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A scene from “Back To The Future” at the Adelphi Theatre in London, where even the famous DeLorean is outfitted with d&b loudspeakers. (Photo Credit: Sean Ebsworth Barnes)

d&b Goes “Back To The Future” In London’s West End

Stage adaptation of popular 1980s film at the Adelphi Theatre supported by a sound design by Gareth Owen utilizing SL-Series arrays and more supplied by Orbital Sound.

Back To The Future, the popular 1980s film, has been adapted for the stage and arrived in the West End where it will run at the Adelphi Theatre in London until July 2022, supported by a sound design by Gareth Owen that utilizes a host of components from d&b audiotechnik, including SL-Series arrays, supplied by d&b partner Orbital Sound.

Owen, who’s garnered multiple Olivier Awards for his work, notes that “Back to the Future is one of the most dynamic shows I have done in a long time. The music jumps from 50s jazz to rock ‘n’ roll to sweeping orchestral episodes to really quiet and emotional moments, so I needed a system that would deliver enough power as well as clarity.” The production includes songs from the original 1985 film score such as ‘The Power of Love’ and ‘Johnny B. Goode’ as well as new music written by composers Alan Silvestri and Glen Ballard.

(Photo Credit: Sean Ebsworth Barnes)

For musical supervisor Nick Finlow, the challenge lies in tying together the visual and the audio without letting one outshine the other: “BTTF is a huge show in so many ways. It is visually and technically stunning, has a big cast, a large pit orchestra supplemented by programming on track, and is playing to audiences in a large theatre so the sound design of the show not only has to match the rather epic nature of what the audience are seeing, but it also must support the score, which ranges from big orchestral moments to full company production numbers and also includes much more intimate moments.”

d&b KSL was launched in 2018 and Owen was the first sound designer to ever specify it in the West End, specifically for the musical & Juliet. “d&b’s SL-Series loudspeakers guarantee optimal audience coverage while keeping energy off the main stage thanks to the active speaker design, making for a quieter stage, keeping the audio clear, all without a drop in level for the audience,” he says.

For BTTF, Owen decided to go a step further and utilize KSL arrays for the balcony tier as well as for the main proscenium system: “This was the first time I put KSL speakers in the gallery and it proved really effective. It’s the most reverberant space in the theatre as its closest to the often heavily adorned ceiling. Using a highly directional box up there meant exciting the room much less, making for better intelligibility and creating a better audience experience in these, often lower priced seats.”

No BTTF adaptation would be plausible without the famous DeLorean, with the creative managing to create a technical simulation on par with the original that’s loaded with d&b amplifiers and loudspeakers. making it move, speak, flash and huff and puff – all with room for the actors to spare. “The DeLorean in the show is an absolute marvel of theatre technology and stage design,” Owen explains. “It’s packed full of lights, smoke machines, moving mechanisms and sound, all of which had to fit into a really tight space. We managed to achieve incredible sound effects with two Y7Ps and two E6s – I didn’t think they’d do it, but they delivered the necessary output. It’s incredible.”

Finlow concludes, “What’s so important for BTTF is that the sound design is malleable – helping us portray the most dramatic moments but also the most intimate. The sound design certainly delivers on that front and collaborating with Gareth in bringing the musical vision to life was very effective.”

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