RE: London Rocks! (2014 to Present)
I should have taken that tour so I could have met two of you right there.
I should have taken that tour so I could have met two of you right there.
London Rocks!
- Thread starter Zachary
- Start date
RE: London Rocks! (2014 to Present)
The smell of strawberry fields of love is brought to you buy ScentAir, a company specializing in scent machines and scents. There are approximately three to four ScentWave machines on each side of the theater.
One of these machines can also be found in Emerald Isle; however, is broke and was never fixed.
The smell of strawberry fields of love is brought to you buy ScentAir, a company specializing in scent machines and scents. There are approximately three to four ScentWave machines on each side of the theater.
One of these machines can also be found in Emerald Isle; however, is broke and was never fixed.
RE: London Rocks! (2014 to Present)
The scent is, most likely, based upon ethyl methylphenylglycidate, which is more commonly known as strawberry aldehyde or aldehyde c16, though it's not actually an aldehyde but an epoxide/ester. It's the same chemical used for almost every artificial strawberry scent and flavoring (it's edible as well as being a perfumery ingredient). It's quite powerful, so I suspect dispersing it in some sort of vaporous medium is relatively easy.
I'm a (part time) perfumer in case you're wondering why I know about this chemical. I'm not sure how many people care about the chemistry of London Rocks, but I figured that this is the sort of obsessive detail that may find a good home at an obsessive fan forum like ours.
The scent is, most likely, based upon ethyl methylphenylglycidate, which is more commonly known as strawberry aldehyde or aldehyde c16, though it's not actually an aldehyde but an epoxide/ester. It's the same chemical used for almost every artificial strawberry scent and flavoring (it's edible as well as being a perfumery ingredient). It's quite powerful, so I suspect dispersing it in some sort of vaporous medium is relatively easy.
I'm a (part time) perfumer in case you're wondering why I know about this chemical. I'm not sure how many people care about the chemistry of London Rocks, but I figured that this is the sort of obsessive detail that may find a good home at an obsessive fan forum like ours.
RE: London Rocks! (2014 to Present)
They do work, I'm not sure what the issue is, but I believe a lot of it is timing and intensity. Also if you sit closer to the center you don't get the strong scent. Also overuse could be an issue. The scent will just stick around so when they do try the effect you don't notice a change in smell.
They do work, I'm not sure what the issue is, but I believe a lot of it is timing and intensity. Also if you sit closer to the center you don't get the strong scent. Also overuse could be an issue. The scent will just stick around so when they do try the effect you don't notice a change in smell.
RE: London Rocks! (2014 to Present)
When I saw this for the first time Wednesday, I walked into the theatre and it smelled like strawberries. During the show when the scent machines turned on, it smelled like chap stick.
When I saw this for the first time Wednesday, I walked into the theatre and it smelled like strawberries. During the show when the scent machines turned on, it smelled like chap stick.
RE: London Rocks! (2014 to Present)
I've actually been thinking a lot about theater scents. The Globe and Abbeystone both have very distinct smells all year long. It's like when you walk through the door you know where you are at. I love it actually. I mean, I love just being able to walk in and smell those scents and know the theater because it brings back the memories of other shows in there as well. Not so much the Globe at the moment, but the Abbeystone for sure.
I've actually been thinking a lot about theater scents. The Globe and Abbeystone both have very distinct smells all year long. It's like when you walk through the door you know where you are at. I love it actually. I mean, I love just being able to walk in and smell those scents and know the theater because it brings back the memories of other shows in there as well. Not so much the Globe at the moment, but the Abbeystone for sure.
RE: London Rocks! (2014 to Present)
When diffused in lower concentrations, strawberry glycidate smells of strawberries, but in high concentration the material also has a sort of fatty, waxy smell. I suspect that the theater got too high of a concentration of the aroma material. That has always been a problem with scent diffusers in theatrical settings: how to remove the odor once the effect is done. Many aroma materials are quite tenacious, so if you keep using the effect, the stuff builds up and the scent can become distorted and overwhelming. The smell of a drop of strawberry glycidate lasts about 200 hours on a piece of blotting paper before it fades away.
