Lighting and Video Solutions for Broadway’s Mr. Saturday Night
Billy Crystal once more takes on the role of the over-the-hill comedian Buddy Young, this time in Broadway’s Mr. Saturday Night, and he has even garnered a Tony nomination for his performance. The Tony nominated new musical production, which opened at the Nederlander Theatre in April, is based on Crystal’s 1992 film of the same name. To adapt the material to the stage, video panels are used to effectively handle the flashback narrative style of the show.
Scenic Designer Scott Pask utilizes multiple Absen LED display panels integrated into the set to create a canvas for Video and Projection Designer Jeff Sugg’s content. The video system is powered by a disguise media server package triggered by the lighting console, all of which, including the Absen LED panels, is supplied to the production by 4Wall Entertainment.
A delay in opening, due to the COVID shutdown, worked in the video designs favor as Sugg notes, “I started on the project in 2019, with the opening slated for fall of 2020, which would’ve been a very tight turnaround. However, due to the pandemic, we were delayed, and I was able to lean into the design to a greater degree. Video on the show is critical as it locates the audience in the narrative timeline, which is based in 1994 with several flashbacks to the 1950s. The content we created is styled to be easily recognizable for the different eras. The delays also allowed for more storyboard development than I would usually have. This allowed for more collaboration with Scott Pask and our director John Rando, as well as providing Billy the opportunity to see our plans and see how it related to the scenery. It also gave us a great starting point for tech.”
Programming and comedy have an important element in common explains Sugg. “Being a joke-and-gag-style comedy, we found that our programming had to support the timing of the dialogue perfectly. As they say, telling a joke is all about… the timing. For me personally, part of the benefit that comes from using disguise is that I don’t know how to program it. This allowed me to keep my eyes off the keyboard and concentrate on the look of the show. Plus, using LED in musicals is always helpful so you don’t have to worry about competing with the stage lighting. This was my first collaboration with Ken Posner [Lighting Designer] and we had a great time working together to make cohesive palettes and pictures. All-in-all, it was a rewarding process.”
Along with the video package, 4Wall provided the full lighting package to realize Posner’s design that had a lighting rig which included the all-new Ayrton Eurus moving light along with the proven Martin MAC Aura XB and Martin MAC Viper Performance fixtures. Posner’s also utilized ETC’s new Source Four LED Series 3 ellipsoidals and over 160′ of Chroma-Q Color Force II LED battens.
Production Team
- Video & Projection Designer: Jeff Sugg
- Associate Video & Projection Design: Simon Harding
- Assistant Video & Projection Design: Brian Paceli
- Video & Projection Programmer: Ben Keightly
- Animation: Gabriel Aronson, Hannah Tran, & David Forsee
- Production Video: Chris Kurtz
- Lighting Designer: Kenneth Posner
- Associate Lighting Designers: Anthony Pearson & Joel Shier
- Assistant Lighting Designer: Kat Zhou
- Moving Light Programmer: Alex Fogel
- Production Electrician: James Fedigan
- 4Wall Account Executive: Lars Pederson
- 4Wall Video System Engineer: Ian Crawford
Chicago’s Court Theatre Receives 2022 Regional Theatre Tony Award
Based on the recommendation by the American Theatre Critics Association, The Tony Awards® Administration Committee has announced that the recipient of the 2022 Regional Theatre Tony Award will be Court Theatre of Chicago. This Tony recognition honor is accompanied by a grant of $25,000, made possible by City National Bank’s generous support. “We are thrilled to present the 2022 Regional Theatre Tony Award to Court Theatre,” said Heather Hitchens, President / CEO of the American Theatre Wing and Charlotte St. Martin, President of The Broadway League. “Their dedication to fostering local talent, artistry and theatre within their community and their impact on a national scale, makes it a true honor to highlight their work.”
Court Theatre, the professional theater of the University of Chicago, is dedicated to innovation, inquiry, intellectual engagement, and community service. Functioning as the University’s Center for Classic Theatre, Court and its artists mount theatrical productions and audience enrichment programs in collaboration with the faculty. Now in its 67th Season, Court Theatre was founded in 1955 as an outdoor summer theatre at the university. In 1981, Court built its current home, the intimate, 251-seat Abelson Auditorium. Since 1994 Charles Newell has led Court as the Marilyn F. Vitale Artistic Director. He works alongside Angel Ysaguirre, who has been the Executive Director since 2018. To learn more about the Tony Awards winning Regional theater, Court Theatre go to www.courttheatre.org.
