Lighting up 'A Chorus Line'

 

It's the fate of many a sound, lighting and set designer to toil away behind the scenes, leaving the all the adoration and acclaim for the performers in the spotlight. If designers are doing incredible work, generally speaking, audiences probably won't recognize it. In "A Chorus Line," the lighting is as important as any character. When it opened in 1975, it was the first Broadway show to feature a computerized lighting design. Tharon Musser, the pioneering Broadway designer responsible for the show's Tony Award-winning lighting design, died a little over a week ago.

But when the national tour of the show drops by Shea's Performing Arts Center tonight, Buffalo audiences will be able to catch a glimpse at what Musser accomplished with the show. 

To help understand what makes Musser's work in "A Chorus Line" so unique, and what lighting design adds to a show, local lighting designer Jim Pritchard was kind enough to answer a trio of questions, which follow after the jump. It's probably more than you've ever wanted to know about scrims, gels and LEDs, but, then again, Pritchard might just enlighten you.

The Buffalo News: If lighting design is working, most audience members don't notice it. Is that true in "A Chorus Line?"

Jim Pritchard: Let’s be honest, when was the last time anyone outside of ‘the business’ decided to go see a show because of the lighting designer (or set, costume or sound designer)? It is my personal opinion that the design elements are there to enhance a production, but the audience came out to see and hear the cast. Good design will go unnoticed at first glance, but I am willing to bet that when reflecting on the show they just saw, many people comment about how cool it was when the entire stage just changed color, or all the lights flashed or moved in time with the music, or how a single item on the stage was highlighted.

A show like "A Chorus Line" is a little different because the plot takes the audience through the making of a show so the changes between the "rehearsal" lighting and the live show at the finale are a little more drastic, but I still gather most audience members will walk out humming the tune to “One” rather than talking about the bold colors of the stage lights used in the finale.

BN: What's unique about the lighting design in "A Chorus Line," and about Tharon Musser, its original creator?

JP: First about the lighting designer. Tharon Musser was an incredible woman who is world renowned as both an extremely gifted designer and an equally wonderful person. After her recent passing, members of an online, backstage-related forum posted story after story of how generous she was, often taking time out of her hectic tech schedules to make sure young interns and apprentices were able to get their questions answered and have a fuller understanding of how everything worked.

Two things really stand out in the design of the show. First and foremost (and most noticeable to the audience) is the use of contrasting color’s all around the stage. By mixing different colors to create a white light on the performer’s body, Musser was able to cast multicolored shadows that moved and changed with the motion of the cast. She was so much on the forefront of using color on stage, that when the pre-eminent color filter (or gel) manufacturer didn’t have one she was looking for, they not only created it, but named it after her: Roscolux #365: Tharon Delft Blue.

The second part of the original design for "A Chorus Line" that stands out is that it was the first Broadway musical to have the lighting cues played back with a computer. Today, even the smallest shows are commonly run with the touch of a button. In 1975 this was quite the advance. It truly changed stage lighting forever, but it also had an immediate effect. Each light cue no longer had to be preset each time, which allows for almost instantaneous changes with no waiting between cues. Lights could change in every moment of the show if the designer so wanted, and most importantly it could be recreated from night to night even if the normal operator could not make the show.

While this ‘repeatability’ of lighting cues from night to night is an essential advancement, the advent of computer controlled lighting has led to a multitude of changes in lighting design that have had a major impact on the audience experience. This has brought about the ability to use lights that can move, change color, strobe and even project a picture, all from one controller. Even traditional stage lights, which have been in use long before the computer controllers can be fitted with a device, called a color scroller, that allows different colors to be put in front of the light for different moments of the show. Today, we are starting to replace and retrofit existing stage lights with LEDs, all controlled from the computer. 

In the current era of going green, the use of computer controlled lighting for cues and the lights themselves has had a huge impact. Being able to use one fixture for multiple purposes reduces the number of fixtures a show needs to travel with, therefore reducing the number of tractor trailers required to move the show from town to town. The emissions savings alone is astronomical. Additionally, as LED lights become more and more prevalent the electrical usage of a typical musical and rock and roll concert with be reduced by staggering amounts (as an example the typical stage light uses a light bulb of somewhere between 500 and 1000 watts, the typical replacement LED uses 1 or 2 watts).

From her visible creations on stage to her work to advance new technologies behind the scenes, Tharon Musser was a driving force in the advance of lighting design as a leading component of a live show...

BN: Why is lighting design important in a musical theater production?

JP: Lighting is very important in any theatre production. From the very top of the show when the lights go out, it gets the audience ready for the show to begin. A simple lighting design may only provide for basic illumination of the actors and scenery, but where would the show be without that? A well planned lighting design can transport the audience to different locations, different times, and even different realities without them ever needing to leave their seats. Some of these statements seem basic, some more convoluted but truly, a well planned and executed design can do all of them. Think about it in real life.  How do most of us feel after even just walking in the door of a stark office building lit only with bank upon bank of fluorescent lights? Compare that to the feeling of your living room with a warm incandescent lamp.

One might ask, 'How hard can it be to put a pick out a piece of plastic color and put it in front of a few lights and call it a design? Tell the kid at the light board to turn it on when the action starts and turn it off when the show is done.' But it is not that simple. Stage design is a collaborative art in the truest of meanings. Colors of light can change the look of the painted scenery, the costumes and even skin tones. The use of specifics colors and brightness can completely change the mood of a show. Using the right colors at the right times can make or break the entire audience experience, as well as other designers' work.

Throughout the show the director may want to place a scene in only on section of the stage, leaving the others dark. By placing the right lighting fixture in the right location, you can almost totally black out the areas the director does not want the audience to see. Does the show use backdrops? What about a drop made of sharks' tooth scrim that when lit from the front appears opaque, but when light from behind becomes almost transparent? Think about the timing of the individual cues. When exactly does the next cue happen? All of these must be addressed and the person who addresses them is the lighting designer.

--Colin Dabkowski