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Post by fiyerorocher on Sept 8, 2021 10:33:36 GMT
Since I'm reviving an old thread, I'll make it worth it while I'm here. One of my favourite things about seeing shows multiple times is noticing all the mistakes. I love nothing more than for something to go wrong (provided everyone is okay!), but these are my favouites:
- Madame Thenardier forgetting all the words to her verse in Master of the House on the first day of the new Les Mis cast several years ago. She tried a couple of times but couldn't get back into it and ended up completely breaking down with laughter and just going 'oh dear' while the music played on. - Also in Les Mis, one of the barricades not moving aside at the start of the sewers scene. The ensemble member lying on the floor 'dead' hadn't realised anything was wrong, so Thenardier nudged him with his foot and told him to get up, then turned to the audience and went 'he's not really dead' - The performance of Loot(? I think) at the Park Theatre(? I think) where one of the actors fainted about 10 minutes in. They sent us all out into the bar, then the show resumed about 20 minutes later - WITH THE SAME ACTOR. I've never had more respect for someone's dedication to 'the show must go on'
And the reason I went looking for this thread: - One of the actors in Operation Mincemeat screwed up one of her lines last night, very obviously corrected herself and just added 'that's how the joke works'. All of the cast was laughing while the two people in the scene made up some dialogue to get them back to where they were supposed to be, and when they came on to sing the next verse, they were struggling to compose themselves.
Live theatre. There's really nothing like it.
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Post by fiyerorocher on Sept 8, 2021 11:46:59 GMT
Oh, and how could I forget one of the greatest things to ever happen during a show I've been at. Not so much a mistake as a triumph: in Waitress, Ogie kicks a paper bird towards the back of the stage. At this show, he managed to kick it directly into the hands of an ensemble member sat in one of booths at the back. The resulting cheer from the audience had Ogie turning to them with a 'ta-da!' and it took the actress playing Dawn a good while to compose herself before she could get the next line out.
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Post by sph on Sept 8, 2021 13:59:41 GMT
I've seen a lot of things back in the days when I actually used to work in theatres, but as an audience member, the only thing I can think of are a few obvious line flubs and a preview of Gypsy in 2015 where after an unusually long interval the company manager came on stage to announce that an automated set piece (Gypsy's dressing room from near the end of the show) wasn't working and so would have to be manually pushed on and off by stagehands during that particular scene.
The cast carried on as normal and a few crew members in black just ran on and slowly pushed it back out of the way.
I did have a friend who was at 2:22 at the Noel Coward recently, who told me that during one scene, an announcement was made by stage door regarding a delivery, obviously intended for backstage, but it came through the auditorium speakers. That's a bit of a clanger!
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Post by marob on Sept 8, 2021 14:41:34 GMT
I saw one mistake last week at the start of Prince of Egypt during the bit where Moses is put in a basket and they use the ensemble to represent the River Nile. Would have been quite impressive if the doll “playing” Moses hadn’t gone flying out of the basket. It’s quite a shallow basket so I doubt it’s the first time it happened.
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Post by Stephen on Sept 8, 2021 16:41:30 GMT
I've had a few. The biggest and most unexpected was being at the preview of Groundhog Day in New York when Andy Karl fell and injured his leg. It was in the second part of act 2 during a particularly intense dance/revolve routine and it looked as though he slid offstage as part of the number. It turned out this wasn't supposed to happen as the action quickly stopped and an announcement was made for a doctor to go backstage. There was a show stop of around half an hour then Karl came back on to finish the show! He used a stick (looked like a prop or part of the set) to balance then posted a picture from A&E straight after the show!
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Post by HereForTheatre on Sept 8, 2021 17:04:09 GMT
Two big ones I remember is one time at Waitress where a bit of pie went missing for a scene where Jenna had to serve Earl a piece, poor KMP went to get this pie and nothing was there and she literally just stood silently on the stage for what seemed liked 5 minutes but was probably only 30 seconds or so kinda not knowing what on earth to do before the actress that played Dawn in character said "I'm going to get that damn pie!!" and walked into the wings and came back out with it! Another big one was at &Juliet where for the big scene where Romeo descends from above the stage and he got stuck halfway down and the music stopped and he was just hanging there and said "this has never happened before" and then the curtain went down and a show stop for about 20 minutes.
