"MGM asked us to come up with a concept for the stage set, sending us to a top secret preview screening of the film to give us the opportunity to sketch out some ideas", explained Hangman's Sam Booker. "Jotting down our ideas in a darkened auditorium we decided on a very theatrical, Hollywood-style concept. Knowing the stage was out at sea, we wanted the set to look like a 1940s cruise liner, complete with handrails, bright sparkling fabrics and a big neon 'De-Lovely' sign."
While Hangman had no problem visualizing what the set should look like, they had to take into account the limited amount of space on the stage. Being built out at sea and watched from the beach, it was also vital that the set consisted of many levels so that each artiste could perform their song from a different setting. Booker continued: "Some of the songs were big band numbers while others were more intimate so we wanted to create areas that reflected this, such as a café area in the wings where the stars could sit while they waited their turn."
As this was a one-off show, it wasn't viable to build a set from scratch, so it was up to the Hangman team to design something which would give the effect they were looking for while still keeping within the budget. "Because we've worked with LiteStructures before we knew that one phone call to Chris Bridges in the set design department was all it would take to find out what was possible," said Booker. "We knew that our design would have to rely mainly on the range of stock items which we could hire from LiteStructures."
Bridges came up with the idea of using a set of 15ft-wide transparent steps with in-built lights, handrails and a range of quadrant and semi-circle decking to be built on the stage. "The Hangman team came up to the factory the week before we took the set to Cannes to test it out. All went well and we didn't have to make any changes," said Bridges. Booker added: "We really appreciate our relationship with LiteStructures. Having worked in the industry himself, Chris really understands the challenges we face and is always able to come up with workable solutions. When we go to LiteStructures with our designs, we always have an idea of what we want, but actually turning our ideas into reality can often be quite difficult. LiteStructures' support doesn't stop in the factory - Chris came to Cannes with us, helped build the set and made sure everything was exactly as it should be. LiteStructures' support continues to be invaluable to us."
(Lee Baldock)
