May 7th saw the London debut of the new musical Sister Act, based on the hit film of the same name. Produced by Whoopi Goldberg, who starred in the film, along with Stage Entertainments, the show features a new score by acclaimed composer Alan Menken, the man behind such hit shows as Little Shop of Horrors, Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid and many others.
Directed by Peter Schneider, one of the driving forces behind the revitalisation of animation at Disney and the creation of Disney Theatrical, the show is being designed by Klara Zieglerova with lighting by multiple Tony-award winner Natasha Katz, well known for her work on shows including The Little Mermaid, A Chorus Line, Aida, Sweet Smell of Success, Beauty and the Beast and the Las Vegas spectacular EFX.
The equipment to realise Katz’s design has been supplied by leading entertainment lighting supplier White Light. The rig includes a wide selection of conventional, automated and LED lighting equipment, including over 400 ETC Source Fours, over 250 Wybron Coloram II scrollers, over 60 Vari-Lite VL3500Q Spots, 32 VL2500 Wash, 22 VL500A Wash, 20 ColorBlaze and 5 ColorBlast LED fixtures from Philips-Color Kinetics, together with atmospheric effects by Look Solutions (Viper smoke machines, Cryo low fog generators) and MDG (Atmosphere haze machines). Control for the rig will be split between an ETC Obsession II and an MA grandMA console.
Working with Katz on the show is associate lighting designer Yael Lubezky and production electrician Pete Lambert, with Stewart Crosbie the show’s production manager. In supplying the rig White Light will continue their collaboration with Epic Production Technologies, begun on the London production of Lord of the Rings, using some of the automated lighting equipment previously used on that show.
“We are delighted to have this opportunity to work with Natasha Katz, whose work in New York we have admired for so long,” comments White Light’s Managing Director, Bryan Raven. “We hope that we’ll be able to look after her during her time in London and support her work at the Palladium creating this fun new musical. We’re also very happy to be able to continue our close working relationship with Epic, which worked so well during The Lord of the Rings, to supply the lighting rig the show needs.”
Sister Act has begun performances at the London Palladium on 7th May 2009 with its opening night on June 2nd; further information about the show can be found at www.sisteractthemusical.com.
The show joins the many others in London and around the UK using lighting equipment from White Light, these currently including Beauty and the Beast, Billy Elliot, Carousel, Chicago, Dirty Dancing, Grease, Les Misérables, Mary Poppins, Singing in the Rain, War Horse, We Will Rock You, and The Witches of Eastwick. Further information about the full range of products and services offered by the company, including lighting hire, sales, installation and service, can be found at www.WhiteLight.Ltd.uk.
Photo Courtesy of Catherine Ashmore
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