Use of rotating stages in shows- Page 2

[TheatreFreak05]

Posted: 6/14/08 at 11:50pm

I was just in a production of Oliver and we used a turntable, but I don't know about the original.

Didn't Thoroughly Modern Millie use a one?

[thejcm]

Posted: 6/14/08 at 11:51pm

If I'm not mistaken (I haven't seen the show) but The Color Purple used one on Broadway.

[defyingravity11]

Posted: 6/14/08 at 11:53pm

^ Yes, The Color Purple used one. Also Grey Gardens.

[jonartdesigns]

Posted: 6/14/08 at 11:55pm

Thorougly modern millie used one

Dirty rotten scoundrels had 2 (one inside the other)

[ohjustjake]

Posted: 6/15/08 at 1:53am

Dirty Dancing has one also.

[allofmylife]

Posted: 6/15/08 at 2:30am

"I Remember Mama" the musical had a double ring turntable at The Majestic. The house went one way while a full sized model T went the other.

And here's a photo of the turntable being set up during the load in of the musical The Band Wagon starring Fred and Adele Astaire, Frank Morgan, Helen Broderick (Broderick Crawford's mother) and Tamara Geva from The New Amsterdam Theater in 1931. The New Amsterdam boasted the most technically advanced double turntable of its time.

[allofmylife]

Posted: 6/15/08 at 2:34am

Here's Fred and Adele performing "White Heat" with the chorus. And contrary to popular belief, Fred didn't dance in "Dancing in the Dark" as that number was Tamara Geva (pronounced as if Mork from Ork was saying it Geeeee-vah) and the chorus girls.

[allofmylife]

Posted: 6/15/08 at 2:35am

Okay, one more. The famous merry-go-round scene.

[COOOOLkid]

Posted: 6/15/08 at 2:36am

Fantastic images as always!!!

[lakezurich]

Posted: 6/15/08 at 2:39am

LOTR has three. Each one is separated into pieces like a pie and each piece can move up and down independently.

[SweeneyPhanatic]

Posted: 6/15/08 at 2:57am

I know the "Fiddler On the Roof" script mentions a turntable at the very end for the final scene of all of the villagers leaving Anatevka, but I don't know if it was used at any other moments in the original production.

"Rebecca" uses one, and from what I've seen in video footage, it is awesome! Maybe someone here has seen the whole show and can give us a detailed description of how it was used. If you want to see it, THAT SITE has some good stuff for the search "Rebecca the musical."

[allofmylife]

Posted: 6/15/08 at 3:06am

I happen to have a few 8 by 10s from The Band Wagon but anyone who is interested should check out the AMAZING trove of photos online from The Billy Rose Collection from the White Studios and the Vandamn Studios. They were the main photographers of Broadway shows (White up until 1936, Vandaam until the modern age) and the Library has thousands of their original contact sheets and some of the images They have a complete set of ALL the Band Wagon pics.

They have 2,115 photos online. Be ready to gasp.

http://digitalgallery.nypl.org/nypldigital/dgkeysearchresult.cfm?word=19724&s=1¬word=&f=13&sScope=Name&sLabel=Vandamm%20Studio&cols=4

Updated On: 6/15/08 at 03:06 AM

[Robos89]

Posted: 6/15/08 at 3:30am

I was a chorus boy in a regional production of JOSEPH...DREAMCOAT. They used a huge turntable which was used to bring out the camels, a staircase (there was a second level atop the turntable...it didn't move, it stretched from one wing to another) and other various set pieces.

The thing was a real bitch. It failed on us opening night, so the critics saw it w/o the turntable. But it was fixed for the rest of the run.

[JulianHookbucks]

Posted: 6/15/08 at 4:07am

did Grey Gardens use a turn table? or was the stairway just on a track that was wired to turn?

[DefyGravity777]

Posted: 6/15/08 at 5:10am

The rotating stage in Les Mis almost made me puke. I have REALLY bad motion sickness. I loved the show though and seen it 4 times...LOL.

Updated On: 6/15/08 at 05:10 AM

[Weez]

Posted: 6/15/08 at 5:12am

As far as I can tell, just about EVERYTHING they stage in the Olivier auditorium of the National Theatre in London. Although having said that, I'm not sure I remember anything going round and round in 'Major Barbara', just up and down...