HSL's project manager is Mike Oates, and this follows on from their work on the band's first theatre tour earlier in the year. He says, "It's great to be out with JLS again. Production North has really upped the production values and it's good to see the band develop and become such a success."
Lighting equipment includes 160 moving lights - a mixture of Vari*Lites and Robes - including the first of the new Robe LEDWash 600 fixtures, one of many recent new purchases by HSL. The moving lights are distributed over a series of semi-circular trusses above and to the sides of the stage, and across the stage floor and set which was designed by Peter Barnes.
Lee's lighting design is an all-action montage of colour, movement, drama and spectacle to match the hi octane show, featuring some show-stopping gags like a flying car at the top of the show, a moving catwalk that comes down over the audience, plus a giant dancing robot (Titan), all themed on classic cinematic experiences.
Central to the look of the show is a large Stealth screen upstage, 80ft wide by 30 deep, slightly curved. Video is an integral part of the show and plays on the screen 95% of the time, and one of the challenges of the lighting design was to make it work, leaving the screen area clean from beams, yet creating all the suspense and visual energy required for the style and pace of the show.
This current JLS tour is being production managed by Karen Ringland for Production North, and runs until the end of January 2011. Sound is being supplied by Wigwam, Rigging and Automation by Over the Top and video by XL Video, with Pyro Junkies doing the flame system and confetti.
(Jim Evans)