Evan said:
When diffused in lower concentrations, strawberry glycidate smells of strawberries, but in high concentration the material also has a sort of fatty, waxy smell. I suspect that the theater got too high of a concentration of the aroma material. That has always been a problem with scent diffusers in theatrical settings: how to remove the odor once the effect is done. Many aroma materials are quite tenacious, so if you keep using the effect, the stuff builds up and the scent can become distorted and overwhelming. The smell of a drop of strawberry glycidate lasts about 200 hours on a piece of blotting paper before it fades away.
RE: London Rocks! (2014 to Present)
I'm glad I'm not the only one who thinks this!! And it's different smells throughout HOS and CT, as well.
Party Rocker said:
I'm glad I'm not the only one who thinks this!! And it's different smells throughout HOS and CT, as well.
RE: London Rocks! (2014 to Present)
My husband and I felt the Abbystone smelled like mold and it made him feel ill. The the fake strawberry smell in the Globe reminds me of a cheap air freshener, and is one of my biggest objections to the show experience.
My husband and I felt the Abbystone smelled like mold and it made him feel ill. The the fake strawberry smell in the Globe reminds me of a cheap air freshener, and is one of my biggest objections to the show experience.
RE: London Rocks! (2014 to Present)
I too think the Abbeystone smells of water and mildew, but in some strange way I like that smell. Maybe just because it reminds me of Celtic Fyre.
I too think the Abbeystone smells of water and mildew, but in some strange way I like that smell. Maybe just because it reminds me of Celtic Fyre.
RE: London Rocks! (2014 to Present)
The smell in the Abbeystone always makes my nose stuffy. I don't really mind that much, because my nose always gets stuffy in extreme heat or humidity.
The smell in the Abbeystone always makes my nose stuffy. I don't really mind that much, because my nose always gets stuffy in extreme heat or humidity.
RE: London Rocks! (2014 to Present)
I'm going to finally experience this nightmare, and now people are saying the theater smells like fake strawberries. I hate that scent so much. I hate artificial strawberries so much.
(also Abbeystone's smell doesn't have anything on the smell inside Castle O'Sullivan back when it had the show. idk if it still smells that way now with all the dining things that are put inside.)
I'm going to finally experience this nightmare, and now people are saying the theater smells like fake strawberries. I hate that scent so much. I hate artificial strawberries so much.
(also Abbeystone's smell doesn't have anything on the smell inside Castle O'Sullivan back when it had the show. idk if it still smells that way now with all the dining things that are put inside.)
RE: London Rocks! (2014 to Present)
A few weeks ago, I kept smelling strawberries throughout almost the entire show. They smelled so good; much more so than the faux. At some point I finally looked to my right and saw that a small child was eating a big cup of those things. True story...
A few weeks ago, I kept smelling strawberries throughout almost the entire show. They smelled so good; much more so than the faux. At some point I finally looked to my right and saw that a small child was eating a big cup of those things. True story...
RE: London Rocks! (2014 to Present)
Funny story about that: Initially, when the set for the show was undergoing the final steps of construction, moss was one of the details they added. Of course, the moss was fake, and placed very strategically to make it look like an aged castle. A few years went by, and one day I guess it hit someone that something wasn't quite right with the theatre. Someone showed a photo comparison of when the show first opened, compared to the way the set looked at that current time. I will have to try to find two photos to compare, because it's quite shocking. Most of this was caused by the water curtain and rain that was originally part of the show, before Seamus was replaced with a live actor. For several years after that, they did renovations. Now, as a dining location, they have gotten rid of most of it. Here is one photo that makes it hard to differentiate fake vs real.
Applesauce said:
Funny story about that: Initially, when the set for the show was undergoing the final steps of construction, moss was one of the details they added. Of course, the moss was fake, and placed very strategically to make it look like an aged castle. A few years went by, and one day I guess it hit someone that something wasn't quite right with the theatre. Someone showed a photo comparison of when the show first opened, compared to the way the set looked at that current time. I will have to try to find two photos to compare, because it's quite shocking. Most of this was caused by the water curtain and rain that was originally part of the show, before Seamus was replaced with a live actor. For several years after that, they did renovations. Now, as a dining location, they have gotten rid of most of it. Here is one photo that makes it hard to differentiate fake vs real.
