In a madcap adults-only panto from the sick minds of Trevor Ashley and Phil Scott, Moulin Scrooge is a spoof on the popular Moulin Rouge The Musical.
“Trevor Ashley and I spent some time breaking down the show together, almost immediately,” commented the lighting designer Sam Wylie. “Lots of energy, fabulous costuming and as much festoon as we could fit into the venue were some of the first things we discussed. The over-the-top vibe of this adult pantomime was very clear and after the first few conversations, I had a clear idea of where we would be going.”
Set in a nightclub in King’s Cross, mid-gentrification, there’s a bit of everything in the show from high drama to tango to classic pantomime tropes to broadway belting to a limbo competition.
“My goal was to commit to whatever journey we were on and lean in,” sam said. “I knew that I wanted to bring the energy of an old burlesque house. There are a lot of rose tints, lavenders and big followspot looks to give the show that classic charm when we’re in the ‘Moulin Beige’. Being a pantomime, It was important to make the space feel inviting to the audience so they would be involved from the moment they walked in.”
Sam explains that the Act one finale was by far the biggest moment to design and program as it’s an 8-minute medley, with a new song every 5 seconds and room-filling choreography. Each new song is a total left turn from the last.
“Some of my favourite looks of the show are in there but it took a lot of time to get it right,” he said. “The show also jumps into the audience a lot. At any given moment, there is usually at least one cast member somewhere in the house, interacting with the audience. I needed to have the flexibility to have something at the ready that could reach anywhere in the venue, so the moving lights do a lot of the heavy lifting, picking them out of the crowd.”
Troy Armstrong made some incredible prop pieces, like the Centrepoint Tower and the model of King’s Cross. Apparently, the wonders he can do with recycled cardboard, a waste paper bin and an IKEA toilet brush are truly legendary!
“They are super Lo-fi, but look like a treat,” added Sam. “Centrepoint’s iconic cables have been replaced by copper wire fairy lights and King’s Cross is backlit with torches to make the windows and billboards glow. Then there’s the festoon, which really brings the show out into the audience. No red globe is really the same, which adds some warmth and charm to the space. Finding the balance of making a mess of festoon in the air, without impeding the lighting states on stage is a special skill, but we managed to get away with it this time.”
Moving lights, LED fixtures and fog effects were supplied by Intense Lighting Hire. The workhorses are the Chauvet R1 Washes that deliver the colour, beams and backlight for most of the show. The Claypaky Sharpy Plus fixtures gave the perfect hard edge for dramatic backlight and big vaudeville followspot looks, while also giving extra coverage in hard-to-reach positions. For added key light/colour, Prolight Eclipse CT+ Profiles came in handy FOH, while the six Chauvet Colordash Hex Par 7s under the balconies gave plenty of side colour.
Fixture list (Seymour Centre)
25 x Selecon Acclaim Fresnel
7 x Selecon Rama Fresnel
8 x Strand Quartet 22/44 Profile
8 x Par 64
1 x ETC Ion
Hires (Supplied By Intense Lighting Hire)
6 x Chauvet Colordash Hex 7
4 x Chauvet Rogue R1 Wash Moving Light
2 x Claypaky Sharpy Plus Moving Light
2 x Prolight Eclipse CT+
2 x Chauvet Vesuvio II
1 x Look Solutions Unique 2.0 Hazer
Sam says they had a fairly tight schedule in the theatre before their first audience so he used ETC Augment3d to pre-build most of the show, which was crucial as the show is fairly cue-heavy.
“In general, I find Augment3d is also a great way for me to get my base ideas up and take the time to play, before getting into the room,” he added. “That early work meant that I could focus on filling in blanks and making adjustments. There are a lot of lighting cues moving with the cast, which took the most time to get right. I programmed on an ETC Ion console, with our Stage Manager Ben Musgraves operating the show during the season.
“The team over at the Seymour Centre were a pleasure to work with. Fast, attentive and ready to jump on board, which was necessary to get through to Opening Night. Overall, it was a fast, busy and enjoyable process.”
Photos: John McRae
