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| re: Beauty and the Beast / Transformation Scene | |
| Posted by: tmdonahue (tmdonahue@yahoo.com) 05:14 pm EDT 08/30/20 | |
| In reply to: Beauty and the Beast / Transformation Scene - BroadwayPhan 04:00 pm EDT 08/30/20 | |
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| I don't know but here's a little google research. Susan Egan, the original Belle, told an interviewer: “I was part of the mechanics of it. Even though I understood the slight of hand that was happening for the audience, from where I was sitting—it was before GoPros existed, but I wished I was wearing a GoPro so the audience could see that even from my point of view, it was spectacular. It’s a combination of dramatically what’s happening in the moment, of the mechanics of this ingenious David Copperfield effect (it was his designer who created it), and the music and how Michael Kosarin arranged it to peak at the right time. We had something like 10 Vari-Lites; no Broadway show had a Vari-Lite in those days. It can turn 360 degrees and change colors through computers instead of through gels. Before that, lights were static. At the perfect second, all these Vari-Lites did a 360 rotation and changed colors from different colors to white. The second that all 10 of them were shining at the audience, blinding them for a microsecond to facing all on the Beast, who is now the Prince. In the second that everyone was blinded, that’s when everything was happening. That’s when I was doing what I was supposed to be doing. That’s when Terry was doing what he was supposed to be doing. That’s when mechanics were doing what they were supposed to be doing. It all happened in that second.” Theatrecrafts.com writes: "The transformation effect from Beast back to man involved a lift mechanism built into the castle truck, a little stage magic, and some spectacular lighting effects." Flying by Foy says Disney consulted them for the flying of some part of the Beast at the transformation. So I'm guessing that either the Beast costume (Foy mentions a "custom aluminum harness" was flown during the lighting change, leaving the Prince alone. Or maybe a beast actor was flown and the prince pops up from a star trap. |
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| re: Beauty and the Beast / Transformation Scene | |
| Posted by: EvFoDr 08:02 pm EDT 08/30/20 | |
| In reply to: re: Beauty and the Beast / Transformation Scene - tmdonahue 05:14 pm EDT 08/30/20 | |
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| I think Egan's answer supports this, but I'd always heard that people involved were contractually bound not to disclose this magic. Egan's words are sufficiently vague enough that they don't actually describe the mechanics of the trick. And the poster below, who also seems to know how it's done, chose to make some clarifications but also did not disclose the details. Additionally I had a good friend who played the sorceress, and she is subjetc to a similar effect when she transforms during the prologue sequence, and always refused to tell me--a close friend--how it was done! | |
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| re: The Apple Tree / Transformation Scene | |
| Last Edit: lordofspeech 11:38 am EDT 08/31/20 | |
| Posted by: lordofspeech 11:37 am EDT 08/31/20 | |
| In reply to: re: Beauty and the Beast / Transformation Scene - EvFoDr 08:02 pm EDT 08/30/20 | |
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| Back in the late 60’s, there was a similarly astonishing and instantaneous transformation moment when Barbara Harris went from the adorably shlubby, begrimed chimney-sweep into the movie-star diva of her dreams. There was but a plume of smoke and a flash, and there was the blonde, bosomy, gold besequinned goddess. (You can find it on the Tony Awards show for that year.). I think it since came out that there was a double for the shlubby chimney-sweep who performed in mime, often with her back to us, during Larry Blyden’s narration. It was, for all its simplicity, totally magic. | |
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| re: Beauty and the Beast / Transformation Scene | |
| Posted by: portenopete 10:23 am EDT 08/31/20 | |
| In reply to: re: Beauty and the Beast / Transformation Scene - EvFoDr 08:02 pm EDT 08/30/20 | |
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| A friend of mine was the cover for awhile and he was very loyal and didn't spill the beans. I remember it being a pretty incredible moment. | |
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| re: Beauty and the Beast / Transformation Scene | |
| Posted by: Chromolume 09:41 pm EDT 08/31/20 | |
| In reply to: re: Beauty and the Beast / Transformation Scene - portenopete 10:23 am EDT 08/31/20 | |
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| and he was very loyal and didn't spill the beans. Which is pretty remarkable in a show where the plates dance on their edges...;-) |
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| re: Beauty and the Beast / Transformation Scene | |
| Posted by: kess0078 05:52 pm EDT 08/30/20 | |
| In reply to: re: Beauty and the Beast / Transformation Scene - tmdonahue 05:14 pm EDT 08/30/20 | |
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| Without giving too much away - there IS a Beast body double used, but not during during the transformation. All the transformation magic happens with the one actor playing the Beast. The mechanics of the transformation was actually kind of clunky - I thought it was really loud. But just as Egan describes, from the audience it is a masterful marriage of effects, lighting, and music. |
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| re: Beauty and the Beast / Transformation Scene | |
| Posted by: DavidEsq 12:09 am EDT 08/31/20 | |
| In reply to: re: Beauty and the Beast / Transformation Scene - kess0078 05:52 pm EDT 08/30/20 | |
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| Yeah - I saw the original several times and from the audience it looked really good. They key was the lighting and the number of ways that they were able to rotate the actor once lifted in the air. I can't swear to it since good lighting can play tricks on you but it looked like the get up allowed rotation on all three axises (axies? axes?) which really had me wondering about the technology which went beyond anything I'd seen in stage flying previously. It was clear it was some variation on a lift/harness and it was not too difficult to guess the double during the fight and that the Beast was pretty much just wearing an easily discarded covering. But they did a wonderful job with the lighting and the harness movement and the effect was pretty magical. | |
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