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RE: London Rocks! (2014 to Present)
Hey guys, I suggest we move discussions about other theaters to more appropriate threads. And yes, I am just as guilty as everyone else.
Hey guys, I suggest we move discussions about other theaters to more appropriate threads. And yes, I am just as guilty as everyone else.
RE: London Rocks! (2014 to Present)
In perfumery, a "base" is a blend of various synthetic and natural odorants that serves to replicate some natural (or other) scent, and/or as a building block for more complicated fragrance compositions. Bases are sort of like mini-perfumes, and sometimes contain dozens of different chemicals and materials. Some perfumers make their own bases, but most purchase proprietary bases from fragrance companies. Many commercial bases are absolute masterpieces, some of them famous, decades-old compositions. Bases can be abstract, like the famous "Mousse de Saxe", which is a mossy, woody, smoky, dark smell that was used in a number of classical perfumes, or they can be representational, like the many, many rose bases that are available. Bases are used to save time; why spend the time to make a rose note for your fragrance when there are many good ones that can be bought "off the rack"?
Of course, not all commercially available bases are good, and sometimes single materials, like the aforementioned strawberry glycidate, are considered "close enough" and are used to represent natural scents that are much more complicated than a single chemical. It's sort of like trying to paint a still-life of a strawberry using only red paint.
Strawberry is a very difficult scent to duplicate with synthetic odorants. I have yet to smell a really good strawberry base. One of the problems with trying to recreate natural scents, like strawberries, is that many of the components of the smell of real strawberries are very "fugitive"; in other words, they're chemicals that last only a short period of time before they fade away. A real strawberry keeps exuding more of these materials, so the smell remains relatively constant. But try mixing up all these chemicals in a bottle, then spraying it onto your hand, and some of the important odorants, sometimes present in the most minute quantities, evaporate. You're then left with the less volatile odorants, and the mixture ceasse smelling like strawberries because it's now missing pieces. This problem is multiplied due to the staggering complexity of many natural scents. For instance, the odor of real strawberries contains more than 350 different volatile molecules!
The popular solution to this problem is to find a material or materials, often ones not even present in the natural smell you're trying to replicate, that say "STRAWBERRY!" when smelled by the average person. Strawberry glycidate is one such material. It's a cartoon caricature of a strawberry, as one-dimensional as you can get, but most people when smelling it will think "STRAWBERRY!", and in the one-dimensional context of something like London Rocks!— or a Strawberry Shortcake doll from the '80s— that's probably considered good enough. The same goes for any low-end strawberry-scented or -flavored product: the one-dimensional caricature of berries given by ethyl methylphenylglycidate is considered good enough.
This is one of the reasons that the perfume and flavor industry has such a bad reputation; passing off cheap and flat as good enough. I would not want to sit and smell strawberry glycidate for 25 minutes while watching London Rocks!... that sounds like the "therapy" from "A Clockwork Orange", to use an apt reference from Scott's beloved Swinging London era.
Applesauce said:
In perfumery, a "base" is a blend of various synthetic and natural odorants that serves to replicate some natural (or other) scent, and/or as a building block for more complicated fragrance compositions. Bases are sort of like mini-perfumes, and sometimes contain dozens of different chemicals and materials. Some perfumers make their own bases, but most purchase proprietary bases from fragrance companies. Many commercial bases are absolute masterpieces, some of them famous, decades-old compositions. Bases can be abstract, like the famous "Mousse de Saxe", which is a mossy, woody, smoky, dark smell that was used in a number of classical perfumes, or they can be representational, like the many, many rose bases that are available. Bases are used to save time; why spend the time to make a rose note for your fragrance when there are many good ones that can be bought "off the rack"?
Of course, not all commercially available bases are good, and sometimes single materials, like the aforementioned strawberry glycidate, are considered "close enough" and are used to represent natural scents that are much more complicated than a single chemical. It's sort of like trying to paint a still-life of a strawberry using only red paint.
