Most Elaborate/Technically Advanced Scenic Designs

Please forgive me if this has been discussed before. I'm sure there is a thread somewhere that I could not find.


I'm curious about the most elaborate/technically advanced sets that have ever been built for a Broadway stage. Recently, Spiderman, Rocky, and Shrek come to mind.


I know there are minds on here with a much better memory than me. If anyone could add some more examples I would greatly appreciate it.

Updated On: 4/20/23 at 08:49 PM

Certainly Starlight Express belongs on this list

David Zinn's scenic design for Spongebob was next-level:

I wouldn’t say Shrek’s set was anything to write home about. I remember thinking it was the worst part of the show

The 1986 London production of CHESS was probably one of the most technologically advanced sets of its day. The revolving chessboard floor always fascinates me and was a central part of that production! I wish they could use that same staging idea for the potential Broadway revival of Chess.

TaffyDavenport said: "David Zinn's scenic design for Spongebob was next-level:



The build out is cool, but once the curtain rose, the actual set was pretty much non-existent.

The most recent revival of The Skin of Our Teeth was pretty elaborate and wonderful

I would have expected spider man but I don’t really know if I saw where all the money went - at times it actually felt a bit cheap/sparse to me. I guess I am glad to have ‘been there’ as I’m sure it’ll become something to brag about (if it isn’t already) - but i can’t say I have much to say about the whole experience, which I just found boring (No ‘worst of all time’ camp to enjoy, just very meh). And yes it was the ‘2.0’ version which was apparently more boring but still.

Groundhog Day had a deck that was complicated with multiple turn tables that always had issues during it’s Broadway run. At one point it became an carnival ride like a Tilt-A-Whirl minus the tilting. I also remember Jane Eyre had a system that was like a carousel that would “drop” pieces in and lift them away.

I heard that the ill-fated Ghost was one of the most difficult to maintain, with led lights and the magical walls. The projections were fully integrated on every surface, and though the final effect was simple, the execution was a programming nightmare. I know someone who worked on the show, and it was one tech crisis after another.

I'll second that Starlight Express and Sunset Boulevard were epic scenic designs. Massive in scale. More recent, I agree that Moulin Rouge is a fabulous design that transformed the entire theater and just kept getting layered and layered . Also, the recent revival of Company and how they managed to shoe-horn it in and also adapt/chang-over those boxes into different locations was very impressive. At one point it's a living room, then its a full up-scale kitchen, then Bobbie's apartment, then a nightclub not to mention a full on Brownstone coming in from god know's where. I know it had some technical flaws but overall it was a very impressive design.

Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812

Rocky

South Pacific at Lincoln Center with the whole stage shifting with the ship



But really, I can't recall the name of a play that was on a huge raised turntable. Maybe 8-9 years ago? And they had trouble with the mechanism (it wasn't Machinal) and had to manually turn it at least once during previews

While the actual sets where not that elaborate--the quick changes of scenery in Yerma were a technical marvel.