Masque Sound Takes Off with First National Tour of the Musical Comedy Pippin

	John Rubinstein, Sabrina Harper. Photo: Terry Shapiro

When the Broadway smash hit Pippin embarked on its first national tour on September 6 at The Buell Theatre in Denver, Colorado, Masque Sound, a theatrical sound reinforcement, installation, and design company, was along for the ride to support sound designers Jonathan Deans and Garth Helm's vision for the high-flying, death-defying musical comedy.

Pippin tells the story of a young prince as he sets out on a thrilling journey to find meaning in his existence. He notes two potential paths: he can choose a happy, but simple life or risk everything in favor of a momentary flash of glory. A magical show, Pippin has become a well-known staple in the theatre community for its many classic Broadway numbers, including "Magic to Do," "Corner of the Sky," "Glory," "No Time at All," "Morning Glow," and "Love Song."

Deans and Helm have been with Pippin since its Broadway opening in April 2013 and are both intimately familiar with the show's audio requirements. "The creative concept behind Pippin was designed in New York, so we are now trying to bring that Broadway experience to the different theatres on the tour," says Deans. "The show itself essentially stays the same as the one that appears on Broadway in every aspect, except for the sound design. Because we are putting on performances in different theatres of various sizes and capacities, as well as some with balconies and some without, we needed a very flexible sound system that could provide full coverage, with no matter to the room and its dimensions."

In order to deliver as close to the Pippin Broadway experience as possible, Masque Sound provided the designers with a DiGiCo SD7 live digital console complete with stealth digital processing. "The SD7 is very versatile, sounds great, and does everything we want it to do," says Helm. "It is extremely helpful in ensuring that we can expect exceptional sound coverage in all of the theatres in which the production will be playing."

As part of the custom-designed audio system, Masque Sound also supplied an array of d&b audiotechnik speakers, which the designers chose for their excellent sonic soundscape, as the speakers help to keep the continuity between the Broadway show and the tour productions. In addition, a selection of microphones from Shure, Neumann, and DPA, as well as a 40-channel wireless package featuring Sennheiser mics with DPA booms, were also included in the audio equipment package.

"The crew at Masque Sound is always wonderful to collaborate with," adds Deans. "Masque Sound worked closely with us to build the ideal speaker package to fit our sound requirements. The crew really looks after the best interests of the show. They care about the production, they care about us, and that always makes working with them such a rewarding experience."

In addition to providing the custom audio package for the show, Masque Sound also supplied frequency coordination for the show's 40-plus channels of wireless microphones. Masque Sound's expert team provided the touring crew with the information and RF equipment that they needed to ensure that all of the show's wireless transmission would remain interference free.

Deans and Helm also acknowledge the importance of their own crew's hard work in ensuring the show's success. "Our associate sound designer Drew Levy, production sound supervisor Alex Ritter, and two fantastic sound mixers, A1 front-of-house mixer Maxine Gutierrez and A2 RF/backstage support Nathan Meredith, look after the show, tour with it, and do an amazing job on all accounts."

Pippin is directed by Diane Paulus and features choreography by Tony nominee Chet Walker in the style of Bob Fosse and circus creation by Gypsy Snider of the Montreal-based circus company Les 7 Doigts de la Main, also known as 7 Fingers. The show opened on Broadway on April 25, 2013 and went on to win four 2013 Tony Awards, including Best Revival of a Musical and Best Director of a Musical for Paulus. The Pippin tour is currently slated to run through August 2015 with 33 stops, including Denver, Los Angeles, San Francisco, St. Louis, Washington DC, Atlanta, Dallas, Chicago, and Seattle.

For ticket information, please visit www.pippinthemusical.com/tour.php.