Strawberry is a very difficult scent to duplicate with synthetic odorants. I have yet to smell a really good strawberry base. One of the problems with trying to recreate natural scents, like strawberries, is that many of the components of the smell of real strawberries are very "fugitive"; in other words, they're chemicals that last only a short period of time before they fade away. A real strawberry keeps exuding more of these materials, so the smell remains relatively constant. But try mixing up all these chemicals in a bottle, then spraying it onto your hand, and some of the important odorants, sometimes present in the most minute quantities, evaporate. You're then left with the less volatile odorants, and the mixture ceasse smelling like strawberries because it's now missing pieces. This problem is multiplied due to the staggering complexity of many natural scents. For instance, the odor of real strawberries contains more than 350 different volatile molecules!
The popular solution to this problem is to find a material or materials, often ones not even present in the natural smell you're trying to replicate, that say "STRAWBERRY!" when smelled by the average person. Strawberry glycidate is one such material. It's a cartoon caricature of a strawberry, as one-dimensional as you can get, but most people when smelling it will think "STRAWBERRY!", and in the one-dimensional context of something like London Rocks!— or a Strawberry Shortcake doll from the '80s— that's probably considered good enough. The same goes for any low-end strawberry-scented or -flavored product: the one-dimensional caricature of berries given by ethyl methylphenylglycidate is considered good enough.
This is one of the reasons that the perfume and flavor industry has such a bad reputation; passing off cheap and flat as good enough. I would not want to sit and smell strawberry glycidate for 25 minutes while watching London Rocks!... that sounds like the "therapy" from "A Clockwork Orange", to use an apt reference from Scott's beloved Swinging London era.
RE: London Rocks! (2014 to Present)
the (over)use of the odor is just one of many technical issues with that show.
the (over)use of the odor is just one of many technical issues with that show.
RE: London Rocks! (2014 to Present)
Jonquil, I may not understand all of which you said, but all I know is, strawberries are my favorite food of all time. So I'm more or less offended by artificial strawberry things.
I am not looking forward to smelling fake ass strawberries while watching this show. I'm gonna try to keep an open mind when I watch this, but the warning of "the theater smells of fake strawberries" just might ruin this for me.
Jonquil, I may not understand all of which you said, but all I know is, strawberries are my favorite food of all time. So I'm more or less offended by artificial strawberry things.
I am not looking forward to smelling fake ass strawberries while watching this show. I'm gonna try to keep an open mind when I watch this, but the warning of "the theater smells of fake strawberries" just might ruin this for me.
RE: London Rocks! (2014 to Present)
Excuse the double post, but I just got home from the park. My dad and my goal today was to watch this show.
And wow, there are no words. I'll start with what my dad thought of the show. He didn't like how they got married. He understood who Lucy was, but the guy was a mystery. He felt that the wedding (and having kids) was out of place. He didn't like the Queen. Or rather, he didn't understand the purpose of the Queen. He thought it was alright, until the puppet children happened. Then everything just sort of fell on it's face. He also didn't like how the songs were mashed up like they were.
However, he did like Octopus's Garden, he hated the puppets, but he liked that number. He said it's mostly because they actually sang a lot of that song, rather than a line and moved on. His final thoughts on the matter were "This show belongs at Busch Gardens Colorado. Because marijuana is legal there, and that's the only way you'll really understand what happened in the show."
Now for what I thought. Plain and simple, it was a hot mess.
The projectors were blurry. They actually managed to fix one? Even though it might have been an accident, but something happened and one side at least was lined up properly. Along with the projections, the animation in the beginning of the show, the longer I watched it the more I began to realize that the walk cycles don't loop properly, especially on the police officer, that was the one I noticed it the most. (This is an animation mistake, rather than a projection mistake.)
Next, when the show began, I actually found myself enjoying it so much more than when I watched the original video. The narration helped a lot. (Though people have mentioned the line "Have a Sunny Day!" in the past, and I think they dropped the line, as it wasn't in this show.) I was beginning to think that this show might have actually gotten it right finally.
