Sound design for the show is by Bobby Aitken and associate sound designers David Patridge and Richard Sharratt. Aitken and Patridge have spent the past five years working together on eight separate productions of Mamma Mia!, the musical based on the songs of ABBA.
It was on the 1999 world premiere of Mamma Mia! that Aitken, along with co-sound designer Andrew Bruce, first specified L-Acoustics loudspeakers upon the request of another notable duo. "Bjorn and Benny from ABBA were the ones who originally turned us on to V-Dosc," says Aitken. "They had chosen it for a theatre they worked with in Stockholm and really wanted to push the British show of Mamma Mia! in the same direction, so Andrew and I went with their recommendation and were extremely pleased with the results."
Since then, Aitken has used many different L-Acoustics products on various productions of the two musicals. For example, ARCS were employed as the main PA speakers for the Madrid run of We Will Rock You, as well as utilized on both touring productions of Mamma Mia! and the new version of London's Mamma Mia! when the show moved to the Prince of Wales Theatre this past spring. When the time came to design a rig for We Will Rock You's Las Vegas production, Aitken, Patridge and Sharratt chose to use V-Dosc and dV-Dosc.
"Bobby chose to use these speakers primarily for their sound; they really do sound great, especially on a rock musical like this," notes Patridge, who also serves as the show's production sound engineer. "There are certainly many other line arrays on the market these days, but we've not been impressed enough with anything else to venture outside of a product range that we've come to know and like. The L-Acoustics system is solid, performs predictably, and achieves a level of audio that we're very happy with.
"Plus, we've also always felt very well supported by the company, both through people like Paul Bauman in France and Bernie Broderick here in the US. They are always available via cell phone or email when we have questions and have been willing to customize solutions for us when needed. I can't say enough good things about their support. Many other manufacturers are not nearly that responsive."
The producers of the new Las Vegas run of We Will Rock You include Robert De Niro and Jane Rosenthal of Tribeca Theatrical Productions, original UK producer Phil McIntyre, and Queen guitarist Brian May and drummer Roger Taylor, both of whom also appropriately serve as the show's musical directors. Acclaimed UK comedian/writer Ben Elton again provided the script, while Mark Fisher (known for his work with Pink Floyd, Rolling Stones, U2, and Janet Jackson) handled the production design and Willie Williams (U2, David Bowie, R.E.M.) created the lighting design.
(Lee Baldock)
