hairspray: from west end hit to touring triumph

ON THE ROAD: Hairspray
HAIRSPRAY: FROM WEST END
HIT TO TOURING TRIUMPH
MUCH-LOVED MUSICAL HAIRSPRAY HAS ACHIEVED GREAT SUCCESS SINCE THE WEST END PRODUCTION
WENT ON THE ROAD FOR A UK TOUR IN 2010. THIS YEAR THE SHOW TOURED ONCE AGAIN, ATTRACTING
LARGE CROWDS COUNTRY WIDE. ZOE MUTTER ATTENDED THE MATINEE PERFORMANCE AT LEEDS GRAND
THEATRE TO SEE HOW STAGE ENTERTAINMENT ADAPTED THE ORIGINAL BROADWAY PRODUCTION, BRINGING
IT TO LIFE WITH THE HELP OF STAGE ELECTRICS, ORBITAL SOUND, EASILIFE RIGGING AND A COLLECTION OF
SCENERY, SET, WIG AND WARDROBE MASTERS.
“This is a cracking show and one that people
really love to watch. The audience enjoy it,
but by and large the people working on it do
too, which is really important,” pointed out
Rich Blacksell, Production Manager for the
vibrant and extravagant musical Hairspray.
Keen to discover how the show, which
was originally a Broadway production, was
adapted to become a tourable show, TPi
headed over to the stunning Grand Theatre
in Leeds to catch the all-singing, all-dancing
musical and meet the crew.
Blacksell - a full-time employee of Stage
Entertainment - came from a West End stage
management background before switching
to production management a decade ago.
“I wasn’t involved in the initial West End
production in 2007, but when it left to go on
tour in 2010 I took on production management
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responsibilities. We had touring in mind at every
step and the stage management, lighting and
sound teams I use are on the road tour after
tour have a great knowledge of different venues
around the country,” he explained.
Rehearsal time was not extensive as the show
was largely a re-build of the original West End
production. “The first time around we had a
reasonable amount of time to prepare and were
into the design process about eight months prior
to arriving in theatre and starting teching, which
we then had about two and a half weeks for,”
explained Blacksell. “This time around - because
we knew what we were up against and that we
had a show that worked - we opened it at The
Lowry in Salford and had a week of tech and
rehearsals at St Gabriel’s Hall in Pimlico.”
A total of two trucks - supplied by Paul
Mathew Transport - were used for lighting,
another for sound and four more for set,
wardrobe, props and wigs. “It’s a relatively
straightforward tour, but quite a heavy flying
show. It tours in seven trailors, which is a model
we use for this scale of show. We didn’t lose any
elements from the West End production really,
but we did lose the automation because it was
decided the majority of it could be achieved
without. We knew very early on we had to be
true to the original design so a lot of it was
based on the previous show, but we brought in
a UK Associate Designer, Alistair Grant.”
Stage Electrics - a company Blacksell and
Stage Entertainment already had a long working
relationship with - was chosen to provide
lighting equipment. “They supplied it in the
West End so already had a knowledge of the
show. When choosing suppliers a lot of it comes
down to the level of support you believe you
ON THE ROAD: Hairspray
Opposite: Vibrant visuals and over the top wigs and costumes were at the centre of Hairspray. Below: The show has translated well from the West End to a touring production.
will get throughout a production period,” he
commented.
Orbital Sound provided audio equipment,
a company Blacksell trusts to deliver a high
quality of service, based on past experience.
Rigging company, Easilife, which has extensive
experience in the rock ‘n’ roll touring sector, was
also brought on board. “Owner, Danny Spratt,
is often on the road with rock ‘n’ roll tours and
when I met him he wanted to move into theatre
too and I got a good feeling about it,” said
Blacksell. “It’s not always a natural move, but
it was this time and we came up with a way to
make it tourable. Since then he’s done all my
touring productions.
“For transport I went to Paul Mathew
Transport as I’ve use them for the last 15 years
and they understand the way I work and make
everything easier. There were a number of scenic
shops involved - Rocket Scenery, Set Up Scenery
and All Scene All Props.”
