International. With its mix of saints and sinners, Hot Box dancers and street gamblers, colorful costumes and evocative stages, Guys and Dolls is as captivating today as it was when it debuted on Broadway in 1950. This was evident by the time Tony Award-winning musical Frank Loesser kicked off the 2019 season at the St. Louis Municipal Opera House ("The Muny") on June 10.
Part of the appeal, no doubt, was due to the timeless quality of this sweet but daring story of the New York underworld, but also enchanting the audience was something decidedly more modern: the theater's new state-of-the-art LED lighting system featuring more than 700 Chauvet Professional luminaires supplied and installed by Bandit Lites.
Great plays never seem to age, but the same cannot be said for the best theatres. This is why The Muny, the largest and oldest outdoor musical theater in the United States, chose to begin its "second hundred years", with a new stage system that, in addition to IP-rated LED lighting, features a turntable, three tracks, five elevators for stages and actors on the move, LED screens and a protected orchestra pit.
"The Muny embarked on this upgrade so they could continue to deliver the most rewarding theatrical experience for the community," said Rob Denton, lighting designer for the 11,000-seat venue, which opened under the poster of The Muny on June 16, 1919.
Denton, who was instrumental in updating the lighting and worked with Bandit Lites on its execution, notes that the theater's main goal was to create an LED system that was more flexible and energy efficient. Based on his experience in lighting Guys and Dolls, as well as the productions that followed, he feels that the new system has more than met expectations.
"The new equipment allows us to have a wider appearance than before and the ability to unify our lighting with the vitality and feel of Chauvet Professional F4 IP LED video walls," he said. "It also gives me, as well as any visiting designer, a greater ability to focus on the collective eye of the audience. This is true if we are illuminating a modern musical where we want vibrant light, or a classic show that requires the traditional warmth of the tungsten lamp. In each case, we can evoke the desired mood."
The new lighting equipment plays a key role with its 310 Ovation E-910FC IP indoor/outdoor ellipsoidal units that mix color, 130 Ovation Ovation E-260WW IP warm white light equipment and 205 COLORado 3 Solo parts. Many of these pieces of equipment are hung on a 56-meter stretch that extends over the deck below. From this position, they provide front light, texture throughout the stage and lighting of scenic elements.
In addition, Ovation luminaires together with a small number of COLORado 3 units are placed in different side positions for cross-lighting and template coverage. The Ovation E-260WW and COLORado 3 Solo units are also placed in lattice over the video wall and are used for stage lighting and backlighting of the entire stage. The stage background structure is illuminated with 22 COLORado Solo Batten equipment, while the COLORado 3 Solo units provide downward illumination. Adding another new dimension to The Muny's stage are the massive back video wall and the two side walls that are made with 238 F4 LED video panels.
"The whole new platform is my baby," Denton said. "I have been working on the design of the system for several years. For me, the most important thing I've noticed is the light quality of all the devices, especially the E-910FC and E-260WW. They have amazing color and quality, so it looks like you're using a traditional tungsten lamp, but of course they're LED units with all the advantages it brings. Also, like the rest of the system, they are rated for outdoors."
Denton has also heard enthusiastic reviews of the new lighting system from his colleagues. "The rest of the creative team here has noticed a noticeable difference in the quality and capability of the lighting design," he said. "Everyone agrees that it opens up new possibilities in storytelling."
Apparently, the creative staff members at The Muny aren't the only ones impressed with the updated lighting. Writing about the production of Guys and Dolls in the theater, the St. Louis Post Dispatch critic highlighted the writing of the LED system: "Particularly representative of the new technology is a scene set in Havana. It's so richly evocative, and so brilliantly realized, that you'll want to get on stage and order a drink."
