For Ben Hur Live, staged recently at London’s O2 Arena, Patrick Woodroffe used a lighting rig of more than 200 Martin MAC 2000 Wash XB, MAC 2000 Profile and MAC III Profile moving heads to light a musical stage production involving a cast of 400 and scenes that include a ship battle and chariot race. Franz Abraham produced the staged adaptation of the 1959 film, which was based on the 1880 novel by Lewis Wallace, with music by The Police’s Stewart Copeland. The stage design is the creation of Mark Fisher and Ray Winkler with tour production by Art Concerts GmbH.
Woodroffe worked with associate LD Adam Bassett to paint the expansive scenes in luminous color and pattern. German producer Franz Abraham / Art Concerts opted to go with Martin’s lighting for the production.
Some 114 MAC 2000 Wash XBs, 62 MAC 2000 Profiles and 16 MAC III Profiles are located overhead on a series of three large grids that cover the arena and on audience trusses used for front and side light on the cast.
“The MAC 2000 Wash XBs work very well and we all like the brightness and the zoom of this product,” said lighting operator Andreas Kisters. “The same features are great on the MAC III Profiles. All in all the system worked very well and we’re happy with the Martin lamps on the show.”
Project manager Tobias Bartelmus at Art Concerts also cited Martin’s “worldwide support” and “experience in live entertainment” as a factor in choosing the brand.
Ben Hur Live is on a 17-city tour across Europe through January then heads to South America before returning to Europe later in 2010 for a series of shows that starts in the open air of Circus Maximus in Rome. A U.S. tour is planned for fall 2010.
