Here are a few things to keep in mind while renting backdrops. More specifically, here are a few things you shouldn’t do when renting backdrops. The big thing to remember is that you don’t own the backdrops. Treat them as if you did, but remember that they are not yours and that other customers are waiting to possibly use the backdrops after you are finished renting them. They want the backdrops in as mint condition as possible for their shows too. So with that being said, here are some hints to avoid any damage and extra fees.
DO NOT nail, staple, tack, or pin the backdrops in any way. It says this right on the contract! Here’s what happens. Nails, staples, tacks, and pins create holes. The stress of the weight could rip that pin and create a huge problem. Over time, the small holes from the pins and staples add up deteriorating the integrity of the fabric. So no adding company logos or cardboard cutouts such as stars or clouds directly to the backdrops. And no adding Velcro pieces either.
DO NOT cut or alter the backdrops in any way. Again, it says this right on the contract. Believe it or not, we have received backdrops back from customers literally cut into pieces. We have also had backdrops returned with new additions painted on the backdrop that were not on the original design. Remember, you don’t own these. If the backdrop you see on our website does not fit your needs, then ask us if we have something else. Do not take it upon yourself to change it because you think it would look better with your idea on it. We design our drops to fit a myriad of different shows to satisfy as many customers as possible.
DO NOT lay the backdrops face down on the stage. This was covered in a previous blog entry, but it can be mentioned again. Always place the backdrops face up for hanging and folding. This keeps the painted side clean. On this note, DO NOT forget to sweep your stage before you lay the backdrops on the stage. The backdrops are not to be used as a broom to sweep your stage.
If you need to add rope extensions to hang the backdrop, DO NOT forget to remove them when you are done. Also, leave the original tie lines attached to the backdrop, which leads to my next point. DO NOT cut off the original tie lines when removing the backdrop from the pipe. There’s no need to tie sailor knots that are impossible to untie. Simply tie the lines like a shoelace. There are typically 40+ ties per backdrop. The shoelace knots will hold.
While we’re talking about hanging the backdrops, if you need to use a cherry picker to hang the backdrop, DO NOT let the backdrop hit any of the greased parts on the machine. Grease is impossible to remove or camouflage especially if you’re using a white scrim or cyclorama curtain. Make sure there’s a person on the ground monitoring this.
Lastly, DO NOT get too close to the backdrops when they are hanging. Performers should not get too close to the backdrops while on stage. We don’t want them tripping over or grabbing on to the backdrops for fear that someone could get hurt. If you have built sets, try to keep them as far away from the backdrop as possible. When I get a backdrop back with a large rip on it, it is usually because it got caught on a built set, or it caught on the strip lights up high. So, if you can help it, place your built sets as far away from the backdrops as possible and hang the backdrops as far away from the strip lights as you can so that they can’t get caught on that either. I know it happens. Just be wary of it.
These are basics to help keep our backdrops in good condition. We know that 99% of the time any damage occurs it is not intentional. We simply want our backdrops to last and to be in great condition for as long as possible and for as many customers as possible.
Probably, the most popular show presently running, Hamilton: An American Musical is a sung and rapped-through musical about the life of American Founding Father Alexander Hamilton, with music, lyrics, and book by Lin-Manuel Miranda, inspired by the 2004 biography Alexander Hamilton by historian Ron Chernow (I have read this book!). Notably incorporating hip-hop, rhythm and blues, pop music, soul music, traditional-style show tunes, and the casting of non-white actors as the Founding Fathers and other historical figures, the musical achieved both critical acclaim and box office success.
In keeping with the American Revolution theme, 1776 is a musical with music and lyrics by Sherman Edwards and a book by Peter Stone. The story is based on the events surrounding the signing of the Declaration of Independence. It dramatizes the efforts of John Adams to persuade his colleagues to vote for American independence and to sign the document.
So let’s stay on the political front. Evita is a musical with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Tim Rice. It concentrates on the life of Argentine political leader Eva Perón, the second wife of Argentine President Juan Perón. The story follows Evita’s early life, rise to power, charity work, and eventual death.
