421 posts
|
Post by Distant Dreamer... on Jun 13, 2024 16:16:59 GMT
The wonderful world of live theatre/ performance means that things can go wrong from time to time. Show stops, mic troubles, costume issues, set pieces not where they should be. I’m setting up this thread so we can share our stories of things we’ve seen and how it impacted on the show. This is not to criticise, but celebrate how technical productions are and the many talented people who collaborate each night to make it seem seamless (when it’s complex!), and share how things turned out!
|
|
421 posts
|
Post by Distant Dreamer... on Jun 13, 2024 16:24:04 GMT
On Tuesday night in Southampton in Wicked there was a show stop just after “No one Mourns the Wicked” for about 10-15 mins whilst we were informed there were troubles with the automation system which were being fixed. All started where it had left off.
The Wizard was also having trouble with his mechanical head where the mouth and head didn’t move. It also didn’t move downstage as it should have so Chistery who normally climbs it before he sprouts wings had to improvise running around the stage and climbing other set pieces. The set was eventually closed in front of it during the show. It was comical a bit as the wizard was upstage for a bit and miles away from Elphaba and Glinda he was meant to be talking to! The head was also playing up in Act 2 where it didn’t spin to reveal the other side and whilst it did slide downstage, it didn’t like retuning upstage which it did very shakily.
|
|
345 posts
|
Post by theatrenerd on Jun 13, 2024 20:12:58 GMT
There have been numerous, but a favourite of mine that sticks in the mind is from seeing Matilda in what I think was Alex Gaumond's first week as Miss Trunchbull.
During "The Smell of Rebellion" where the song pauses for him to take off the TRUNCH hoodie and throw it offstage left, it instead landed hanging on the alphabet tile proscenium so in true Trunchbull-style he graciously walked over to throw it off and back to the centre to continue the song.
Considering how long the show has been running for and the numerous productions there have been, it may be a relatively common mishap but he played it off really well gaining extra laughs without ruining the moment.
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Jun 13, 2024 20:45:14 GMT
this thread reminds me of this show report from the Rocky Horror Show tour around 2016(ish) ![](https://i.postimg.cc/tTWBb8Mz/65714582-10156458597549632-3728120024829788160-n.jpg)
|
|
|
Post by andyuk200523 on Jun 14, 2024 2:49:10 GMT
The Play That Goes Wrong, during the section where the floor gives way, it collapsed all the way to the floor causing the actor to fall all the way to the ground causing a show stop for around 20 minutes. Trevor came out and did an 80's quiz with the audience and a quick round of who had what pets 😂. When the show restarted, the actor had been replaced due to an injury and a few things had to be changed for the remainder of the show.
|
|
395 posts
|
Post by Nelly on Jun 14, 2024 14:10:26 GMT
I've got two!
The first preview of Wicked - massive hype, audience is electric - Glinda's first entrance in her bubble, half tracks onto the stage and then stops, everything stops..! They started the show from the beginning again after a short wait and the line 'It's good to see me isn't it' has probably never gone down as well with the audience as it did that night.
Mary Poppins - During its first run at the Prince Edward, there was an automation issue in the second act, which stopped the show long enough for the two children playing Jane and Michael's contractual hours to run short. They picked the two shortest ensemble member to finish the last couple of scenes as them, that was pretty funny.
|
|
|
Post by fiyerorocher on Jun 14, 2024 14:18:42 GMT
I've enjoyed so many bloopers at shows over the years that it's hard to remember them all! Operation Mincemeat used to reliably have a steady stream of them, but all very much in the tone of the show so I'm sure first time viewers rarely noticed. I do remember a Les Mis performance where the barricades didn't move aside properly into the sewers and Thenardier had to nudge the 'corpse' at his feet to let him know he could open his eyes and get up, before informing the audience 'don't worry, he's not actually dead'.
|
|
421 posts
|
Post by Distant Dreamer... on Jun 14, 2024 15:08:03 GMT
I've got two! The first preview of Wicked - massive hype, audience is electric - Glinda's first entrance in her bubble, half tracks onto the stage and then stops, everything stops..! They started the show from the beginning again after a short wait and the line 'It's good to see me isn't it' has probably never gone down as well with the audience as it did that night. . I was there and I remember that! Thank you for the reminder! 😀😀 I’m loving all these stories, keep them coming.
|
|
4,098 posts
|
Post by anthony40 on Jun 14, 2024 19:43:52 GMT
The last time I saw Wicked a couple of years ago, where Lucie Jones was playing Elphaba. It was a matinee and something happened with the Wizard's mechanical mask which seized up, stopping the show.
It literally left the actor playing The Wizard, the character of Chistery and Lucie Jones walking around the stage bewildered.
|
|
4,098 posts
|
Post by anthony40 on Jun 14, 2024 19:55:38 GMT
Back in Australia, my best friend's brother is a professional pianist, who got a job working in the orchestra of Aspects of Love, which was playing at the time. So my friend when to see the show to support his brother.
