My question is inspired by an outdoor production of ‘The Importance of Being Earnest’ I went to last week. Like most outdoor productions, the set was sparse and the technical elements were simple – no sound reinforcement and just two basic light towers. Admittedly it's quite a simple play and lends itself to the outdoor format quite well as two of its three scenes are set in a garden. The audience had little to distract them from the script and was completely captivated.
However, at the other end of the scale, in big productions (for example the pantomime I worked on last Christmas) bells and whistles are impossible to miss (you'd have to have taken leave of all your senses, bringing into question your choice to go to the theatre) and technical aspects are far more complicated – there were in excess of 130 cues for lighting, scene changes and pyrotechnics.
Of course, these are two different types of theatre, but my concern with the panto was that all the razzmatazz would distract from the talents of the actors. As the sound mixer I was frequently asked to 'turn it up', despite my protests that it was already too loud (and remember, I'm deaf in my left ear). There must come a point where the special effects stop adding to the performance and become distracting. As another case in point, ‘Wicked’ is such a loud show that when I saw it the first time I couldn't distinguish any lyrics.
This balance can be hard to achieve: too little and the audience isn't drawn in or the magic of being transported to another place in time or space just isn't there, but with too much, they're so bombarded with light and sound it's hard to take in anything of the plot. Ultimately, a mix is going to be the best approach, but the basis for adding effects (even volume) should be to benefit the audience and enhance the performance. If it's going to detract from the performance, perhaps consider leaving it out this time and making the remaining effects more special by their rarity.
Al Lyle is a writer and musician