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Post by Jan on Dec 7, 2018 15:10:11 GMT
There was an old 1930’s vaudeville dancing act called the Nicholas Brothers. One time to get between dates they booked onto a commercial river boat. When it docked the official there shouted “What have you got on board ?” and the Captain shouted “Six tons of sh*t and the Nicholas Brothers” and the Nicholas Brothers shouted “We need to talk about the billing”.
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848 posts
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Post by duncan on Dec 7, 2018 15:47:19 GMT
"Is there a doctor in the house?" asked Sir Ralph Richardson once from the stage, mid-performance. A man in the audience got up and identified himself. "As an educated man wouldnt you agree this is a terrible play?" said Ralph - and then carried on with the performance.
There appears to be some disagreement on which play it was, some say the Brighton tryout of What the Butler Saw but others think it was during The Last Joke.
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Post by Jan on Dec 7, 2018 21:47:57 GMT
An earnest critic interviewing an old Shakespearean actor manager asked “Did Hamlet sleep with Ophelia?” and he replied “In London no, but on tour always”.
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423 posts
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Post by schuttep on Dec 10, 2018 14:40:35 GMT
Sir John Gielgud was directing a Shakespeare play and berating the cast for not wearing the tights he'd insisted on.
A small voice from the back of the assembled cast piped up: "Please, Sir John, does that apply to those of us with small parts?'
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Post by joeinnewyork on Dec 15, 2018 23:50:44 GMT
Three from the world of opera:
Montserrat Caballé showed up at a recording session with flowers for Joan Sutherland, who was also in the cast. (This could have been "Turandot," but given that the story's source is Samuel Ramey, I assume it was Sutherland's second "Norma.") Sutherland said, "Ah - flowers for the prima donna," to which Caballé replied, "Flowers FROM the prima donna."
At the first orchestral rehearsal for his Met debut at the age of 84, Hugues Cuénod asked the conductor, "Do you want me to sound like an old man, or should I use my real voice?"
While they were waiting backstage for the start of a performance of "Aida," Grace Bumbry said to Leontyne Price, "You know, the music Verdi wrote for my part tonight is so extraordinary, I sometimes wonder why he didn't just name the opera 'Amneris.'" Price answered, "Honey, stick around and I'll SHOW you why he named it 'Aida.'"
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409 posts
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Post by maggiem on Dec 20, 2018 12:06:31 GMT
One of my favourites is in Edward Behr's book "Les Miserables: history in the making".
Late in the rehearsal period for the original Barbican production, Colm Wilkinson sang "Bring Him Home" for the first time. The story goes that director Trevor Nunn said " I told you that this was about God", and an unknown cast member piped up, "Yes, but you didn't tell us you'd engaged Him to sing it!"
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Post by hannechalk on Feb 2, 2019 1:53:19 GMT
Apparently a group of Japanese tourists were very confused when they went to see Blood Brothers at the Phoenix one day - the actor playing Mr Lyons was taken ill, and they quickly drafted in the real-life identical twin brother of the actor playing Mickey as cover. The story was then a bit lost on them, as there were clearly twins on the stage, but they were not playing the twins.
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275 posts
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Post by emsworthian on Feb 2, 2019 8:07:05 GMT
One of my favourites is in Edward Behr's book "Les Miserables: history in the making". Late in the rehearsal period for the original Barbican production, Colm Wilkinson sang "Bring Him Home" for the first time. The story goes that director Trevor Nunn said " I told you that this was about God", and an unknown cast member piped up, "Yes, but you didn't tell us you'd engaged Him to sing it!" Another Les Mis anecdote. Michael Ball related in a TV doumentary how many of the cast were dubious before the show opened as to whether it would have popular appeal. One day they were rehersing on the barricades when the actor next to him turned and said: "Ooh, I'm not at all sure about all this. I'm more of a "Hello, Dolly!" man myself." |
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364 posts
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Post by tysilio2 on Feb 2, 2019 20:31:46 GMT
Apparently in a TV interview with Morecambe and Wise:
Intrrviewer: What would you be if you weren't comedians?
Eric: Mike and Bernie Winters
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Post by Deleted on Feb 3, 2019 2:29:05 GMT
Apparently in a TV interview with Morecambe and Wise: Intrrviewer: What would you be if you weren't comedians? Eric: Mike and Bernie Winters I'd heard the question was "What would you be if you weren't so successful" to which Eric gave the above answer. The late Val Doonican told a story that he was playing a dance hall somewhere in Ireland and there were a pile of chairs on the floor in the middle of the hall. Val thought this was strange and with his band moved them out of the way. During the show people were dancing to a lively number when suddenly a number of them went crashing through the floor. The hall manager ran in and Val said to him, you've got a rotten floor to which he replied "That's why i put the ******* pile of chairs there". |
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Post by wickedgrin on Feb 3, 2019 10:54:28 GMT
Two anecdotes from a revival of Hay Fever at the NT in 1964 starring Dame Edith Evans (at nearly 80) playing Judith Bliss and Maggie Smith playing Myra. Directed by Noel Coward himself.
During VERY fraught rehearsals Dame Edith was having trouble with the lines and constantly misread the line "On a clear day you can see Marlow" to "On a VERY clear day you can see Marlow". Infuriated with her destroying the rhythm of the dialogue Noel Coward eventually snapped and rose from the stalls and shouted "Edith, the line is on a clear day you can see Marlow, on a VERY clear day you can see Marlow and Beaumont and Fletcher".
The play was proving too much for Dame Edith who retired to her hotel unwell but soon recovered when she heard that Maggie Smith had done a rehearsal as Judith Bliss and was very funny in the role. She returned to the theatre and said to Maggie Smith " I understand you are covering the part of Judith Bliss, I am here to tell you I shall never be off!" to which Maggie Smith responded " Well I sincerely hope not as the cossies wont fit"!
Dame Edith never did miss a performance and the UK never got to see Maggie Smith as Judith Bliss although she did apparently play the role in Canada.
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Post by talkingheads on Feb 3, 2019 11:36:23 GMT
Only two names needed here - Peter O Toole and Richard Harris:
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Post by lookingatthestars on Feb 3, 2019 15:42:48 GMT
Only two names needed here - Peter O Toole and Richard Harris: Good call! I've heard these stories many times, but still laugh every time; they told them with so much life, passion and sense of fun. Interviews on chat shows today rarely achieve this, but society changes I guess |
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Post by Jan on Apr 18, 2020 19:00:18 GMT
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