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Post by adrianics on Sept 8, 2021 18:35:45 GMT
When I went to see I Can't Sing, the ridiculous revolve in Act 2 kept breaking down and Nigel Harmon (as Simon Cowell) did a King's job improvising around it.
At the Other Palace's production of Falsettos back in October 2019, the FOH announced that there would be a delay to Act 2. It later transpired that one of the four actors had taken ill and, with the standby already on, they had to convince Joel Montague, who was not performing that night, to come in to finish the show so the standby could take over from the actor who had taken ill. All handled it very well but Montague had a face like thunder at the curtain call.
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Post by fiyero on Sept 8, 2021 18:55:32 GMT
I've had a few. Its one of the reasons I love live theatre, no time to edit it out!
At the first preview of Wicked we waited for Galinda to arrive at the start. She didn't! Show stop and restart from the top!
When I saw Joseph at The Palladium in 2019 after the kids attach the fabric to the stars (I think, I couldn't actually see from my box seat) the show was stopped. I loved when it restarted as it really felt like a record getting back up to speed as the orchestra started.
At one of the recent Les Mis concerts there was no curtain call, just the end of the show ... a long pause ... play off music and no obvious reason why from the Grand Circle, I found out later someone in the front stalls was taken ill and the decision was taken to get help to her (she was OK)
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Post by fiyerorocher on Sept 8, 2021 20:44:00 GMT
I remember when I saw Network they added a spontaneous interval because someone in the stalls needed medical attention. One of the actresses noticed from the stage and told everyone they needed to stop the show. Then later, when they film live outside, there was just an ambulance in the background of the shot.
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Post by daisy24601 on Sept 8, 2021 22:07:07 GMT
At the first preview of Wicked we waited for Galinda to arrive at the start. She didn't! Show stop and restart from the top! Oliver Tomsett tweeted about it today!
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Post by mistressjojo on Sept 8, 2021 23:42:55 GMT
During a local production of Home, I'm Darling a few months back, the scene where the husband storms out slamming the door after him was followed by the crashing of glass and a 20 minute stop. We never did find out exactly what broke but I can only assume the actor playing the husband doesn't know his own strength! ( he's quite burly - think Tongan rugby player burly! )
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Post by poster J on Sept 8, 2021 23:46:32 GMT
At Wicked once the lift through the trapdoor didn't rise for No Good Deed, leaving Rachel Tucker stranded below the stage. She ended up having to run back up to stage level and run on from stage left. The orchestra didn't stop so she had to just pick up the song where they'd got to (quick reactions to figure that out and she only missed less than one verse in total in the end!).
I never did work out if I only heard her very choice swear words and frantic discussions about what to do because I happened to be near the middle of the front row and the trapdoor for that bit is right at the edge of the stage, or whether they didn't cut her mic quickly enough and the whole audience heard!
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Post by n1david on Sept 9, 2021 7:44:57 GMT
- The performance of Loot(? I think) at the Park Theatre(? I think) where one of the actors fainted about 10 minutes in. They sent us all out into the bar, then the show resumed about 20 minutes later - WITH THE SAME ACTOR. I've never had more respect for someone's dedication to 'the show must go on' Gosh there were four Theatreboarders at that show! Two of us managed to meet up in the show stop... theatreboard.co.uk/post/145453/thread
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Post by fiyerorocher on Sept 9, 2021 8:26:23 GMT
- The performance of Loot(? I think) at the Park Theatre(? I think) where one of the actors fainted about 10 minutes in. They sent us all out into the bar, then the show resumed about 20 minutes later - WITH THE SAME ACTOR. I've never had more respect for someone's dedication to 'the show must go on' Gosh there were four Theatreboarders at that show! Two of us managed to meet up in the show stop... theatreboard.co.uk/post/145453/threadOh wow, that's impressive! Especially considering the size of the theatre!!
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Post by maggiem on Sept 9, 2021 10:16:30 GMT
A few weeks ago at Hairspray, when Link is visiting Tracy in the slammer, the door to her "cell" swung open when it wasn't supposed to. Luke (understudy) kept going and pushed the door shut. The joke about the shape of the door when it finally opens as intended, was lost a bit, but well done for keeping the scene going!
