in no less than four languages (You hadda be there), season after season of Casa Manana in Ft Worth and the Dallas Summer Musicals. For my junior high graduation present (and if this doesnt date me, nothing will), she sent me to NY to see the opening of PACIFIC OVERTURES (even then, I was addicted to you know who).

I started this career as a set designer relatively late in life, after too many years working in advertising as an illustrator. When I hit 40, I figured, okay, it's now or never. Went to NY, got my USA union card, hung out the shingle and never looked back. It's been a good career, and I like to think that Aunt Lee, even though she's long passed on, has been doing some discrete prodding from Up There to make it happen. :)

Sorry to temporarily derail the thread with that story, but I figure theatre folk will understand. :)

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That's because all the best theatre folk come from Texas, doncha know... :)

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GWB?

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>> GWB?

I'd say he qualifies as an actor who got himself a major role, yes. :)

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guys, the girl already has to be painted green every night. give her a break.

maybe they were afraid that she would sweat and green make up would drip onto the audience or something