UK - Inspired by the hit movie The Greatest Showman, Come Alive! The Greatest Showman Circus Spectacular is an immersive production that opened its doors last October at the Empress Museum in Earls Court, London. Visitors are invited to explore a vibrant backstage world for an interactive pre-show experience before entering the 700-seat Big Top for a spectacular show where circus blends seamlessly with musical theatre.
Woodroffe Bassett Design (WBD) was tasked with the lighting design for the new production. It partnered with White Light (WL), a d&b solutions company, to provide the lighting equipment.
Come Alive! offers an immersive pre-show experience that gives visitors a peek behind the scenes of the Big Top, featuring secret performances and intriguing characters, all while enjoying delicious food and drinks. The main event, the Circus Spectacular, blends West End and circus performances, showcasing top international circus stars (including Cirque de Demain medal winners and Cirque du Soleil performers) and musical theatre talent from the West End.
Adam Bassett comments: "Given the show's complexity, we had to consider various elements. The immersive aspect is overarching, but within it, the Circus Spectacular is a West End-level musical production incorporating a number of live circus acts, which are stand-out moments in their own right. Merging these three components was a challenge that producers Outside The Box Amusements and TSG Entertainment trusted us with, thanks to our experience in each of these genres."
Bassett continues: "The production's nature required us to carefully integrate all elements. The space, apart from the entrance and exit, is one large open plan. We had to deliver an immersive experience and a 700-seat auditorium show simultaneously. These elements weren't mutually exclusive, so we needed to design them to complement one other and feel like a natural journey for the audience experiencing the show.”
Another key aspect was creating a space that didn't feel like a traditional auditorium. Bassett adds: “We wanted the audience experience to feel like they were walking through the midway, before entering into the big top. From an immersive perspective, this was crucial to our design.”
WBD put together a team of associates and programmers with experience in these specific genres. Adam Povey was appointed as production electrician to deliver the technical elements, working closely with Dom Yates, WL’s head of lighting.
Yates comments: “We were happy to work with both WBD and with Adam Povey once again, delivering the equipment to enhance this unique production. We were pleased to be able to offer the design team a range of different fixtures, which included several new additions to our hire inventory such as Ayrton Rivale, Martin MAC One and GLP Impression X5.
“We have also supplied the show with two Macula Remote Followspot systems, making it the fourth show this year to utilise this new technology. We drew upon our vast inventory to provide Mac Aura XBs, GLP X4 XLs, Ayrton Ghiblis and ETC Colour Source Spots, as well as a variety of generic fixtures."
Adam Bassett concludes: “Having worked with WL on numerous occasions, we knew we could rely on their extensive experience in theatre lighting and their adaptability. Their work across various genres made them the perfect partner for this project."
