The haze that coats the stage makes an excellent 3-D scrim for the dazzling lighting created by Lighting Designer Thomas P. Gardner. The special spots are effective, mood washes are moody, and I rather wish I could see the show again just to look more at the lighting.
Lighting Designer Thomas P. Gardner used a variety of colors, strobes, and other types of lighting to perfectly set the scene. There are many different emotions running throughout the show, from light and carefree to dark and mysterious to action, and Gardner has deftly created a lighting design scheme to highlight what is going on onstage. This is a perfect example of how lighting complements the action and showcases how a stage production is truly an ensemble work of which lighting is a crucial component. Gardner doesn’t just light the stage. He creates mood. That’s the mark of a true artist.
lighting designer Thomas Gardner takes a canvas of white curtains and turns them into a work of art that was both grounding in time and space and visually beautiful.
Thomas Gardner is to be commended on the wonderful and emotional lighting of the show, highlighting all the highs and lows of the story and really capturing the emotional intent of every song.
Thomas Gardner’s lighting is as inventive and clever as any I’ve seen locally
Thomas Gardner’s lighting design is, in a word, splendid.
The final star of the show was the lighting design by Thomas Gardner