Van Gogh exhibit takes some help from Broadway

A massive, immersive exhibition celebrating artist Vincent van Gogh has leaned on some Broadway talent for a little razzle dazzle during its visit to New York City. “They wanted something bigger, fancier, deeper,” said Korins, who has designed sets for “Hamilton” and “Dear Evan Hansen” and is a lifelong fan of Van Gogh. “I wanted to really try and find a way to help people in 2021 see him more as a human.” Korins has added a ceiling installation that uses almost 8,000 paint brushes to thrillingly reproduce “The Starry Night,” a station that uses artificial intelligence to give visitors an individualised letter from Van Gogh, a chance to co-create a work with him on their phones, and booths that explore the artist's synesthesia. Corey Ross, the lead producer of “Immersive Van Gogh,” said the show leans into every place it lands in and New York was the biggest challenge of any city the show has visited. There's even a rival in New York just a few miles away, “Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience.” Producers of “Immersive Van Gogh” in New York had so much space — the location on Pier 36 was once home to 25 basketball courts — that they've designed three galleries, each larger than the next, which viewers can wander about or sit on benches and watch Van Gogh's work float by.