Robe has a laugh with Anders Matthesen
- Details
Peter Fisker has been Matthesen’s lighting designer since 2006 and in that time, the funny-man known for his multiple crazy, off-beat and appealing characters - has toured regularly as well as producing movies, DVDs and books. This particular tour was shorter than usual - the seven shows were played in Denmark’s two largest arenas - five at the Royal Arena in Copenhagen and two in the Jyske Bank Boxen Arena in Herning - reaching around 86,000 fans.
Peter took up some of that truck-space with Robe moving lights, specifying 26 x MegaPointes, 33 x BMFL Spots and another three BMFL Spots utilised as a RoboSpot follow spotting system complete with one MotionCamera and one BaseStation.
These were delivered, together with rest of the lighting equipment, by Copenhagen based rental specialist, Comtech.
Arena comedy has some very specific lighting requirements. The artist must be well and clearly lit for both camera and stage, for audiences at the back watching on the IMAG screens as well as those closer to the action.
The facial expressions as he delivers his punch lines are mission-critical to the whole audience experience and their full appreciation of the humour.
There is also the need - albeit in a vast arena - to create the ambience of intimacy, so Matthesen can feel he’s right close up and personal to every person in the room, as if he were performing in an atmospheric smoky, pokey little club . . . a task in which lighting also plays a huge role.
Then there was Matthesen’s own brief for this tour which was to make the show big and bold - Las Vegas style - to capture the 25th anniversary spirit, and it was this that Peter took as his creative starting point.
“We had actually been talking about doing this show for around 10 years” explained Peter. Normally on tour they will play venue capacities of between 1000 and 3000.
Set designer Palle Christensen produced a design based on a clean modern look, with two large IMAG screens left and right, a series of multi-level risers, a semi-transparent cloth backdrop which included a massive scenic duck set flat outlined in LED to reinforce the nick-name. There was a long winding runway out into the audience which enabled him to get in amongst a vast amount of the audience.
(Jim Evans)
