LONDON — The West End production of the musical, The Bodyguard, is relying upon DPA Microphones’ d:screet 4060 Omnidirectional Miniature Microphones to provide amplification for all cast members with audible parts. Autograph supplied the gear.
More details from DPA Microphones (www.dpamicrophones.com):
LONDON — The hit musical rendition of The Bodyguard, currently playing at the Adelphi Theatre in London, is relying on DPA Microphones’ d:screet 4060 Omnidirectional Miniature Microphones to provide amplification for all cast members with spoken lines. Written by Alexander Dinelaris, and based on the 1992 film starring Whitney Houston and Kevin Costner, the stage production of The Bodyguard opened with Beverley Knight in the lead role of Rachel Marron, former X Factor U.K. winner Alexandra Burke will take over on June 2.
Supplied by Autograph for The Bodyguard, DPA’s miniature mics have long been popular with sound teams working on theatre productions, particularly those in the West End and on Broadway. The rugged nature of the mics, combined with their ability to deliver great quality audio even when hidden in wigs and costumes, have made them enduring favorites.
Ania Klimowicz, Deputy Head of Sound for The Bodyguard, says DPA’s d:screet 4060s were selected to fulfill a request from sound designer Richard Brooker and director Thea Sharrock, who did not want the mics to be visible to the audience. “We use paint, tape and makeup on the mics to make them look as invisible in the actors’ hair or wigs as possible,” Klimowicz explains. “We mainly use ‘mic clips’ and occasionally elastic to fix the mics to the performers’ heads. Male actors with shaved heads are probably our biggest challenge — in those cases we abandon the usual center top of forehead position and fit the mic over the ear.”
There are 32 actors involved in this current production of The Bodyguard, with 22 performing in each show. There is also a 10-piece band, a three person sound crew and a backstage cast of 45. When it comes to sound, the show is operated by one person who live mixes the band and vocals, as well as firing the sound effects.
“Three members of the cast are ‘double miked,’ meaning they wear a main and backup DPA d:screet 4060 mic,” continues Klimowicz. “Some of the girls use a headset and another placed in the hairline, while a handheld mic is used at various points during the show. Generally, the sound for the spoken portions of the show is reinforced but remains natural. This contrasts with numbers such as Queen of the Night or So Emotional, which are set during concerts and therefore need to feel big and more rock ‘n’ roll.”
Klimowicz adds that most of the show jumps in dynamics, except for a couple of numbers such as Run to You which is mixed more like a musical theatre number.“We use the head mics here as the song lyrics are incorporated as part of the storyline and a handheld would somewhat break with the audiences’ suspension of disbelief,” she explains.
Although sweat and makeup can be an issue for some stage productions, Klimowicz says that with the DPA mics these are not really a problem on The Bodyguard. Nonetheless, the entire sound system, including all of the mics, is carefully checked before each performance to make sure everything works.
“The DPA d:screet 4060 mics sound great and are also very reliable, we rarely have an issue with them,” concludes Klimowicz. “Given the amount of wear-and-tear the mics face on a daily basis, they are incredibly rugged. They are also very small, which makes them much easier to hide in hair and wigs.”
