Few performers command the type of production that you get with designers like Peter Morse (Prince, Bette Midler), Butch Allen (Garbage, Metallica and Dancing With The Stars, The Tour), Baz Halpin (Queen + Paul Rodgers, Westlife) and Jon Pollak (Steely Dan, Lenny Kravitz). But only the inimitable Christina Aguilera has the pull to bring them all together for one production, her “Back to Basics” tour. The tour continues its North American leg after starting in Europe. Morse and Allen worked together on Aguilera’s first tour, “What a Girl Wants”. Morse said working with Allen was “a blast” and he thought working with him again in the future “would be a good idea.” The two got the chance to work together again after a design meeting with Baz Halpin led to the decision to bring on more help.
“Initially, Peter and I were approached by Christina’s management to create the entire production design,” Halpin said. “After the initial design meetings, it became clear that this was going to be a largescale project and time was a commodity in short supply. With this in mind, Butch Allen was brought in as the scenic designer and the ball got rolling.”
Morse and Allen subsequently formed a production design company called Re: Design to work on the Aguilera tour as well as other future projects. Armed with their marching orders and a stack of napkins, the two went to work.
“Basically,” said Morse, “I come up with what might be compared to a ‘napkin drawing,’ either as a real drawing or merely by exchange of ideas with Butch. Butch then takes the ideas and further develops them for presentation and production, both as renderings and technical working plans. In the process, we meld our ideas for set and lighting, so the end result is a complete, complimentary package.”
Show director Jamie King also brought his input and direction to the design table. “He came in and conceptualized the entire show,” said Morse. “With his story-board as a guide, the set and lighting evolved as a direct reflection of the eras represented by the CD and videos. The show evolves through several scenic environments that strongly adhere to the CD.”
Time is of the Essence
With the design in the can, the team found they had very little tech time in rehearsals — “approximately four days in L.A., then only four days in England prior to opening night,” according to Morse. Morse and company were faced with the huge challenge of programming and working out the kinks before hitting the road. “With the size of the rig and restricted focus for some fixtures,” he said, “our time limitations for programming were further compressed.”
Eric Wade was drafted to help program the show alongside Halpin because the Martin Maxxyz console was new to Halpin. After the brief October programming sessions in L.A., Wade traveled to Chicago where Morse was on another tour. While the gear for the entire show was being sea-freighted to Europe, the two worked out of a hotel room for several days preprogramming with a Martin Show Designer visualizer in preparation for loading into the opening in England two weeks later. “That helped immensely,” said Morse. During the final four days of pre-production in England, Morse and Wade alternated shifts with Halpin, who continued to program the show. Wade stayed on through the first week of the tour.
“Somehow, the effort worked,” Morse says with relief. We did it, and the show opened on schedule. This was a schedule, however, I would not recommend to anyone.”
Meanwhile, Jon Pollak received a phone call asking him to go to Sheffield to join the tour. He arrived by train to find he had been put in charge of setting up followspots.
“I kind of enjoyed the idea of a nopressure job for a while and dove in with both feet dancing,” Pollak said. But after the first tech rehearsal, he was called to the FOH and asked to don a headset and call the show. Morse, Halpin and Pollak proceeded to choreograph the spot cues, and Pollak was charged with the duty for the duration of the tour…until the tech director, Mike Morobitto, had to leave the tour because of a personal issue.
“I was then sat down in front of the production manager, Ian Kinnersley, and asked if I would now call the scenery, video and prop movements in Morobitto’s place. I proposed that I would undertake this responsibility with the codicil that I ain’t moving anything until Aguilera was sat [sic] comfortably atop whatever moving item was in play. With this agreement in place, I am now plying my trade as the technical director for the show.”
Pollak’s new assignment draws on his years of previous theatrical experience, which had been lying dormant for several years.
Changing Costumes Changing Lighting
“It’s a great new challenge,” he said. The show calls for a variety of looks ranging from ‘30s-era nightclubs, to ‘40s juke joints, to early carnival/circus. Morse thought that the warm color temperature of conventional lighting would be ideal for most of these looks. But his need for color changing and multiple points of focus made automated lights a “foregone conclusion.”
But he found a nice compromise in a particular moving light.
