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Lights, color ... Disney!
By John Benson
A decade after he designed “Disney On Ice presents Mickey & Minnie’s Magical Journey” — which comes to Youngstown’s Covelli Centre Thursday through Dec. 18 — lighting designer Patrick Dierson reflects back on the groundbreaking production.
“Originally, the concept was to not just sort of make it a utilitarian way of designing,” said Dierson, calling from New York City. “There’s lots of action, lots of scenic pieces, lots of characters on the ice. Traditionally, designers throw a lot of white light at the ice to make sure you can see all of that stuff. How I approached it was I really wanted it to look truly colorful. We wanted to try and make the costumes pop and all the scenery look almost edible in color, to try to get more deeper, richer tones that quite frankly are traditionally used in rock-concert tours.”
Dierson said the introduction of state-of-the-art robotic lights helped achieved the arena rock ’n’ roll show goal. And by the way, the concert venue is exactly where this highly-sought-after lighting designer has cut his teeth. Some of his high-profile productions include working with Jay-Z, Shakira, the Pepsi Smash Super Bowl Bash and the MTV Video Music Awards.
There’s also another r sum credit that is receiving anniversary attention of late. Not only did Dierson work on the post-Sept. 11 musical telethon “America: A Tribute to Heroes,” for which he was nominated for an Emmy Award, but also the “Concert for New York.”
Adding to the gravity of the 10-year commemoration for Dierson is the fact on the morning of Sept. 11, 2001, he was supposed to be underneath the World Trade Center towers when the first plane hit. He said an amazing turn of events kept him away from the area.
Regarding the anniversary, he said plenty of thoughts have been going through his mind of late.
“I have to say I’ve just spent a bittersweet weekend reliving a lot,” Dierson said. “Being a New Yorker and being in New York watching it happen live was a very alarming experience. As for ‘Tribute to Heroes’ and ‘Concert for New York,’ I have to say it’s some of the most proud work I’ve ever done.”
Naturally at the opposing end of the 9/11 emotional spectrum, “Disney On Ice presents Mickey & Minnie’s Magical Journey” includes characters from famous Disney shows such as “The Little Mermaid,” “The Lion King,” “Lilo & Stitch” and “Peter Pan.”
“It’s just a fun performance,” Dierson said. “It has all of the characters that you grew up with. Multiple generations of people have grown up with these characters. It’s classic Disney and that never fails to entertain. It looks really cool, everybody knows the songs and it’s just a lot of fun to be at.”
Considering his r sum , Dierson can provide answers to a few hard questions that the world has patiently awaited. So, who’s more of a diva, Shakira or Minnie Mouse?
“That’s a tough one,” Dierson said. “Both of them expect to be treated like the stars they are and deserve every bit of it.”
The diplomatic Dierson may have sidestepped that question but he can’t skirt around the last one: Who has more street cred, Jay-Z or Mickey Mouse?
“That’s a real tough one,” Dierson said. “You know, I don’t see any statues of Jay-Z at the end of Main Street USA.”