I had two reasons for wanting to go backstage, which soon became three reasons. The first was professional curiosity. My educational degree is in Theatre Arts (MA, SDSU, 1979), and I am trying to do some research on modern lighting. The second was semi-professional because I am a fanfiction writer. Ahdeya has a series of “Prequels” to her Jellicle Tribe series. We developed a fictional cast and crew to the Twentieth Anniversary Tour, and have written things that have occurred with both cast and crew. By going backstage on a “real” tour set, I hoped to get a bit more realism to my writing. Then, because the three artists provided me with opportunities to meet cast members, I felt beholden to give them something in return - a chance to actually experience CATS in a whole different way. And none of us were disappointed…
To help with the research, Carbuckety (Musicals.Net) patched me through to Neil Frazier, the Chief Electrician for the tour show. Neil was very amiable about allowing the tour, and asked me to meet him in the Circle area after the Matinee on May 21, when I was there in Edinburgh. So, I asked if a small group could follow me… and Ahdeya, Michaela and Rio were invited along. (Please do not blame me if things went missing afterward…)
For those who may not have realized it, the computer has innovated theatrical lighting immensely. So, the very first thing we were introduced to was the lighting and sound boards. The soundboard was a very elaborate mixer, and equipped with a monitor for watching the channel levels. Each performers mike, and every band instrument, had their own sound channel. Even after the show, we could see that the mikes had activity. Too bad we could not have turned them on to listen… Now the light board is computerized with some operator control. Neil gave us our own private light show with the Cat’s Eyes, and the Ante-pro lighting. He demonstrated that the eyes could change color, and blink/shimmer through controls on the board. The intelligent lights could also change color, change gobos, and intensity. “Intelligent” light instruments are a fascinating blend of circuit boards and mechanics. They are termed to be intelligent because they are controlled by computer… In fact, many of the “character” spots are actually “intelligent” lights programmed to come on at a certain time. A good example of seeing one is action comes practically right off when the headlights wash across Demeter! Inside the light housing, the instrument contains a tungsten-halogen lamp (575/1200 watts), and the circuit boards to control the various parts. A typical light has shutters to control the shape of the light, lenses to control the focus, color mixing elements to change colors, and frames that contain shapes (gobo).
After seeing what the boards could do, we proceeded to the backstage. When a set is built for a theatre, it is more or less a permanent structure. The tour set, however, has to be able to be set up and torn down without having to rebuild it all the time. The framing of the pieces is made out of steel bracings, which have wheels on which the piece is rolled on or off trucks (There are 8 semi-tractor/trailer trucks for the show!). Bolts similar to the hinges on doors keep the pieces together. On Stage Left, you can see an oil drum next to the old car’s boot. This is where the left center tunnel is located. Behind the brass headboard set piece, you have the Stage Manager’s post. The SM has a musical score on which are written the sound/light cues. There is also a monitor that shows the stage, and a panel full of switches. Misto’s flash pots and the pyrotechnics for Macavity are controlled from these switches.
Next, Neil invited us out on the set so we could see the details. A lot of the surface work of the set is actually a plastic imprinted sheet with a few of the main props added. The stage floor is a set of bolted pieces that are tilted from the back to the front. The tilt is about 15 degrees. Of course, the most impressive piece on the set is the tire. The Tire is made out of metal, which is logical considering that the piece to be raised and stood upon. Hoses pump the smoke/fog into the body of the tire piece from the back, Underneath, a plastic curtain hides the hydraulic pieces. The smoke and the lights hide the curtain. On the floor, there is a tiger which is the trademark for all CATS floors. Oh… the license plate for the tour car boot is NAP 16. If it had been permitted, we would have had Neil take a picture of us - actually sitting on the tire!
While sitting on the tire, Neil showed us something we did not expect - the reason for the sparks during the exit of Macavity. When Macavity runs the jumper cable across the “car grill,” sparks fly. He got up on the car boot, and snatched something off the grill. In his hand, he held a thick, coin-like piece about the size of a silver-dollar (or 50-pence) that had a red and a black wire coming out of it. The object was a mini-flashpot that was filled with powder and metal fillings. A clip holds the flashpot to the grill, and the wires are connected to the firing contacts. Flick the switch on the SM panel, and the flashpot goes off in a mini-explosion of sparks…
One detail on the set that probably should not be surprising is the “Cat’s Eyes.” During the Overture, you see the set of lights come on that look like glowing cat eyes. What you might not realize is that each set of the eyes is composed of fiber optic lights. However, you need to closely examine one pair of these eyes to realize that the CATS Logo Eyes are used as cover plates for the lights!
