Neu-Anspach, Germany – 29. Oktober 2025 – The new musical Masquerade has been captivating visitors and critics alike in New York City since the end of July 2025. The extraordinary concept for this production – directed by Tony Award winner Diane Paulus – is enthralling audiences not only with its reinterpretation of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s classic musical The Phantom of the Opera but also with an immersive experience that transcends traditional theatre boundaries. Instead of having fixed seats, guests move freely through a multi-storey building in Midtown Manhattan and are right in the middle of the action. The special room architecture and the constant change of audience positions have placed extreme demands on the sound system, for which sound designer Brett Jarvis was responsible – a challenge that has been solved with the most extensive LD Systems audio installation the world has seen to date.
The legendary former Lee’s Art Shop, on 57th Street, has been completely remodelled and is transformed into a fascinating world of experience at every performance. Each floor presents its own settings – from opulent ballrooms to mysterious catacombs. Drama, music, dance and detailed set design fuse into a production that the audience experiences up close and from constantly changing perspectives. From the very first performances, this form of staging has ensured sold-out performances and a great deal of attention in the international musical and theatre scene.
Technical masterpiece on five floors
The requirements for the entire audio and PA system were extraordinary: uniform sound distribution across several very differently designed rooms, maximum speech intelligibility at every angle, minimal susceptibility to feedback with headsets and lavalier microphones, natural high-frequency reproduction for classical arrangements, and powerful low-frequency reproduction for organ sounds – all embedded in an immersive sound design. In addition, the loudspeakers had to be integrated so unobtrusively into the scenery that they did not disturb the immersive experience – especially as the audience is often only a few metres away from the performers.
“From the very first meeting with sound designer Brett Jarvis and Andrew Lloyd Webber producer Lee McCutcheon, it became clear that we had to pull out all the stops for Masquerade,” explains Jens Kleinhuis, Pro Audio Field Application Engineer with the Adam Hall Group. Together with Ivan Klepac, Integrated Systems Field Application Engineer from the integrated systems project support team, an audio setup was created over the course of several demo dates and training sessions that is unrivalled in the history of LD Systems and Adam Hall Integrated Systems: over 1,000 speakers – including around 660 CURV 500 satellites, 186 DQOR and over 80 MAILA array systems alone – ensure that the audience is right in the middle of the action at Masquerade wherever they are.
Broad portfolio & comprehensive support
In addition to MAILA, DQOR and the CURV 500 systems, the Masquerade producers have made use of the entire LD Systems portfolio: MAUI i1 in-line speakers and CFL in-ceiling systems through to the new ICOA PRO SUB 21 A high-performance subwoofers. Even a pair of ANNY 8 Bluetooth® PA speakers was used. The complete system is driven and controlled by 68 IPA 424 T 4-channel installation amplifiers, each equipped with an X-EDAI Ethernet & Dante expansion card to integrate all components into the existing Dante network.
“This project was anything but ordinary,” confirms Ivan Klepac. “We have supported Brett and his team at all levels to help them realise the full potential of the LD Systems portfolio. Our project support team was available around the clock to help solve installation issues. Working closely with other departments such as Mechanical Engineering and R&D, we were able to ensure a smooth set-up and configuration.”
Rob Olsen, Sales Director for Adam Hall North America: “Brett Jarvis was faced with the challenge of providing five completely different floors with a stable and consistent sound throughout. When he discovered the LD Systems product range, tried it out and heard it at the Adam Hall headquarters, he knew he had found the perfect solution.”
Gabriel Medrano, President/COO of Adam Hall North America, emphasises the project’s importance: “The collaboration with Brett Jarvis and the entire Masquerade team was inspiring and a partnership of the highest calibre. The use of MAILA in this unique environment marks a real milestone in the history of LD Systems – technically, creatively and emotionally.”