For Blacksell, one of the standout products
on the tour was the Lite Brite Wall provided
by Howard Eaton Lighting. The technology
behind the LED wall has developed since it
first appeared in the West End incarnation of
the show. “Making that tourable was a bit of
a challenge, but technology in the LED world
has moved on so much it has now been made
possible,” continued the PM. “Howard Eaton
Lighting sort out the problems nobody else can
and made the wall tourable and robust within
the width restrictions and time constraints we
had to build it in. He’s the only person you
would go to with something like that and he’s a
true specialist in lighting and electrics. They take
on significant projects and I don’t think there’s a
show in the West End they wouldn’t have a hand
in.”
A TRIED AND TESTED PRODUCT
When the show began touring the UK, Alistair
Grant assumed the role of Associate Lighting
Designer in London, working with original LD,
Ken Posner’s design. Also making up the lighting
team was Stage Electrics Chief Electrician, Tom
Johnson, who is experienced in musical theatre,
having worked on All the Fun of the Fair, The
Rocky Horror Show, Sister Act and High School
Musical 2.
Hairspray was Johnson’s fourth show with
PM Blacksell and Stage Entertainment. Two
production electricians - Simon Target and Elaine
Bridgman - set up the show and help with the
move of the production. Johnson then works
with two other crew members in the lighting
department - Ian ?surname? who acts as
Deputy Electrician and Chloe ?surname?, as
assistant.
“The show is upbeat and so much fun - we all
pull together and have a laugh whilst getting on
with the job. My role on the fit ups is all about
the look of the show, so I pull the focus and
do all the moving light updates. Ian looks after
moving lights and maintenance while Chloe is
our follow spot captain, looking after them on
opening nights and running them throughout
the show,” he said. “Once the fit up is done it’s a
case of maintaining the moving lights and we try
to do a thorough clean of the rig each night.
“Hairspray has become such a tried and
tested product since its original Broadway
run and planning for this show was more
straightforward than others because it was
essentially a re-build. We had about 10 days
before our first preview in The Lowry. We had
a week of prep for lighting to build the rig and
then four days of technical rehearsal.”
Stage Electrics supplied all lighting fixtures
and control for the tour, whilst Easilife Rigging
provided the three pre-rigged trusses the
main bulk of the show tours on. “I’ve worked
with Stage Electrics on many tours now.
It’s always a pleasant experience and their
support is unlike any other company. They also
supply all the side light towers, which they’ve
prefabricated themselves, and hook onto the
pre rigged trusses. We also have the Lite Brite
Wall - a custom LED piece. It’s become quite a
signature item for the show and wherever we
go we change this to match the country’s flag,”
continued Johnson.
“We use it as a low resolution video wall and
Stage Electrics supply the control system, which
is all Hog 2 based because that’s where its roots
were for Broadway. The LED wall has become a
signature piece for Hairspray and every version
of the show has had one.”
Fixtures featuring in the lighting rig
included four Martin Professional MAC 2000
Performances at FOH, which take over a lot
of what was the previous conventional rig in
London. When the show started touring, the
three followspots that were previously used
were cut down to two. Therefore the Philips
Vari-Lite VL2000 Spot that is used for pick ups,
occasionally acts as a third followspot. A further
two VL2000 Spots and two VL2000 Washes
were also used to provide key light between
the scenes. These were joined by ETC Source
4 Profiles, Rainbow Pro Colour Scrollers and a
Robert Juliat Aramis HMI followspot.
“Our overhead rig has 18 Clay Paky Alpha
Spot 1200’s, which provide a lot of the overhead
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ON THE ROAD: Hairspray
Below: Touring Carpenter, Adam Washbourne; Chief Electrician and Lighting Operator, Tom Johnson; Stage Manager, Stuart Stealey; Head of the Wig Department, David Burke; The lighting team;
FOH Engineer, Piers Archer; An Avid Profile was used at FOH.
washes on the floor and a lot of the gobo work.
We’ve found that from a touring perspective the
Alpha Spot 1200’s are incredibly reliable - they
are such strong units and we’ve had no problems
with them,” explained Johnson. “There are 15
Vari-Lite VL2000 Washes that act as a second
wash. We then have 12 Martin Professional MAC
600’s, which replace what was the overhead
generic rig.”