Going offstage right, we turned the corner and went behind the scrim. Here, Ahdeya and Michaela went crazy! The main highway for the cast is behind the scrim, which is an interesting construct in of itself. The stars on the scrim are individual nubs of fiber optic lines. The Moon is a circular plastic piece, which can be backlit. Among the back section items are three pieces - the net used to capture Old D (which Ahdeya and Rio had ideas about using…), BJ’s spoon (made out of shaped aluminum), and the interesting fog machine… the reason why the fog did not feel cold is because it was low-temp fog, not made from dry ice. Instead, Liquid Nitrogen is released into a chamber where water is chilled. The liquid nitrogen is causes the water to condense to make fog…
Along the back of the “Main Street,” here is where the majority of the activity was placed. Costume pieces and changes were arranged in temporary closets that were well maintained by wardrobe. Sections of various closets were zoned off by character names, and costume pieces were under character names. Here, the ladies were able to see details of the costumes - patterns, colors, construction, etc. One piece was very interesting - it was a flame-colored collar that was built almost like a ruff. Strands of red, orange and yellow were woven to create a shimmering flame color, and the ends were flared outward almost like feathering. The four collars are use with the Macavity replicas! One other piece proved to be interesting as well - remember the debate on the “henchcat vs. henchrat?” Here, we examined one of the headpieces. The facemask was rubber with the mane being plastic ribbons of shiny black. The facemask was definitely cat-like - not rat. Our vote is “Henchcat!” All the “secondary” costumes, such as the beetles and the Siamese, have their place backstage along “Main Street.” The helmets for the Siamese are actually made of silver fabric over sculptured foam. Cut plastic sheeting form the “trash bag” outfits for the Beetles.
Up until this time, we had not seen the orchestra! The musicians are in a studio behind the main backstage. Because of the elaborate sound system, the orchestra did not need to be onstage. When I located the conductor’s podium, I also found the camera that is trained on him. We thought we had seen the conductor off stage left, but all we saw was the Assistant Stage Manager’s monitor. Unfortunately, the conductor’s score was not there, so I was not able to see if Skimbleshanks really “does” have a 13/8 time in it somewhere…
Another section that was off of the backstage area was a “Spare Costume” Morgue. All the show’s spare and leftover costumes and wigs have a place here. The Swing Costumes and wigs reside in the closest closets, but it was the ones further on that got the attention. Many costumes are held over from previous shows “just in case.” One such set of costumes were a pair of Mistoffelees jackets. The older of the two was the one worn by Jacob Brett in the CATS video. Neil showed us the interior of the jacket, which made us appreciate the new one Gui-Paul wears. The new jacket uses fiber optics for the lighting, and he had a touch switch to turn the lights on and off. Jacob’s coat had two wires that he touched together. With the wiring to a series of mini-light-bulbs, the jacket weighed a total of 7 pounds (3 kg)!!! And Jacob was wired into the jacket, so he had to wear it throughout the number! Gui-Paul can take his jacket off. An apology to the “anti-fur” people… one of the Grizabella costumes in the morgue is real fur. A lot of CATS history was in those crates…
Neil managed to show us the final touches - above the stage! One of the things I wanted to know was how the lighting instruments were hung for the show. Much of the lighting is hung on “beams” or pipes that are suspended in the fly section above the stage, and from pipes on the side of the arch and above the house. In the fly area, the lights are clamped into bridges - which is a steel frame that can be “folded” for travel. Laid out, a bridge is clamped onto a beam, and raised into the fly area. Composed of mostly intelligent lights, focusing is no longer a problem. Minute changes to the lighting program, and the job is done! A typical setup is roughly two days and is done typically in the mornings. One such bridge holds the last two pieces for the show - the staircase and the trapdoor. The ladies were amazed at the staircase, which is relatively narrow and has only a handrail that does not really look all that supportive. The coverings of the sides are lit by the ever-present fiber optics, and a “smoke hose” for the fog is run up into the fly. The use of the “Nitrogen” fog prevents the slippery conditions that mineral oil fog caused in the past. The trapdoor for Mistoffelees to descend during is number is placed directly over the center of the arch. A motorized winch raises and lowers the rope, which has only a foot and hand loop - no safety line… Gui-Paul said that he actually trusts a human operator on the rope rather than the motor. He told us that the winch got stuck one time, with him about 10 feet off the floor. With a human operator, he just makes sure to remain good friends…
