Chinglish (The Set Changes) from Berkeley Repertory Theatre on Vimeo.
Vimeo: Audiences are just loving David Henry Hwang’s Chinglish, but they’re almost buzzing as much about the set. And with good reason! The set changes feature two turntables, automated armchairs, moving walls, flying screens and curtains, even walking actors – all to the energetic beats of c-pop.
9 comments:
That looks cool.
This is so cool! I feel like it could become very complicated, but with a lot of rehearsal could become very well organized. I love how it is very puzzle-like and adds a very interesting effect as the turn tables move and create the new scene. This is great and so innovative!
Oh my goodness that looks so cool! I love how imaginative designers can be, with both esthetics and practicality. The designer really made the most of the space, leaving only 6" of lei way between the turn tables. I would not want to be the one to draft that set, let alone having to reproduce it twice. This set is a great example of how details really come together, for example to intricate work to make the elevator open and close makes the set come alive. Also the puzzle like way the set is put together I would believe makes the show even more fascinating to watch, or that could just be me.
No idea what to say about this beside AMAZING!!! I think it is amazing and would be incredible to build. This set would be such a challenging and exciting set to build. I loved to watch the video and to watch the transition. The intricacy of the scenery elements is very impressive. The amount of detail in the elements, the combination of elements, and how fluid the elements work together is impressive plain and simple.
I'm gonna be the bad guy for a second and say that I have mixed feelings about this set. On one hand, after watching the video, I was in awe of how the designer was able to create multiple realistic locations on stage that transitioned quickly and easily between scenes. The mechanics of changing the set are brilliant and well-choreographed and incredibly well done. On the other hand, as David Mamet said in THEATRE, "Any set that makes us go 'ohh' is ruining the play." And as blasphemous as he is, I agree with him. I have never seen any a production of CHINGLISH, but if audiences are really talking about the set as much as (or more than) they talk about the play and its themes, is it successful? Is the set successful at helping the actors, director, and other designers tell the story in the best way possible? Or is the set that obnoxious ensemble member who has one solo line in a group number and decides to belt, riff, and upstage the rest of the cast? I guess the question is: Is this set the most successful way to aid in telling the story? Because that's ultimately what it's all about.
I liked this show better when the Greeks did it with a bunch of Periaktoi. I also liked it better when they did it in Renaissance Italy using a chariot and pole system. It was also better when Appia and Craig built this set in Switzerland at the turn of the 20th century.
I'm bing silly but I think what makes this so cool is that it extremely clever because it is nothing new but everything fits together so perfectly. What a wonderful combination of theater tricks that have been around for 100 of years combined with a little bit of automation and a few kick-ass stagehands. Quite a good design, wish I could see more of it. . .
The coolest thing about this set is how it is organized, how fast the changes are, and the immense amounts of automation. Beyond that, If I were to see any of these looks individually, I would be so bored with the set. How the set works is a million times more interesting than the set itself, which is a shame. I haven't seen the play so I can't really speak to how this set supports it, but I'm not confident from this video that it is particularly important. Hopefully this kind of meticulous planning and organization working in conjunction with the more advanced technology can be put to a more interesting use soon.
This is amazing!! While watching these frequent and constant changes in scenes, I was shocked by how creative and innovative design a person can come up with. Using the turntable is really awesome to see. It looks very complicated but at the same time it is very neatly organized because you know where things will be placed. It was also impressing to see how there are only 6 inches between two turn tables. It must be a hard and challenging work to the crew members. It is cool to see how so many technologies were put into this stage effectively just by looking at the automated armchairs or flying curtains. It would have been very hard and difficult for set designer to come up with this idea, but I guess it was very worthy and valuable work because this work is now recognized and adapted for Boradway, Berkeley Rep, South Coast Rep., and even international Festival. I really want to applaud David Henry Hwang's work and I really love how it is structured.
The thing that strikes me about this set is that it achieves interesting and effective set changes without extensive automation. I think the set design itself, like Matt points out, is a little much, but as a TD, it's the execution of the design that interests me. This video proves what is possible when you have the luxury to employ a team of stage hands that are capable and dedicated. The only way a company attains that luxury is through years of loyalty and treating employees as equals.
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