Seeing the Stage Through Our Eyes - Walnut Street Theatre

Samantha Roffman
Andrew Lloyd Webber's Aspects of Love, is an elaborate musical that leaves the
audience asking the question “What just happened” It follows five people as they learn
that, as the opening number states, “Love changes everything.” The musical deals with first
love, young love, forbidden love, and love triangles. Along with its detailed story, Aspects of
Love contains a large amount of scene changes, that include changing rooms in a house,
cities, and even time periods. To combat these changes, the Walnut Street Theatre used a
projector for backgrounds, and a double donut turn table to move props.
Instead of using large, bulky backgrounds, Assistant Production Manager, Melissa
Buffaloe explained that “The Set Designer, John Farrell, created images from various types
of medias (paintings, images. Etc.) based on the location and emotion the director
envisioned for each scene. There are approximately 21 slides to put us in different
locations.” The use of projections reduces the amount of money spent on props and
backdrops, as well as on the amount of time it takes to set up each scene.
Another way that the Walnut Street Theatre cut down on set up, was by using the
double donut turntable. The two circles in the center of the stage rotate together and in
opposite directions. In addition to cutting down on time, it makes it easier to move larger
pieces into place. This allowed two scenes to be set up at the same time without cutting the
space of the stage.
The Walnut Street Theatre's use of projections and turntables helped them put on
an incredible show. The backgrounds used to portrayed the French vistas and Italian villas
were spot on, and created a relaxed, romantic mood that fit perfectly with the musical's
passionate love affairs.