While its location at the Little Shubert Theatre on West 42nd Street makes it an off-Broadway production, Shockheaded Peter is more original than most of what is going on at the Great White Way lately. Inspired by the dark children's stories of late 19th-century German author Dr. Heinrich Hoffmann, the show is hosted by a ghoulishly funny emcee (Julian Bleach) and musically accompanied by the gothic cabaret of The Tiger Lillies – accordionist/singer Martyn Jacques, bassist/backup singer Adrian Stout and drummer Adrian Huge. Told here through monologues, song, puppeteering and dramatic re-enactments, Hoffmann's stories tell of the grim fatalities that befall naughty children who suck their thumbs, fidget at the dinner table, torture animals and play with matches. And it has a killer rabbit that turns the tables on its hunter. Edward Gorey would have loved it. Controlling the audio for this surreal show is John Dory, who previously cut his teeth as live engineer/mixer on touring musicals, including Contact and the non-Equity production of Footloose, as well as a high-profile one-man Broadway show, Laugh Whore with Mario Cantone. Here he discusses moving from major musicals to a more intimate production and the joys of working on a most unorthodox show.
While this is a visually striking show, a lot of it is also left up to the audience's imagination through the use of music and sound effects. How much of a balancing act is handling all these cues?
John Dory: All the sound effects are run off of SFX, so all the fades are in the computer. We've layered the console, the DM2000, so we've used quite a few states creating different set-ups. Some of the sound effects come through the house P.A. and then some come through onstage effects speakers, two UPAs, onstage left and onstage right. It's all hit-the-button there.
We also use the SFX to preset the console for the band, for the different states. When the show opens, you have Martyn the singer standing in the trap and the band is backstage. Then they sing a couple songs when they're all downstage. They sing a couple songs where the drummer and bassist are upstairs and Martyn is downstairs. We have all different settings, and it's mainly through monitors there because there are fullbacks all in the set.
The SFX through MIDI triggers the console to some preset states that I have for some fast cues, to go from a sound effect directly to the band coming out playing. Once the band is up and running, it's just me and my fingers.
In one scene, the husband leaves the main room, and you hear all these doors opening and closing offstage, which allows you to create your own image of what's going on in your head.
It's unique because they're not traditional sound effects. All the musical sound effects are from the band and were recorded by Mic Pool and Roland Higham, the sound designers from London.
Do you ever worry about feedback from the band?
No. I've got quite a bit of headroom on it, the way Roland set up the console. He did a great job with the gain structure. There are not a lot of mics. There are only eight microphones in the show, and those are pick-ups. One is in the accordion, one is in the bass, and then the bass player has a little vocal one, which is so low. It's not a very loud show.
Do any of the actors have microphones?
No. I have Crown PCC-160s all over the set – two downstage left and right, one on a wall center stage. Those three are used for the effects. In the nightmare scene, after the monster comes out and grabs the dead child, and then the MC comes out and does a little monologue, I'm picking him up through a PCC that's mounted on the center portal header. That's processed and gives us that echo.
During the story of the hare and the hunter – when the band does their musical interlude and the two puppeteers upstairs open up those little trap doors, and one plays a mandolin and the other plays a flute – there are PCC-160s mounted on those doors.
What do the musicians have on them?
There's the accordion pickup, and the singer has a wireless in his hat. We're using the Shure U1 transmitters and receivers. On Martyn, it's a DPA 4061, and the same for the bass player's vocal mic. Then on the drummer there is a wireless in the kick drum, and attached to his glasses, right and left, there are Sennheiser MKE-2s.
How much did you work with the sound designers on this show?
Roland Higham came over with the show. That was another unique situation because usually when you load in a show, you have a week or two and then you do a week or two of tech. We loaded in on a Monday, and we had our first preview on Friday. They have been touring with this so long they don't really need much. Lighting-wise it's pretty minimal, so there wasn't a lot to do. Roland came and their lighting guy came, so they set it up. Roland spent about a day programming the SFX and the console, and then ran the first tech by the dress rehearsal, and then I jumped over. I wasn't involved with the creative end. This is a show that's been running for years in England. It played here at the New Victory for a very short time in 1999, and it's toured the States many times.
How does this show compare with the other shows you've worked on?
I usually do bigger, traditional musicals, anywhere from 10 or 15 up to 28 or 30 wireless mics with the musicians in the pit and a couple sound effects here and there. I haven't done something like this since college, when you're doing straight plays with just sound effects and no reinforcement. But in terms of doing a big sound effects show with a live band, I've never done anything like this. This is totally unique.
The way the band is miked, we try to keep it as discreet as possible. Martyn has an accordion, which doesn't need a lot of pushing for that small of a house. His vocal mic is on the rim of his hat, which is directly above the accordion. When he's in an antsy mood and really feels like playing that accordion, it's a struggle.
Do you mean keeping the sound from getting too hot?
Right. And trying to keep the falsetto vocals up over the band.
So do you prefer shows like this or bigger musicals?
I prefer the bigger musicals, because it is all mixing all the time. You've got multiple people onstage, and you're mixing one mic at a time. But I do really enjoy this, mainly because I like the show and the people a lot, and I really appreciate what they're trying to do up there. It's very unique, and you don't get to do stuff like this very often. There are still one or two moments every night where I still find myself laughing at what the MC or somebody else is doing. It's never the same show twice. I mean, it is, but all those people are the creators of the show, so they have a little leeway in terms of what they do.
I imagine the spontaneity of the show must make it a little tricky sometimes?
Definitely. The other unique thing about this show is that usually in any show with sound effects or cues, you have a cue light or a headset from the stage manager, who tells you when to go. I have no cues from the stage manager. I have the script in front of me, and some of the sound effects are taken off of words, but most of them are visual. The only cue I take from the stage manager is to fade out the pre-show music. Then I hang up my headset, and I'm on my own.
