Mr Bojangles

The boys are were back in town!

For the second year running I was invited to shoot The Rat Pack Vegas Spectacular.

Eight of us were allowed free reign within the Playhouse to shoot the show.

Having done it last year I knew the lighting was be a challenge (and it was).

But I also wanted to try some different angles.
So I spoke nicely to the set manager.
He invited me to shoot from behind the 'tabs' (the black curtains in the wings, on the edge of the stage).
I was also taken round behind the stage to shoot from the closed side so I could get a few shots from slightly behind the band.

Later on in the show the set manager point up to a lighting gantry high above the stage and asked if I could get a shot from there.
Since I had my long lens on I said I could try ......... so he took me across the back of the stage, past a couple of the dancers doing a quick change (sorry girls - I promise I didn't deliberately look and I didn't see anything much --- they were very pretty though) and away up to the lighting gantry where I was introducred to the man in charge of the curtains - who was looking very comfy in his hammock reading his book.
It was actually damned hard to get a shot from up there because of all the ropes, weights and gubbins (like the guy in th hammock) preventing me getting to the barrier to get some support. But I did quite like the shot of the keybord player who was almost impossible to shoot from anywhere else.

My attempts at trying to get the audience watching the show were not really very successful.

It was a great night from my point of view and I am sure the others had a good time too.

I take my hat off to the shows staff and performers and especially the theatre staff who went out of their way to help us.

Now all I have to do is go through the 700 odd shots and get a selection together to send off to the company.