I didn't really care for Lucy's and the guy's 'romance'. I didn't feel any sort of emotional connection, or see reasons to say "yes these two are in love, and I accept their feelings to get married." It seemed to be a bit more of a crush than anything else. Not to mention, after the bit with Lucy daydreaming, the narration sort of stops. So I felt a bit lost between the transition from music store to Vegas wedding chapel.
And then the puppets happened. And any hope I had for the show getting better flew out the window. They were awful. Please ditch the puppets, just have actors portray children. I don't want to see those puppets again. And the line "If you kids don't stop it, we're not going to the aquarium." Really doesn't fit. I know they're trying to explain The Octopus's Garden, but there's nothing in that scene that says "Aquarium" other than a Walrus, an Octopus and a Alligator.
The part with the parents fighting, still doesn't seem like the parents are fighting??? It just all seems vaguely angry. But, not really fighting.
And the finale, there are no words to describe how much of a mess that was.
I did smell the strawberries. And I want to air out the theater. It was waxy and too sweet, and clearly smelled of artificial strawberries. Ugh. I hate artificial strawberries so much.
Also, were the '4D' effects really necessary? Really. I don't need my seat to vibrate, or a blast of air on my head. It's a live show, not a movie. Please stop. (This makes me concerned for Monster Stomp. The last thing I want to to watch Monster Stomp with vibrating chairs.)
Excuse the double post, but I just got home from the park. My dad and my goal today was to watch this show.
And wow, there are no words. I'll start with what my dad thought of the show. He didn't like how they got married. He understood who Lucy was, but the guy was a mystery. He felt that the wedding (and having kids) was out of place. He didn't like the Queen. Or rather, he didn't understand the purpose of the Queen. He thought it was alright, until the puppet children happened. Then everything just sort of fell on it's face. He also didn't like how the songs were mashed up like they were.
However, he did like Octopus's Garden, he hated the puppets, but he liked that number. He said it's mostly because they actually sang a lot of that song, rather than a line and moved on. His final thoughts on the matter were "This show belongs at Busch Gardens Colorado. Because marijuana is legal there, and that's the only way you'll really understand what happened in the show."
Now for what I thought. Plain and simple, it was a hot mess.
The projectors were blurry. They actually managed to fix one? Even though it might have been an accident, but something happened and one side at least was lined up properly. Along with the projections, the animation in the beginning of the show, the longer I watched it the more I began to realize that the walk cycles don't loop properly, especially on the police officer, that was the one I noticed it the most. (This is an animation mistake, rather than a projection mistake.)
Next, when the show began, I actually found myself enjoying it so much more than when I watched the original video. The narration helped a lot. (Though people have mentioned the line "Have a Sunny Day!" in the past, and I think they dropped the line, as it wasn't in this show.) I was beginning to think that this show might have actually gotten it right finally.
I didn't really care for Lucy's and the guy's 'romance'. I didn't feel any sort of emotional connection, or see reasons to say "yes these two are in love, and I accept their feelings to get married." It seemed to be a bit more of a crush than anything else. Not to mention, after the bit with Lucy daydreaming, the narration sort of stops. So I felt a bit lost between the transition from music store to Vegas wedding chapel.
And then the puppets happened. And any hope I had for the show getting better flew out the window. They were awful. Please ditch the puppets, just have actors portray children. I don't want to see those puppets again. And the line "If you kids don't stop it, we're not going to the aquarium." Really doesn't fit. I know they're trying to explain The Octopus's Garden, but there's nothing in that scene that says "Aquarium" other than a Walrus, an Octopus and a Alligator.
The part with the parents fighting, still doesn't seem like the parents are fighting??? It just all seems vaguely angry. But, not really fighting.
And the finale, there are no words to describe how much of a mess that was.
I did smell the strawberries. And I want to air out the theater. It was waxy and too sweet, and clearly smelled of artificial strawberries. Ugh. I hate artificial strawberries so much.
Also, were the '4D' effects really necessary? Really. I don't need my seat to vibrate, or a blast of air on my head. It's a live show, not a movie. Please stop. (This makes me concerned for Monster Stomp. The last thing I want to to watch Monster Stomp with vibrating chairs.)