The dry ice used in Billy Elliot...

[CapnHook]

Posted: 12/20/08 at 3:24pm

I saw BILLY ELLIOT Wednesday night and during the show there is a number where I assume it is dry ice that is used to create a low-ground smoke effect.

Was there a mistake the night I saw it, or is this an artistic choice to totally consume the first five rows of seats with smoke?

It quickly reached its way back 3 rows and went as far as 6 rows back throughout the number. The people in the first few rows could not see anything and used their programs to wipe the fog away. It became very distracting as I was sitting in the 7th row center and want to watch the show, not the audience member wave frantically.

[sgv123]

Posted: 12/20/08 at 3:31pm

No, that is not a mistake. I sat in the 2nd row once, and it was very heavy. They use much more smoke here than they do in London.

[ghostlight2]

Posted: 12/20/08 at 4:01pm

I haven't seen it, so I don't know, but I will throw this out there.

Smoke/fog effects are not an exact science. Since it's actually a sort of vapor, its apparent volume can be affected by the humidity (or lack thereof).

[jonartdesigns]

Posted: 12/20/08 at 4:36pm

I would assume they use a cold flow machine to create the fog- they are commonly used in movies and haunted attractions. essentially the machine compresses CO2 into a fog that weighs more than air. The effect is great but the downside is it travels tremendously.

[singer73192]

Posted: 12/20/08 at 5:11pm

I was in the first row when I saw it, and it really wasn't bad. It just fell off the stage onto my feet. As previous poster said, it must be depending on the day, humidity, etc.

[tmz814]

Posted: 12/20/08 at 7:37pm

I sat in the front row once for BE and it was not as bad as it seemed on Wed. I left the smoke alone and it just fell infront of me. I was there on wednesday evening as well (in around the 6th row center) and I think the person in the front waving their playbill actually made it worse. It seemed to make the fog travel up higher in the air and spread back farther than normal. It was very distracting.

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 12/20/08 at 7:47pm

People are so funny. Why are they waving their playbills? Do they think CO2 is toxic?

[ghostlight2]

Posted: 12/20/08 at 8:08pm

"People are so funny. Why are they waving their playbills? Do they think CO2 is toxic?"

Not toxic, per se, but if you breathe it in in high enough concentration and you'll die of oxygen deprivation.

In large opera productions they will leave oxygen masks in areas where singers might need it in case they're inundated with low-lying fog.

I once watched someone stick his head into a huge dry ice container to cool off, and when he didn't come up, we had to haul him out when we realized he was close to losing conciousness. Having said that, no one in the front row is any danger of that happening to them.

[bundy5000]

Posted: 12/20/08 at 8:10pm

" BEK (Billy Elliot Killer) Fog in Billy Elliot replaced by cyanide "

[Mamie]

Posted: 12/20/08 at 9:06pm

It's obviously something that they're unable to change - if they were even able to tell when changes needed to be made. I looked for it the last time I went and the fog never went past the edge of the stage.

[Tag]

Posted: 12/21/08 at 12:09am

There are ways of fixing the "problem" but they are expensive.
Does the fog flow into the pit? (Haven't seen the show, is there a pit?)