Johnson pointed out that the fit up is quite
tight, with only two days to get the rig up and
running and making sure it is focused by 6pm on
day one. Therefore the amount of conventional
lights at FOH and overhead was reduced. “The
challenges when working on a production like
this is moving a show of this scale in the time
frame we have. Stage Electrics have tried to
focus on making it as tourable as possible so we
have the custom lighting towers in the wings
that carry all our conventional side lights,” said
Johnson. “We just roll those in and hook them
onto the trusses, allowing us to rig it in minutes,
ready to focus. For the control system we have
all of our back up PCs and our Lite Brite wall
playback in one large rack, which is also a Stage
Electrics custom build and works seamlessly.”
The entire show is run from one cue stack,
with no hands-on mixing at all. Lighting was
controlled using High End Systems WholeHog
2, which it has been operated with since its
Broadway run. “We have a separate WholeHog
PC that controls the Lite Brite wall and two more
that act as back-up for each console, built into
one rack and kept in synch via MIDI,” he added.
The tour also made use of a City Theatrical
SHoW DMX wireless system and special effects
were carried out by a Cirro Stratus CS6 mist
machine, Big Shots compressed air confetti
cannon, Big Shots Cannon Air Compressor
and Big Shots Cannon 2-way controller.
FULL AND DYNAMIC AUDIO
Gareth Owen, sound designer for the original
Hairspray tour in 2010, came on board once
again for the 2012 production. Although
the show is based in the 1960s, much of
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the storyline’s themes are relevant today, he
commented. “The music contains styles from the
late ‘50s and ‘60s, from swing to Motown. The
styles integrate strongly with the storyline and
the distinction between them needs to be clear.
“The arrangements are full, allowing the
vocals just enough room to be clear. To maintain
this clarity without losing anything from the
arrangements was challenging. The design
had to be repeatable in every venue, with cast
entering from the auditorium and the orchestra
pit.”
With the arrangements being so full and
dynamic, vocal clarity had to be maintained at
all times without compromising the 12-piece
orchestrations. Above and beyond precision
mixing, Waves C4 multiband dynamic
compression plug-ins were utilised across various
groupings within the band.
The audio team also featured Head of Sound
and FOH Engineer, Piers Archer, and audio
engineers, Hazel Dier and Michael Riles CHECK
SPELLING, who worked with Lead Production
Engineer, Andy Green, at load ins and load outs.
According to Owen, the choice of console
is key to the flexibility and creativity that can
be obtained. “The Avid Profile system achieved
this - the console brings a quality to the sound,
especially the vocals, that others do not achieve,”
said Spratt. “The EQ is precise and controllable
and the surface enables a designer and operator
to work closely without interrupting each other.
The most powerful aspects of the Profile are
its plug-in structure and ability for precision
in attribute recall. The ability to insert your
favourite plug-ins freely and have them recall
seamlessly with scenes enables great flexibility.”
FOH Engineer, Archer, also commented on
the desk: “For something smaller you wouldn’t
use anything like this, but for this show the
desk is full. I love its ease of use and the Sound
Designer, Gareth, works closely with Avid
developing its theatre use. We use their plug-ins
quite heavily, but we have a TC Electronic Icon
doing background vocal reverb.”
Archer worked with 96 inputs, mixing
the show line by line. “This means I have one
mic for each line and spend the whole show
turning mics on and off,” he added. “Most of
the cast are on DPA 4066 and they also have
a Countryman MODEL? as a back up. LIST
OTHER MICS. It’s quite an active show too.
They move around a lot so we needed models
that were well suited to that.
“Everyone is on headphones, apart from the
guitarist who brought his own in-ears. Most
headphones - which were hired from Orbital
Sound - are Sennheiser HD 25’s.”
Other microphones appearing on the tour
included Audix D6 and D4, Shure Beta 56A,
98A, AM57 and SM58, Sennheiser MD441 and
MKH40, Audio-Technica AT4051 pencil cardioid
condenser, AKG c414, DPA 4007, 4091 and
4061, Neumann KM140, BSS AR116 and Orbital
DI box.
