The Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, has a heritage and longevity unrivalled even amongst
its neighbours in London’s West End. Its present incarnation boasts a depth of stage
that few can offer, making it perfect for lavish musical productions such as the current
run of 42nd Street.

This latest production, with “80’s legend Sheena Easton in the starring role, makes the
most of the stage area, which is packed with props, sets and a huge cast. It was
obvious from the start that a haze generator was required that could easily deal with
the enormous stage space, for the entire show, without compromising the
performances or the extensive lighting rig supplied by White Light.

MDG’s ATMe haze generator proved ideal for the job: “I first came across MDG about
ten years ago on a show in South Africa,’ says Declan Randall, associate lighting
designer to 42nd Street’s LD, Peter Mumford. “I was so impressed with the
haze that I went backstage to investigate what they were using. I have been a fan
ever since.’

Mumford and Randall opted to use two of the ATMe units – next-step developments
from the ever-popular MDG Atmosphere – because of its more efficient power
consumption and increased output, which it combines with a high level of
controllability.

“On a show like this, with high production values, we could have chosen pretty much
whatever we wanted,’ continues Randall, “but as far as I am concerned, MDG is the
go-to manufacturer and the one to use whenever possible.

“Aside from the energy and output benefits, the ATMe has the added improvement of
total 0-100% variable output which you can control via DMX/RDM, and a 100% duty
cycle. On 42nd Street, the generators are required to run for the entire
show. Therefore, having machines that can maintain their output consistently is vital.

“Seen from front-of-house, there is no apparent source to the haze, whereas as with
most hazers you are aware of it chugging away in a corner somewhere. That might
be acceptable if it were being used in a single specific song to enhance a look or
create an atmosphere, but in this show, it has to be constant, consistent yet subtle.
With the ATMes we can achieve a really good quality haze, with no clouds and good
distribution from top to bottom. And what impressed me is that you get really good
beams all the way from fixture to floor.’

Mumford agrees. “I am delighted with the performance of the ATMes, which I find
create a haze that just lights the beams without looking like the “bacon is burning’,’ he
says. “I also appreciate the fact that they cause much fewer issues when it comes to
performers complaining about “stuff in the air’. That can be quite an issue, especially
in the opera world.’

The Theatre Royal stage is set-heavy for this production; the amount of traffic on and
off stage with the constant movement of scenery during the show means the decision
was made to locate the ATMe generators up on the fly-floor. They are positioned stage
left and right, with two DMX fans directing the haze downwards and moving it about.
One concern about this trim height location was a possible issue with clogging of fans
and filters of the lighting fixtures in the rig, but this has proved to be a needless
worry. “This might not being the ideal location, but the hazers are still doing their job
and doing well,’ says Randall. “To date, we have had no complaints from the
maintenance technicians.

“The use of CO2 in hazers is not an issue these days,’ concludes Randall. “Stage and
production managers are more familiar and comfortable with the rules and regulations
involved. Good haze delivery can make the difference between a good light show and
a great light show, so the relevant proper planning of hazers should be as important
as every other ingredient in the design. A great haze result is when no-one notices it
is there.’