Pavarotti, assisted by Beppe De Tomasi, wanted a modern Bohème, set in 1950s Paris, an aspect that was well expressed by the recherché costumes, inspired by Christian Dior fashions.
The set design was deliberately 'timeless' and had a vaguely surreal design with undefined outlines. Stairways mounted on metal structures appeared and disappeared, moving about the stage, while the centre of the stage was dominated by large cubist paintings, plus giant posters of Jean Gabin and Marlene Dietrich.
The theatre's dimensions, with a limited depth compared to the size of the stage, the 7m height of the set and the presence of numerous 'legs' (framing side drapes), imposed a series of technical limits on lighting designer Jean Paul Carradori, who opted for fixtures including SGM's new Palco 3 LED colour changers and Giotto Profile 400 moving head fixtures.
Carradori says: "From the point of view of the lighting, this version of La Bohème was no easy job . . . The stage was 8.5m deep and the set occupied an area of 8m by 10m - so I had just 40cm left in which to mount a cyc' and illuminate it! Also, the scenery reached a height of seven metres, and included numerous platforms and stairs. The first problem to solve was lighting the cyc without setting fire to the theatre! Traditional fixtures were out of the question for obvious reasons - so I had to see what valid alternatives the market had to offer."
Carradori decided to try SGM's Palco units, which he had seen in a company brochure, and the choice turned out to be a winner. The Palco, he says, is extremely compact, with high-quality light output and dimming, and a good 40° beam width - plus all the usual advantages of LED technology. He says: "We illuminated the top part of the cyc' from the front, using Domino fixtures, with Palco units rear-projecting for the lower part, with the three main colours, and the difference was only visible when we wanted it to be."
The Giotto Profiles were used for profiling and frosting critical areas of the set. "The quality of the light was excellent," says Carradori, "and particularly effective for moonlit effects through the numerous windows in the scenery . . . In Act 3, the set was completely transformed, with snow. Side lighting from the Profiles accentuated the snow extremely effectively and precisely, without any spill. In my opinion, it was interesting to mix several different types of lighting - from neon to traditional lamps, theatrical fixtures, moving head units and LED units - with great continuity." Carradori also praised the low noise level of the fixtures.
Carradori began working in the lighting industry in 1979 at the age of 18, with The Clash, then with rental firms in Italy, Belgium and the UK. Later came work with Laurie Anderson and U2, then theatre, ballet, opera and dance work. He says: "I tend to use automated or high-tech fixtures, but always combine them with traditional or non-conventional lighting instruments. Every type of light has unique characteristics, which must be exploited creatively.