Most processing was carried out in the
console, with two XTA SIDDs used for vocal
processing. Plug-ins used included Waves C4
multiband compressors, Waves TransX and
JoeMeek. The Venue provided the audio team
with a mechanism of programming that enables
simple adjustments to monitoring and band
balances that can be precisely controlled to the
section of the show as necessary, added the
sound designer.
“There is quite a lot of infrastructure in the
show - we have a system from Orbital Sound
called their GAFF system, which is a multi-pin
connector with XLR, VMC, CAT 5 and mains
on it, which we run from our central hub racks
and carries video everywhere, along with their
comms.
“In the prep we also sent cable to Stage
Electrics and asked if when they were building
their looms they could make sure there is a
speaker cable mounted in all the trusses and
ladders so when you come to do the load in and
out it’s all one cable to make it more tourable.”
CTR Electronics CSC Show Control was
used at FOH to control desk scenes, reverb
recalls and provide sound effect and click track
playback. The ability to simply provide alternate
ON THE ROAD: Hairspray
Below: The set was designed by Andrew Edwards and constructed by Rocket Scenery, All Scene, All Props and Set Up Scenery; Leeds Grand Theatre.
cue lists for the MD to run click tracks including
vamps and segues made CSC an ideal option.
“For production, the timeline view and editing
capabilities makes it a powerful choice of
software for fast editing and the ability to set up
vamps and segues across multiple elements of a
click track,” added Owen. “TC6000 VSS3 reverbs
are the basis of the show. The smoothness of
the reverb can make the process of enriching or
supporting the voice sound very natural.
A dedicated monitoring system for the band
was needed, but the footprint of a second
console had to be avoided. “A Yamaha DME64
was used to provide the sub-mixing capability
for the Aviom A-16 system. This guaranteed the
same sound for the musicians, week in, week
out, without the need for a physical console.”
Additional monitoring kit used included a
Genelec 8030A compact bi-amped reference
monitor and a Lab.gruppen 2002 amplifier.
CAREFUL SYSTEM ALIGNMENT
d&b audiotechnik’s T-Series line array - supplied
by Orbital Sound - was system of choice for the
2013 production. “The T-Series provides great
vocal intelligibility and rich fullness irrespective
of the variety of configurations of cabinets
necessary to cover the huge variety of UK
venues,” commented Owen. “Whilst not the
primary consideration, the lightweight nature
of the cabinet provides great flexibility in where
it can be rigged. There are still numerous UK
venues where proscenium arch weight loadings
are significantly low. With heavier cabinets, the
ideal choice of rigging location may be ruled out,
compromising the sound for that venue. Also,
with the small form factor, a more ideal choice
of positioning may be found without heavily
compromising sight lines from the auditorium.”
Owen found using Q-SUBs with B2’s
provided the sub response the system required.
The variety of venues needed very different
configurations of cabinets, although two main
set-ups were common. “Ideally, if the layout of
the venue supports it, I specify 14 T10 cabinet
hangs a side to cover the stalls and circle and six
cabinets a side to cover the gallery. Although the
quantity of cabinets seems high, the majority of
the time the line length is necessary for the HF
elements to be able to reach all seats, keeping
the image pulled to the stage even when behind
rows of delays. The alternate configuration was
simply small blocks of three to five cabinets for
each level.”
Three rows of eight delays were toured - the
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d&b E6 cabinet and E5. The voicing of these
matched the T-Series perfectly, providing a
smooth sound under the most challenging of
low overhangs, the sound designer commented.
Simple sub arrangements were made - a B2 and
stack of two or three Q-SUBs on the floor in the
stalls and a Q-SUB a side on the floor in each of
the levels. “With careful alignment, a smooth
sub response could be found across the venues.
By sitting them on the floor, significantly less
energy is needed to create the same response,”
he said.
FOH Engineer, Archer, added: “We’ve tried to
angle the PA system to get it through the gaps
and to cover all levels and depending on the
venue we usually do stalls and circle with one
hang of 14 boxes and then have another six per
side to go upstairs.”
SETTING THE SCENE
Andrew Edwards (Shrek, Spamalot) - who
has been creating set designs for around a
decade - first encountered Stage Entertainment
through contacts he met in New York. “They
later dropped me a line to ask if I could re-design
the tour and I was delighted to be a part of
it. We normally pick our scenery shops due to
a relationship we have with them before the
project or because they specialise in a certain
area such as construction or painting,” he said.
