London Rocks: A Backstage Experience

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CastleOSullivan

CastleOSullivan

Sep 29, 2009
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When I reserved the tour, I was given seats towards the middle back section of the theatre. I was very happy that they did this. Prior to that weekend, all of the reserved seating was so far upfront that all you could see was that annoying spiral backdrop. It's only annoying if that's the only thing you can see. Thankfully, I guess they were able to take a hint. From where I was seated, I was able to see everything, but I was still able to see the expressions on the performers faces. That is very important to me. As a bonus, it seemed like I found a “sweet spot” for both audio and special effects.

 The performance itself was a slight letdown to me. Most of this was due to the new choreography that the performers only had one night to memorize. The singing was also overdone at parts. The other problem was that they changed the equalizer settings on the sound system to simulate a live concert. I don't know about you, but when I think of a live concert, top-notch sound quality is the last thing that comes to mind. This was/Is such a shame, because the sound designer obviously put so much hard work into making sure that everything was acoustically perfect. It didn't help that most of the show is not even supposed to be a live concert.

The tour itself, I thought was fun, but not worth the price. The photo op. was the main highlight. I would have liked to have them explain more how stuff works. There really isn't enough time in the day though. I posted some photos from the tour on Flickr in this album here.
I hope to give my own take on the creative process sometime soon!
 
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No doubt I enjoyed it very much! I should have expressed that part better. The problem is that I don't think I should've had to ask so many questions. Maybe if they get a regular tour guide that's outgoing, that would make it feel more complete. Although, I loved being able to talk to someone that has first-hand experience. She was very nice and willing to answer all of the questions to the best of her abilities. Come to think of it, most people on these forums would probably enjoy seeing that tight backstage area enough in itself. That is quite amazing to me. I wonder how they ever pulled of productions in the past. That's why the Abbeystone became the flagship theatre for so long.
 
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I actually thought that was a benefit for the tour. They showed you the basics and then if you want to go deeper into it you can if you ask. When you look at the tour it is divided between two demographics, those who love technical theater, those who want to meet the cast. I think not dwelling on the backstage area too much unless you ask to helps for those who want a quick look but they are really more interested in meeting the cast. I do love the technical aspect and should I do the tour again I would love to try to push the limits of what we can do. It makes it more personable that way.

As far as the Abbeystone goes I heard the backstage space there was worse. Water seeping out of electrical panels, broken ceilings and the such. I really would love a backstage tour there as well, but with those types of issues I'm sure it may be awhile.
 
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