Doctor Zhivago has been described as one of the most romantic stories of all time. The Broadway musical, based on the Nobel Prize-winning novel and Academy Award-winning motion picture, is directed by Tony Award-winner Des McAnuff. Doctor Zhivago reunites McAnuff and Binkley, long-time collaborators who both garnered Tonys for their work on Jersey Boys.
"There is a lot of big storytelling in this show," says Binkley. "Being epic in size but small in content, as far as the scenes are concerned, means that there are a lot of isolated moments and specificity. There is a need to call attention to the emotions of each scene and in doing that I've had to be particular about the color palette. How the scenes relate to each other helps to dictate the transition from warm to cool environments."
Binkley says that a number of effects help illustrate the passage of time and the various locations in the story. "For example, there are a couple of battle sequences that had to be synched with the video, sound and pyro cues," he explains. "There is a feeling of the battles surrounding you in the theatre."
There's even a train, which features lighting, smoke and scenic effects; falling snow; and a huge jet of flame emanating from a pit under the stage. "The nature of the set has dictated that we have different trim heights for our electrics in each act," says Binkley. "The side booms, attached to the Act 1 walls, are moved during the Intermission. We can actually recycle the Act 1 side light into Act 2 from the where the set is stored backstage. This helps in the changeover process during Intermission. The back wall, which is entirely LEDs, is a large factor in balancing the looks of each scene."
Programmer Chris Herman selected two grandMA2 light - one main and one back up - and two MA NPU (Network Processing Unit) to run conventional and moving lights as well as the wind, fog, snow and fire effects. For production he programmed on a grandMA2 full-size and utilized two MA onPC command wing for feeding designer screens. "The grandMA2 feeds Art-Net directly out to PRG's Series 400 system, which eliminates the need for DMX a/b switches and other failure points," he says.
Herman notes, "The grandMA2 range is very versatile; its ability to deal with multiple cue lists as well as multiple triggering methods, such as MIDI in, MIDI out and SMPTE timecode make it the ideal console for this show. As is the norm on a Broadway show, we have a main cue stack with about 460 cues that are called by stage management or triggered via MIDI or timecode. Beyond that list we have over 200 cues, in six external cue lists, that run solely off timecode or triggers from audio or other departments. Being able to seamlessly pull control of one feature or all features of a light or effect from the main cue list to another and release it back has been integral to achieving the look of the show."
Herman adds that "Will Murphy and the rest of the A.C.T support team are great and always quick to respond when we get into sticky situations."
For Doctor Zhivago, Ryan J. O'Gara is the associate lighting designer; Joe Doran and Amanda Zieve assistant lighting designers; Christopher Herman moving light programmer; James Fedigan and Randall Zaibeck production electricians; Patrick Johnston head electrician; and Sandy Paradise lead followspot operator.
(Jim Evans)
