Bette Midler
"Return
of the Divine" World Tour
1996 through 1997.
"Experience the Divine" World
Tour,
1993 through 1994.
Video
/ Film:
Lighting
Design and Direction
"Diva Las Vegas"
HBO Special January 1997.
Emmy
Award Winner:
Lighting Design and Direction
Bette Midler: "Diva, Las Vegas."
HBO, 1997.
Bette Midler is brilliant. Her manic
energy permeates everything she does --- from rehearsing
a song, looking at lighting changes, to her actual
performance onstage. She is totally aware of everything
involved in the production. The true magic is: no matter
what the problem or concern behind the curtain, once the
curtain is up and the lights are on, watch out! She is
ON!
From the beginning, Bette had no trust in
the "newfangled wiggle lights".
She comes from a very theatrical
direction, and wanted very much for that feel to permeate
everything about her production. I had to convince her
that the "wiggle lights" didn’t just
wiggle. Instead, as I explained, they could give us
multiple applications --- infinite focus positions,
colors, gobos, etc.. She tentatively accepted this
explanation and allowed me to proceed. As we got into the
production she became more aware of the possibilities of
these lamps, and she was comfortable with their presence.
Bette, like Barbara, is very conscious of
color. Unlike Barbara, who loves monochromatic, Bette
wants her stage to look like (as she puts it) "a
Fabrege Egg", with lots of dimension --- something
"you can walk into and touch." I love her drama
and energy. It was especially fun to get caught up in the
visual humor of a particular piece, and successfully
contribute a lighting effect that supported the moment.
Everything Bette does is so magical in quality, and it
was a wonderful challenge to keep up with the
"magic".
Lighting wise, the biggest challenge on
this show was the placement of the scenic travelers and
drops. With only six feet of clearance between entrances
and travelers it was difficult to back light many of the
scenes. At times the lighting focuses had as little as 6
inch tolerances with the various traveler trims.
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