The shops chosen for this incarnation of the
show were Rocket Scenery, Set Up Scenery and
All Scene, All Props. Some of the venues on the
tour received a more trimmed down version of
the production in terms of set to fit in with the
size of the venue. “With a design like this, where
you are remounting something that has been
as successful as Hairspray you try to produce
something that doesn’t lose any of its integrity
or scale,” he continued.
“Your challenge is really to try to find the
essence of that and the key elements to tell
the story by working with the director and
choreographer and so on. We try to find ways
to either re-size elements, re-shape them or
make them lighter so we can get things on and
off stage in a more economical way because
when you’re touring in the UK it’s not the same
as touring in the US. It’s a much more slimmed
down version because a lot of the venues can’t
take as much scenery in the grid or the wings
as in the West End. You therefore have to
economise with your selection of pieces. With
something like this, you work to your smallest
venue and then once you’ve found a solution to
that everything else should work.”
Edwards worked with his team in the studio
to draw the design up and make sure it fulfilled
the brief - building up to 25 models of the stage
scenic pieces to check proportions were correct
and to test paint finishes. “I’ve always followed
the theory that if it doesn’t work in the model it
won’t work on stage,” he said. “You then show
this model to the director to check they’re happy
with it. When it comes to the set being built it is
the scenery shop’s decision as to what materials
are used, working with the technical designs
we have handed over. Often it comes down to
what are the lightest materials that will come in
within budget and give us the best finish. The
majority of Hairspray’s set was built from steel
and wood.”
MAINTAINING THE SET
“Most touring shows’ carpentry is fairly minimal,
but it’s a lot more about maintaining a set. So it’s
not so much workshop-based, where you work
from drawings to build a set - it’s a lot more
logistical and as a touring carpenter it’s my job
to oversee the get in and get out and look after
every other department from a move point of
view,” said Adam Washbourne (Legally Blonde,
Spamalot, The Wedding Singer), as preparations
were being made for the matinee performance.
Washbourne’s primary focus is on the days
when the show is moving from venue to venue,
dealing with the transport company and making
sure the crew are happy with the space they
have when the production is put into a venue.
“It’s a large show, but we all know what we’re
doing and we’ve overcome problems at tricky
venues where we have had to come up with
solutions to fit kit in that relies heavily on grid
height and space in the wings.”
Two production carpenters - Bob Belson
and Steve Bush - also helped with the move
and focus primarily on getting the set in the
correct place. “The main challenges we come
across is kit breaking in transport,” he added.
“Everything’s designed to move, but nothing’s
foolproof and every now and then something
might get damaged, but nothing too drastic has
happened luckily!”
Stuart Stealey has been involved in multiple
aspects of the production - first working as a
carpenter between 2009 and 2010 and now
moving over to stage management. Among his
responsibilities on tour is looking after the health
and safety of the cast while they’re on stage
and making sure the show is re-constructed in
ON THE ROAD: Hairspray
Below: The scenery, costumes and audio configuration had to reflect the vibrant performances on stage; The lighting control hub.
exactly the same way each day.
“This is a big touring show - seven arctics
- and it’s large considering we only do one or
two weeks in each venue. There’s a lot of set,
wardrobe, wigs and a large cast - about 60 to 70
people on tour,” he commented. “The whole set
looks so impressive, especially the fact you go
from the city of Baltimore and then to a studio
and on to a living room. The key concepts for
the set we’re working with go back to how the
Americans did it back in 2005. We try to keep
it identical, but we’re touring so we still try to
make it touring-friendly as there are a lot more
crew involved.”
ELABORATE WIGS
The extensive wig department comprises five
people, with each one looking after a set of wigs
to allow continuity in the show. A grand total of
74 wigs are required in the running of the show,
along with another 160 for understudies. David
Burke, Head of the Wig Department, has worked
on Hairspray for four years. “I was originally
an actor, but then I fell into wigs and started
working on The Producers in London before
moving on to shows such as Lord of the Rings,
Sister Act and Lend Me A Tenor,” he said.