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Post by irisjeregenboog on Sept 9, 2021 10:48:03 GMT
A few weeks ago at Hairspray, when Link is visiting Tracy in the slammer, the door to her "cell" swung open when it wasn't supposed to. Luke (understudy) kept going and pushed the door shut. The joke about the shape of the door when it finally opens as intended, was lost a bit, but well done for keeping the scene going! I had that too a few weeks ago when I visited Hairspray! I had Jonny Amies on as Link though, so it must've been a different show. I guess that means they should really fix that door
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Post by notmymuse on Sept 10, 2021 23:40:37 GMT
In Love Story at the Duchess in the cooking pasta scene, Emma Williams or Michael Xavier (I forget which) managed to knock the entire pan of pasta (which they actually used to cook on stage in the song) off the hob onto the stage floor. Both of them just looked at each other and had no idea what to do...
I forget the opera, but Natalie Dessay knocked an ink pot off the desk onto the giant white rug, where it slowly spread for the rest of the act. You do wonder why the ink pot needed actually ink.
I also saw Priscilla (the bus) break down once, but I think that was a reasonably common thing to happen.
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Post by FairyGodmother on Sept 10, 2021 23:53:48 GMT
The only show stop I've had was at Blood Brothers, when somebody in the audience was taken ill.
I wish they'd stopped Rent though — when I saw it, Mark's mic was cutting in and out from the beginning, and they didn't sort it until he went off, which seemed a very long time!
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Post by sph on Sept 11, 2021 1:23:32 GMT
In all my years working in theatre back in the day in the West End, I never saw a show actually stop for an audience member being ill. So I'm quite surprised by how often it has popped up in this thread! Especially since... illness in the audience happens quite often! We were constantly dealing with all sorts of medical emergencies but stopping a show for it nowadays is very rare. You'd be surprised how many people faint or take ill at the theatre. If we stopped the show every time we'd have been doing it several times a week, especially during hot weather!
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Post by fiyerorocher on Sept 12, 2021 9:29:57 GMT
I definitely wasn't there for this one, but if you haven't seen Jonathan Groff tell his Spring Awakening mistake story then this is worth a watch:
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Post by Forrest on Sept 12, 2021 9:40:26 GMT
fiyerorocher, thanks for this. I've never seen SA (I had to look up the song) but the way he tells the story is pure gold. A total day brightener! :) (I've only ever seen him in "Mindhunter" on Netflix, in which he is simply utterly brilliant, and I had no idea before that that he is a big name in musical theatre!)
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Post by jennapatchell on Sept 13, 2021 12:19:27 GMT
I remember when I saw Network they added a spontaneous interval because someone in the stalls needed medical attention. One of the actresses noticed from the stage and told everyone they needed to stop the show. Then later, when they film live outside, there was just an ambulance in the background of the shot. I was there too! It was so surreal, at first couldn't figure out if it was part of the play or not (as this was just after Bryan Cranston walked through the stalls rows as part of the play, blurring the lines of reality). An actor was giving a monologue whilst someone in the audience jumped up with the infamous "IS THERE A DOCTOR IN THE HOUSE?" Being the National, of course nearly half the audience are doctors. The monologue ended and the actor stayed in place before walking off and creating an impromptu interval. St Johns Ambulance arrived during the 30-40 minute break, removing the audience member via a stretcher. Certainly a memorable evening.
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Post by jennapatchell on Sept 13, 2021 12:23:23 GMT
In Kinky Boots towards the end of the run, Oliver Thompsett, mid-song, shouted out, "it's no good, I can't do this!" and ran off stage. The girl playing Lauren ran after him, but the rest of the cast stayed put. Then an announcement came that there would be a short break. After five minutes or so, Oliver came back on stage, and they picked up exactly where they had left off, mid-song. It turned out that Oliver had been suffering from a nasty cough and cold, and had to dash off as he could feel a full blown coughing fit coming on. Surprisingly similar thing in the original run with Killian. He had a bit of a nasty throat that night and was constantly drinking water on stage. At the start of Soul of a Man he decided not to start singing, and instead walked around stage for a few minutes with an impromptu vamp from the orchestra. He performed some vocal exercises (with his mic off but I was front row so could hear) and also some mouth stretches. After drinking some more water he went for it and gave such an insanely fantastic performance of the song. I will never forget it. This is what he tweeted after the show: Also in the same performance, in the boxing match the big explosion sound never went off at the end of "In this corner" on the big final punch. After a small awkward pause, a cast member shouted "BOOM!". Was hilarious.
