Unique sound design takes 3-D approach to theatre
By Colleen Koestner
June 22, 2008 10:16 p.m.
Bose headphones replace flimsy blue- and red-lensed glasses in L.A.’s newest revival of The Who’s “Tommy,” a production that features 3-D sound for the first time in theatre history. The production, set to run at Hollywood’s Ricardo Montalbán Theatre until June 29, restores connotations of innovation to the term “novelty item.”
Aleks Pevec, a 2007 UCLA theater graduate who headlines as Tommy, explains the show’s modern update for the 21st century.
“Now the audience is able to be placed in a characters’ state of mind through the three-dimensional way they are viewing the piece,” he said.
The show’s sound designer, James Johnson, thinks of the update in a slightly different light.
“I’m just taking the latest research and applying it to entertainment,” Johnson said. “My idea is “˜Why not?’ Why do it the same old way? Why not make it better?”
Factoring information such as tonal changes and the distance between a listener’s ears, Johnson aimed to record the 3-D sound effects in the show so that they are delivered to the brain most accurately. Johnson uses specialized equipment to capture sound effects ranging from World War II bombers to wolves and birds.
“What I do is, I go out and record that bird in its sonic environment, including the reverberations off of trees, so you get a sense of being in that space.”
Johnson delivers the sound to audience members through a system he developed, called EXP3-D. The system combines special configurations of speakers and headphones to create an enhanced sensory experience.
“You can hear jets flying over your head. Someone whispers in your ear, and you sense a proximity. … These are all things we’re not accustomed to hearing on a sound system,” he said.
Producer Rochelle Fabb said he believes that “Tommy” is the perfect marriage between the new sound developments and plot.
“For “˜Tommy,’ it really makes sense. It’s about a boy who goes into catatonia after an emotionally traumatic experience. So it did really work for us to deliver the experience through headphones,” Fabb said.
“Having the audience members isolated by the headphones, while also having this collective experience that people come to theatre for, is incredible.”
Like Tommy, audience members undergo an isolated but intimate experience in this philosophical rock opera. Johnson feels that the audience’s relationship with the title character peaks when his parents dismiss Tommy’s trauma and seal his catatonia.
“You’re actually being sung at by them. You feel the words and the intent, that Tommy felt ““ for lack of a better word ““ autistic,” Johnson said.
“For the first time ever, you can experience theatre moments from a first-person point of view.”
Initially, the creators of the show’s Los Angeles revival did not anticipate that their production would be attempting anything unprecedented in the world of sound.
“I think they really thought they were hiring someone just to do great standard audio,” said Johnson, who started installing surround sound equipment almost immediately.
Johnson gradually introduced more of his EXP3-D effects into the production; the idea of full integration of EXP3-D with “Tommy” was embraced on a trip to rent more sound equipment with director Brian Purcell.
“I jokingly asked how much it cost to rent a thousand headsets,” Johnson explained. “(The salesman) starts to say, “˜That’s a tall order,’ when Brian gets down in my face and says, “˜Let’s do it.'”
“Tommy” then secured a sponsorship with Bose, but Purcell’s split decision to include the headphones in the production still needed to withstand a variety of technical frustrations. In order to deliver 3-D sound to each audience member, the show’s producers had to organize a method for hooking the microphones into individual sound systems for each of the 1,015 seats in the Ricardo Montalbán Theatre.
“We’ve had all kinds of legions of volunteers in, doing everything from unpackaging to security tagging to actually crawling around the theatre with little headlights on like moles,” Fabb said.
Fabb observes that the newest production of the rock opera garners support from a variety of sources. Volunteers ranged from young to old, from family members of cast and crew to comped-ticket hopefuls.
“We’re getting everybody from the older generation who in 1969 bought the original album and listened to it in their room, to younger people who want to come and check out the new technology and are listening to mp3s on their iPhones every day,” she said.
To that effect, Johnson said he believes that the headphones do more than enhance the plot and transmit bolder audio; they act as an equalizer.
“Everything has much more clarity. Every seat is the best seat in the house,” he says.
In spite of the sound’s departure from tradition, Pevec insists that the core of the show remains unchanged.
“The story of “˜Tommy’ and the music that creates it is still the major focus,” Pevec said. “The 3-D sound is an incredibly brilliant idea that people are either going to really love or really dislike, but the story of “˜Tommy’ is one many generations have been following for decades.”
