Hazy days on the river bank with MDG
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The Wind in the Willows the musical, has had a riotous run at the London Palladium this summer. Spectacularly produced by Jamie Hendry Productions and written by Julian Fellowes, Oscar-winning screenwriter and creator of Downton Abbey, and the Olivier award-winning composer and lyricist, George Stiles and Anthony Drewe, the show has been a great success.
The production’s lighting designer, Howard Harrison, insisted on using two MDG ATMe haze generators for this show. Harrison commented, “MDG is one of the super companies I have always believed in. They produce very good high-quality products and I have used their machines for a very long time. In fact, I don’t think I have ever done a musical in the West End without using them for as long as they have existed. I am a big fan”.
He said, “The Wind in the Willows is a fun show, with beautiful sets and costumes, lots of scenery and a beautiful theatre to work in. We use plenty of haze in the show, but this was the first time I have used ATMe machines and I was incredibly impressed by them. It was like having all the good things of the older MDG machines but with the benefit of new controls, where you can have precise control over the output, as opposed to just switching it on and off.”
The ATMe machines were situated on perches downstage left and upstage right, from where they were perfectly positioned to fill the stage with haze. The nature of The Wind in the Willows which takes place on a river bank in the mornings and evenings allowed Harrison to make perfect use of the haze to create the misty, watery, atmospheric effects required. “One of the things I like about the machines is that they produce a very fine haze, it never clouds up and only shows when you shine a light through it, which is exactly what haze should be,” says Harrison. “Actors and singers are not panicked by volumes of haze because it is so fine, so we can use a lot of it and they are not affected either physically or psychologically, which is a big help.
“Over the years, people have suggested other haze machines to me which they believe to be as good as MDG. I’ve tried them, but the reality is they are not as good. I am keen to use the best haze, and always want the kind of haze that MDG produces. They don’t compromise on quality.”
ATMe is an evolution of the industry standard MDG Atmosphere haze generator. It has the added advantage of increased efficiency, with an identical power consumption and footprint, but almost double the output. Built-in DMX/RDM control allows precise remote control over the flow of the output from a fine haze, to a rolling fog all from the comfort and convenience of the control desk.
(Jim Evans)