The last stop brought us to the packing area where crates waited for the show pieces. Here, Neil dissected a pair of the intelligent lights. In my days, we had two main workhorses in lighting - the “Fresnel” and the “Ellipsoidal Spotlight” (or “Leko”). The Fresnel is a general “wash” light - which means it splashes unfocused light over a specified area. The Leko was a bit more specialized. With top and side shutters and a focus slide, a specific area light that can define what is lit. The light is called an ellipsoidal spot because of the shape of the mirror that reflects the light from the bulb, and the characteristics of the light pool. These two light instruments are now called “dumb” lights… all manually manipulated… But the two instruments that have pretty much taken their place were impressive toys. Again, they are termed “intelligent” because they can be programmed to do specific tasks.
The base of the intelligent Fresnel and Leko looks pretty much like the desktop model of your average PC. Inside the box, the instrument has its transmitter, power box, and the servo-motors for the instrument’s “spin” (side-to-side) or rotational movement on the horizontal axis. Suspended from the controller box, the cradle contains the wiring to the light, and the servo-motors to the instrument’s pitch (up/down) or rotational movement on the vertical axis. But the biggest part of the lighting control is centered in the new lighting instrument itself. Tucked inside the housing, the instruments controls and inner mechanisms create a computerized light. The lamp (or “bulb”) is a tungsten-halogen setup that is reminiscent of an old “carbon arc” spotlight. Electric current enters at one end, and then jumps (arcs) across a small space to create an intensely bright blue-white light. Each one of these lamps is about £75 each, and the estimated cost for lighting the show is about £6,000 every 12 weeks… Interspaced are circuit boards that control the focusing, the shutters on the “leko” version, and color mixing elements. On the lekos, there are various gobos that operate very much like a CD changer. Neil mentioned that although the intelligent lights are a major improvement over the “dumb” lights, you can still “burn your fingers on them…”
At this point our tour came to an end, but I am in hopes that the effect of the tour will help you, the reader, remember one more set of people. In going through the backstage, I was reminded about the backstage crew. These people are the “unsung heroes and heroines” of the stage. The stage and lighting managers, the wardrobe, dressers, conductors, musicians, and makeup technicians who stand behind the set, and help create the illusions with the performers - but seldom get the applause. In writing this trip report, I am in hope that maybe this will give them a little recognition for the work they do in helping to bring you not only CATS, but all the theatrical and musical works of art.
How did we get such an elaborate backstage tour? I would like to credit a lot to Neil Frazier’s generosity and the fact that he had a group of adults who asked intelligent, searching questions about how things worked. This was a chance for the technician and crewmember to show off some of the amazing instrumentation and pieces that makes a show work. I was up front with Neil in that I had been in the theatre and had worked in university and amateur theatre lighting and stage, and the report will eventually be seen in a work in progress. I think this helped in having Neil show us the mechanical and technical pieces of the set. The ladies had costuming savvy, which helped in viewing the costume pieces. All this, and being CATS fans, gave us a tour that the four of us will remember for a long time…
So, when you see the cast motioning to Stage Left at their bows, they are paying tribute to the many people behind the stage. Be sure you add just a little to your applause when they do, and give them a little of your appreciation…
Our thanks to Neil Frazier, Chief Electrician, CATS - UK Tour.
Respectfully submitted,
Rumblepurr (AKA Dennis)
NOTE: Pictures were not allowed due to copyright restrictions - Neil has indicated that RUG does have packaged information that he will send as soon as he can.