“In terms of the styling involved, it’s one
of the biggest wig departments on a touring
musical. However, the shows are getting bigger,
so you’ve got productions like Wicked - that
again has lots of wigs - and Shrek is coming up,
which has hundreds. With shows like Lord of the
Rings we had maybe 200 wigs, but you didn’t
have to do as much to them - you just brushed
them, sprayed them with water, scrunched them
and let them dry. This one’s harder because
of the amount of styling. The characters in an
opera, for example, don’t move around that
much, whereas this has full dancing numbers
and each person wears up to four wigs so
there’s a lot of maintenance and wear and tear.”
As well as styling the extravagant wigs for
the colourful production, Burke and the wig
department need to ensure they can withstand
the energetic dance routines the cast carries
out. “After the initial six weeks of setting up and
settling into it you know your wigs and the work
you’ve got to do. You also know how the actors
deal with their wig - some feel it’s more natural
to touch their wig on stage, which is fine, but
you get to know which wigs you need to focus
more time on maintaining.
Burke believes there aren’t many shows that
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are comparable to Hairspray in terms of wigs.
“I’ve done quite a lot for pantomime dames,
which is of a similar ilk to this. The big elaborate
wigs are also similar to some I work on for drag
queens, but the difference with those is they
expect them to last for six weeks because they
are out on the road.”
BESPOKE TRUSSING
Rigging company Easilife first started working
for Stage Entertainment on High School Musical
and has since gone on to look after all rigging
requirements on Sister Act, both tours of
Hairspray and Singin’ in the Rain. “As a touring
rigger myself, I have also been out on Green Day
and Meatloaf’s European tours this year,” said
Managing Director, Danny Spratt.
For Hairspray, the rigging team used Litec
QD 30 for the flying of the Lite Brite wall and
Litestructures 52cm Pro for all lighting and
audio trusses along with Rope Assemblies safety
bonds. “In terms of bespoke trussing, we got
Litestructures to make us some 52cm Pro with a
bottom centre chord running through it so we
can keep everything pre rigged,” said Spratt. “It
then travels on dollies, which he had specifically
fabricated to travel in 5 metre sections. This
makes the rigging of all the lighting trusses
extremely quick.”
Two touring riggers, Ricky Hopkins and Sasha
Herring, were responsible for all load ins and
load outs, who are helped by a local rigger on
the Monday. “The build - as far as the rigging is
concerned - usually takes the Monday morning
to get all the points in and then it’s both Ricky
and Sasha working with all other departments
to help with the build of the rest of the show,”
continued Spratt. “Tuesday morning is then
usually a last final check of things to make sure
everything is safe and ready for the show to
open in the evening.”
CREATIVE COSTUMES
Experience gained working on musicals such
as Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Evita and Sister
Act was beneficial when Katherine Jane
Keyworth worked in the wardrobe department
of Hairspray for a second year alongside three
other team members. “We also have four
dressers local to the venue who look after the
actors and costumes during the show and help
with quick changes - our quickest costume
change being 15 seconds!” she said.
“Our two touring wardrobe assistants are
also dressers to cast members Mark Benton and
Freya Sutton. In addition to this we have two
local theatre members of staff who come in
during the day to launder and iron the 75 shirts
and blouses per show.”
The crew carry around 300 costumes,
including understudy and swing outfits, with
119 pairs of shoes being worn in a single show
- many of which were hand-painted and make
up a large part of costume maintenance. The
costumes were originally designed by William
Ivey Long for the Broadway production.
“My role as Head of Wardrobe is to move
the show from venue to venue, training up
local staff and costume maintenance. Many
hours are spent by the team, laundering and
repairing the costumes in order to keep them in
good condition,” continued Keyworth. “During
our setting up of the tour, the costumes were
fitted by our Associate Designer and Wardrobe
Supervisor NAME?. An important part of my job
is to ensure the production remains looking as
the designer intended and to the high standards
set from the start - the aim always being to have
the last show looking as good the first.”
TPi
Photography: Tristram Kenton and Zoe Mutter
www.hairspraythetour.com
www.stage-electrics.co.uk
www.stage-entertainment.com
www.orbitalsound.com
easilife.ltd.uk
www.helluk.com
www.rocketscenery.co.uk
www.paulmathewtransport.com
allscene.net
www.setupscenery.com