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Post by inthenose on Sept 13, 2021 16:16:28 GMT
Phantom:
The boat breaking down upstage with Earl Carpenter and Katie Knight-Adams having to walk through the lake.
Multiple incidents of mid-show replacements.
Multiple incidents of the candle pyro not working in the Final Lair.
Multiple incidents of alternate blocking (Raoul not jumping into the trapdoor, Red Death running off stage instead of using the trapdoor).
Two incidents of The Phantom losing his hat into the audience during the AIAOY Reprise.
Multiple incidents of tiny mistakes but always the same ones (cloths getting stuck during the Overture, usually leading to crew with a big stick appearing), the throne not fully working, dropped catches in Don Juan Triumphant, failing to catch the score in Why So Silent... That kind of thing.
I've seen two versions of the alternate (panic!) blocking when the magic lasso hasn't worked in the Final Lair. One time Raoul just dropped to the floor clutching his throat, the other was more interesting. He like, backed up and threw himself against the portcullis and held himself in place as if it was magnetic. It was amusing!
John Owen-Jones screaming "you lying b***h" when getting de-masked...
At John Owen-Jones' electric final performance of his original run, the Overture abruptly stopped, reset briefly, then stopped again. I am convinced this was sabotage. There were people there who weren't John's biggest fans at that time(!).
The set literally fell over once at Avenue Q (Selladoor) at the Brighton Dome, crashing into the false pros. Long show stop while they righted it...
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Post by mrbluesky on Sept 14, 2021 18:47:07 GMT
John Owen-Jones screaming "you lying b***h" when getting de-masked... I have always wondered what the story behind this is! Was he just trying some new version of the script out?
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Post by inthenose on Sept 14, 2021 20:10:23 GMT
John Owen-Jones screaming "you lying b***h" when getting de-masked... I have always wondered what the story behind this is! Was he just trying some new version of the script out? I happened to know the people involved at that time. John was and is an extremely talented individual, but did rub people the wrong way. He wasn't always the most well-liked guy in the production within the company. He wasn't known for having the longest fuse or being the most patient of people, especially with other performers. Something had happened previously (professional, work related) that he was not happy with. Beyond that I can't say more.
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Post by BurlyBeaR on Sept 15, 2021 6:29:40 GMT
I have always wondered what the story behind this is! Was he just trying some new version of the script out? I happened to know the people involved at that time. John was and is an extremely talented individual, but did rub people the wrong way. He wasn't always the most well-liked guy in the production within the company. He wasn't known for having the longest fuse or being the most patient of people, especially with other performers. Something had happened previously (professional, work related) that he was not happy with. Beyond that I can't say more. Sounds very Crawford-esque! Is that the reason for the sabotage on his final show too?
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Post by inthenose on Sept 15, 2021 10:21:42 GMT
I happened to know the people involved at that time. John was and is an extremely talented individual, but did rub people the wrong way. He wasn't always the most well-liked guy in the production within the company. He wasn't known for having the longest fuse or being the most patient of people, especially with other performers. Something had happened previously (professional, work related) that he was not happy with. Beyond that I can't say more. Sounds very Crawford-esque! Is that the reason for the sabotage on his final show too? You may think that. You may very well think that. I couldn't possibly comment.
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Post by fiyerorocher on Sept 16, 2021 21:43:43 GMT
You may need the context of having seen the show for this to be funny, but if you've seen it, this sounds hilarious :')
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Post by frappuccino on Sept 17, 2021 1:52:31 GMT
I remember when I saw Network they added a spontaneous interval because someone in the stalls needed medical attention. One of the actresses noticed from the stage and told everyone they needed to stop the show. Then later, when they film live outside, there was just an ambulance in the background of the shot. I was there too! It was so surreal, at first couldn't figure out if it was part of the play or not (as this was just after Bryan Cranston walked through the stalls rows as part of the play, blurring the lines of reality). An actor was giving a monologue whilst someone in the audience jumped up with the infamous "IS THERE A DOCTOR IN THE HOUSE?" Being the National, of course nearly half the audience are doctors. The monologue ended and the actor stayed in place before walking off and creating an impromptu interval. St Johns Ambulance arrived during the 30-40 minute break, removing the audience member via a stretcher. Certainly a memorable evening. Why do doctors go there?
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