“The Martins proved to be great simulated ‘conventionals’ when over-corrected to about 2800 to 3000 degrees,” said Morse.
Three large LED screens upstage provide the backdrop for the majority of the show. The video content is designed to complement the set pieces, which include a grand staircase, a “wheel of death” in the circus scene and a juke joint complete with “mobilating” band risers. Two fastfold projection screens provide additional projection surfaces. The stage forms an “H” with audience seating areas within the stage. According to Halpin, it “gives an interesting perspective for the audience and adds a more unique space for the choreography and scenic elements.” Austrian drapes play an important part in the scenic design. Three of the scenic trusses that support Austrians took on double-duty as lighting trusses.
“This allowed me to not only place the lighting in ideal positions, but also to help accentuate the shape of the set,” Morse said.
Martin MAC 2000 Wash fixtures on ladder frames are rigged to the “mother” truss structure with individual chain motors and serve as tormentors. “This enables the side wash lighting to shoot from as low a trim as possible while being able to adjust its overall height for sight restrictions.”
The trim height adjustment of the side wash light is an important feature that allows him to adjust it on a daily basis to accommodate the local venue.
Morse also designed a lighting “chandelier” with graduated radius lighting rings.
“This further complements the overall feel of Butch’s overhead design of the set,” Morse continued. “The chandelier is populated with MAC 700 HEs and is quite impressive when the variable-radius rings drop in at different heights.” A set of “fingers” radiating from the rig jut out over the house to help complete the look of the set.
Technical director Pollak calls the cues while Halpin manually triggers the lighting from the Maxxyz console while he calls the followspot cues for 12 positions, six in the house and six mounted in the truss. The video is time-coded, and the content is stored on hard drives supplied by Nocturne.
“This show is both heavily theatrical and musical,” said Halpin. “Lighting-wise, it’s a mixed bag. There are a lot of songs, which have a very theatrical feel to them where we literally set a scene and allow the action onstage to do the work.”
Because of the large amount of video in the show, the balance between the lighting and video — color choice, intensity, etc. — is imperative. But Halpin adds, “There is also room for the great big bold lighting looks such as with songs ‘Beautiful’ and ‘Fighter’.”
Morse found that Aguilera’s platinum blond hair and “bright wardrobe” presented a bit of a challenge in terms of lighting. Although she was easily accented, as her hair and clothing take light well, there were other considerations.
“It’s a balancing act between the back light and her key light,” he said. “The backlight can easily overpower. Her presence on stage — despite being surrounded by dancers — is unmistakable.” But Morse found ways to meet the challenge.
“Lighting the dancers from assorted front-of-house fixtures on the ‘fingers,’ side tormentors and color-corrected ministrip footlights, all in warm tones, helped to accentuate Christina’s presence, while keeping the lighting level on the other performers at a good level.”
In addition to the Martin MAC 2000 and 700 Washes and Profiles, there are half a dozen Syncrolite B52s, six Lycian M2 followspots and four 8-lite Molefays. The lighting supplier is Ed & Ted’s Excellent lighting.
“This is my first experience with Ed & Ted’s Excellent Lighting, and it has been a very fulfilling one,” said Halpin. “Great attention to detail and a great crew getting all five trucks of lighting fixtures up and down each day, and of course, Kevin Forster has been a great assistance with any problems or needs that we have had.”
Allen, for his whole team, had a virtual production lexicon of thanks.
Ovations
“Jamie King and his team (Tabitha, Rita, and Morobitto) applied their strong focus, careful planning, eye for detail and calm leadership through the design phase to bring this team together to finish the job. Keep in mind, that there was very little time to integrate all the elements. Just so you know, it can be done.”
Halpin lauded the gear and the artist. “The MAC 700 Wash fixtures are a great tool for floor lighting both for shin kicks and air effects,” he said. “The Maxxyz console is also new to me, and I am having a great time getting to grips with it.
“I have been working with Christina since 2003, and I continue to be shocked and impressed by her endless talent and professionalism. It’s a real pleasure.”
But the fun is not over for Halpin and crew. As the show continues to tour, it continues to evolve. “We have been continually developing the show as we have progressed,” says Halpin. For at least four designers, it’s about realizing the vision of one artist.