Catch Me If You Can is a musical with a libretto by Terrence McNally and a theatrical score by Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman. It follows the story of a con artist named Frank Abagnale Jr. A majority of the plot is borrowed from the 2002 film of the same name starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hanks, which in turn was based on Abagnale’s 1980 autobiography. Abagnale lived his life as a former confidence trickster, check forger, and impostor between the ages of 15 and 21. He became one of the most famous impostors ever, claiming to have assumed no fewer than eight identities, including an airline pilot, a physician, a U.S. Bureau of Prisons agent, and a lawyer. He escaped from police custody twice (once from a taxiing airliner and once from a U.S. federal penitentiary), before he was 21 years old. He served less than five years in prison before starting to work for the federal government.
Pokémon Live! was a musical stage show that toured the United States on September 22, 2000 to January 19, 2001 including a run at Radio City Music Hall. Plans for some 2002 performances in the United Kingdom were also made, but later canceled. Despite that, Pokémon Live! was invited to perform in Dubai, U.A.E. at Al Mamzar Park in the duration of March 2001, coinciding with the annual Dubai Shopping Festival. The musical was based on the Pokémon anime series, using similar characters, clothing, and story elements. Approximately 90 minutes in length, it told the story of Ash Ketchum, Misty and Brock as they travel to a contest to win the much sought-after Diamond Badge. The event turns out to be part of a plan by the evil organization Team Rocket and its diabolic leader Giovanni to take over the world. The music of the show consisted of songs previously released on the Pokémon anime soundtracks Pokémon 2BA Master and Totally Pokémon, as well as new songs.
To capitalize on the Turtles’ popularity, a concert tour was held in 1990, premiering at Radio City Music Hall on August 17and sponsored by Pizza Hut. The “Coming Out of Their Shells” tour featured live-action turtles playing music as a band (Donatello, keyboards; Leonardo, bass guitar; Raphael, drums and sax; Michelangelo, guitar) on stage around a familiar plotline: April O’Neil is kidnapped by the Shredder, and the turtles have to rescue her. The story had a very Bill-n’-Ted-esque feel, with its theme of the power of rock n’ roll literally defeating the enemy, in the form of the Shredder (who only rapped about how he hates music) trying to eliminate all music. A pay-per-view special highlighting the concert was shown, and a studio album was also released.
Tarzan is based on the Walt Disney Animation Studios 1999 film of the same name. The songs are written by Phil Collins with a book by David Henry Hwang. The musical mostly follows the plot of the Disney film: Tarzan is raised by gorillas, meets Jane, a young English naturalist, and falls in love. Jane’s entourage plans to kill the gorillas, and Tarzan’s loyalties are tested.
Anastasia is a musical with music and lyrics by Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty, and a book by Terrence McNally. Based on the 1997 film of the same name, the musical tells the story of the legend of Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna of Russia, which claims that she, in fact, escaped the execution of her family. Anastasia, who appears in the plot as an amnesiac orphan named Anya, hopes to find some trace of her family, but sides with con men who wish to take advantage of her likeness to the Grand Duchess.
Garry Trudeau’s comic strip Doonesbury started in 1970. It began following the lives of a group of college students attending the fictional Walden College, though it ultimately became known for its political and social commentary. The strip was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Cartooning in 1975, the first daily comic strip to be given that honor.
Bono and The Edge, members of Irish rock super group U2, wrote the music and lyrics for this unique musical. David Campbell worked on the arrangements and Julie Taymor, Glen Berger, and Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa wrote the book. The inspiration for this superhero musical came from the original comics by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko, first published by Marvel Comics.
Broadway’s first superhero musical was It’s a Bird…It’s a Plane…It’s Superman!, which opened on Broadway in 1966. Superman—or Clark Kent—first took flight in the pages of a comic book in 1933. He made the jump to television with 1952’s Adventures of Superman, which became extremely popular and ran through 1958. By the time producers decided to adapt the character for a Broadway musical in 1966, Superman had become quite the hot property.
SpongeBob has not yet opened on Broadway, although the musical adaption of this popular Nickelodeon cartoon show began previews on November 6, 2017. The stage adaptation, which tried out in Chicago, features many of the characters from the cartoon, but the story is completely original. The musical tells the story of SpongeBob and his starfish best friend, Patrick, and their efforts to save their underwater city of Bikini Bottom from Armageddon, in the form of an underwater volcano.