The fascinating story of Jack Kelly is on stage at the Teatro Nazionale in Milan. It is
inspired by the true story of the news boys’ strike in 1899, when it was the news
boys themselves who sold the papers. They were mostly teenagers between
thirteen and sixteen years old who bought the copies from the publishers and then
tried to sell them at their own risk: unsold copies were not returned.
Jack Kelly, the charismatic leader of a gang of young messed-up newsies, dreams
of better conditions far from the adversities of street life. When the publishing
giants raise distribution prices at the expense of the news boys, Jack sees a reason
to fight and persuades the young retailers throughout the city to go on strike for
their rights.
Disney made a film from the story in the 1990s, which was a box office flop.
However it turned into a cult classic in America when it came out on VHS. Twenty
years later, the musical has become an unexpected international success: audiences
amounting to a million people on Broadway, a tour in the States, and now a debut
in Europe, in Italy.
Lighting designer Valerio Tiberi tells us about his design for the show. Musicals are
usually a very dynamic form of narrative, which require lights that can be
controlled rapidly and change colour quickly: “Every project stems from looking
particularly at what the story is trying to say to the audience that comes to the
show. This audience always expects to be emotionally involved in the story.’
The story is set in New York at the end of the nineteenth century and is mainly told
by the characters. “I emphasize their facial expressions and actions using light. For
this, I mainly use the follow spots and lights arranged in the auditorium with very
horizontal angles, which literally make their presence and stories shine. The light
and colour balance I use on the background comes mainly from my experience in
the dance world, where you use very clear side lighting and back lighting to pick out
the characters on a very bright backdrop.’
Clay Paky lights were chosen for “their versatility and precision”, as well as the
need to use equipment able to ensure uniform shades and temperatures for each
colour.
The silent Alpha Profile 1500 combines a powerful lamp with an exclusive framing
system, designed and patented by Clay Paky, which is able to generate countless
shapes in multiple dimensions. Twenty-two of them have been arranged on a grid of
battens and act mainly as special effect lights. They are widely used for the quality
of their beam shaper, colours and gobos, as well as their range of effects,
innovative “stay-sharp-zoom” system for autofocus, and frost filter synchronized
with the zoom for an extremely gradual wash effect.
The show is produced by WEC Entertainment Spa together with Bags Live and
Disney International. Audiolux Srl supplied the rented equipment.
