TFL and
Simply Red's Special Chandelier
The current tour by Simply Red is attracting praise from
many quarters. Mick Hucknall has produced one of his finest
albums in many years and ticket sales for the concerts
reflect the quality of his output. Quality standards are
similarly applied to the level of presentation for the tour,
not least the stunning stage design by Patrick Woodroffe and
Mark Fisher. Arguably the most emphatic element of the set
is a large lighting chandelier, a multi-faceted crystal form
made of aluminium, hung left of centre stage. A striking
piece of design, it was constructed by one of the UK's
leading set building houses, Total Fabrications Ltd (TFL).
"Total Fabrications have done a great job," said production
director Nick Levitt. "We're now on show four and already it
takes less than an hour to assemble and rig the chandelier."
One of the
leading production managers in the business, Levitt is an
exacting director, and takes issues such as assembly and
rigging time very seriously. In this instance the ubiquitous
Charlie Kail can take some of the praise for the
chandelier's quick assembly time; a regular collaborator
with TFL, it was his experience that steered them towards
the organisation and design of the chandelier's final
touring construction and packaging.
The
chandelier contains 24 egg strobes, 24 bulkhead lights, a
dozen eight foot coloured fluorescents and 4 MAC 2000
profiles rigged from the bottom - all installed and wired by
new company Specialz, who were brought in by TFL. "It's a
very striking piece of kit," concluded Levitt. "Stage sets
should never overwhelm the artist, and from that point of
view the chandelier is quite muted in some respects, but as
a physical entity it complements the attention to detail
that Mick puts into his music."
(Image
and Article courtesy
www.etnow.com)