Busking in Goo

November 20, 2006

On Monday, November 13, 2006 the musical Busker Alley by Richard M. and Robert B. Sherman (of Mary Poppins fame) was presented for one night only at the Danny Kaye Theatre at Hunter College, starring Jim Dale and Glenn Close. The packed audience was assembled for a charity in aid of the York Theatre Company.

The production was directed and designed by Tony Walton with lighting by Richard Pilbrow, TPC Founder and Chairman Emeritus. Stan Pressner, a TPC Affiliate, was the associate lighting designer.

Buskers were English street performers who improvised entertainment for crowds queuing for theatre tickets in mid 20th century London. At the Danny Kaye, what began as a staged reading, developed after two weeks of rehearsal into a fully staged and choreographed musical, with 160 lighting cues and 70 full stage scene projections — all staged between 1:30 pm and 6:30 pm on the afternoon of the show!

A notable feature - apart from the very rapidly 'busked' production - was the projection onto the black sharkstooth scrim. Thanks to Rosebrand's generous contribution, the scrim was treated with Screen Goo, a substance that dramatically improves the reflectivity of an apparently black surface. Not only is an otherwise invisible projection made powerfully visible, when lit from behind it becomes transparent. Screen Goo also removes wrinkles in the fabric and has an almost 180° viewing angle, transforming almost any surface into a brilliant projection screen.

For more on Screen Goo:
www.rosebrand.com
www.goosystems.com