As part of the set design there were a series of sliding panels and apparently the actor playing the main role of Alex, walked into one of these sliding panels. He hit it so hard that the whole panel wobbled.
Now, in Aspects of Love, the character of Alex is in most scenes at the beginning so, despite the impact of this collision, the actor had to stay on stage, singing and discreetly trying to rub his nose throughout
|
|
421 posts
|
Post by Distant Dreamer... on Jun 15, 2024 7:18:06 GMT
Now, in Aspects of Love, the character of Alex is in most scenes at the beginning so, despite the impact of this collision, the actor had to stay on stage, singing and discreetly trying to rub his nose throughout Ouch! That’s gives a new dimension to “Seeing Is Believing” 😂
|
|
|
Post by Talisman on Jun 16, 2024 12:50:14 GMT
Most memorable was original London production of Cats. The revolve was initially placed the wrong way round and as the production started it was meant to revolve 180 degrees. However at the performance I attended it didn’t move. Several stage crew placed around the perimeter used hand winches to turn, taking about 15 minutes to do so. The curtain calls at the end were cut!
|
|
145 posts
Member is Online
|
Post by starlight92 on Jun 16, 2024 13:21:52 GMT
When I went to see Legally Blonde the Musical at the Arts Centre in Aberystwyth (starring Rebecca Stenhouse, who would understudy for Lucie Jones later on in another LB production), something went wrong in the scene where Paulette calls Elle. We couldn't see her, but Paulette was supposed to appear in a box of seats with a spotlight shone on her, but we heard her say something like "Is it on" when it was her cue to speak. Rebecca Stenhouse remained 100% calm and professional. She stayed in character and shrugged it off as "Oh, I guess Paulette's not available right now" and carried on with the scene as if nothing had happened. I'm sure she must have panicked a little bit but it didn't show!
|
|
|
Post by blamerobots on Jun 16, 2024 13:54:22 GMT
Saw the Blood Brothers tour a year or two back, I distinctly remember when Sammy takes the bag of sweets, he snatched it so hard the bag exploded, sending tons of flying hard candy down into the first few rows of the audience.
The funny part is, when I saw the tour again recently, I swear on my life the exact same thing happened. This time, there were maybe four compared to the twenty something of last time. Someone must have learned a lesson.
|
|
|
Post by blamerobots on Jun 16, 2024 14:01:35 GMT
Oh my word, another Blood Brothers blooper on behalf on my friend. More of a problem with an audience member though I suppose...!
Back when this was still on the West End in the 90's. Obviously by the end of the show the tissues are out and ready, but at the very end of the show when Mrs Johnstone moves upstage to grab onto a chair for support, she tripped and fell so hard and landed with such a horrid thud that my friend's mum (who'd seen it before) burst out into a full belly laugh. She suddenly just couldn't stop laughing, and was giggling all the way through the end song.
It was a very quiet car ride home.
|
|
421 posts
|
Post by Distant Dreamer... on Jun 16, 2024 19:00:54 GMT
I remember during a phantom show with John Owen Jones the Velcro on the Phantoms chair would not attach to the cape so he couldn’t disappear at the end leaving the mask on the chair in his place. He managed to get Meg’s attention before she went to rip off the cape, instead she picked up the bridal veil which was a good save I felt. During the curtain call John wasn’t able to get the mask so had to take a bow with just the wig.
|
|
153 posts
|
Post by PhantomNcl on Jun 17, 2024 11:27:08 GMT
I remember during a phantom show with John Owen Jones the Velcro on the Phantoms chair would not attach to the cape so he couldn’t disappear at the end leaving the mask on the chair in his place. He managed to get Meg’s attention before she went to rip off the cape, instead she picked up the bridal veil which was a good save I felt. During the curtain call John wasn’t able to get the mask so had to take a bow with just the wig. When I worked on the German production this was a standard 'go to' if the chair failed - Meg would either use the bridal veil, or (if Christine hadn't chucked it too far away) the wedding bouquet. If neither were readily available she'd go and stroke the monkey on the music box. There must have been something else going on during the performance you saw though, as it's not the Phantom's mask that gets left behind on the chair, it's just a prop one which doesn't have the wire attached (otherwise it wouldn't lay flat on the chair).
|
|
421 posts
|
Post by Distant Dreamer... on Jun 17, 2024 21:00:50 GMT
There must have been something else going on during the performance you saw though, as it's not the Phantom's mask that gets left behind on the chair, it's just a prop one which doesn't have the wire attached (otherwise it wouldn't lay flat on the chair). That makes sense. Maybe John wasn’t able to get to the correct side of the stage in time to where the mask was?
|
|
|
Post by hannechalk on Jun 18, 2024 16:26:02 GMT
Another Blood Brothers entry:
One time after Kid's Game, as Mickey has thrown the 'bomb' and Sammy comes tumbling out, whoever was in charge of the smoke-machine went a bit too hard. As Linda goes 'Sammy?', Sean Jones as Mickey went 'Where is he?'. They could barely see each other on stage, and the audience was both laughing and coughing as the smoke drifted into the auditorium.
Kid's Game again, different show - a very audible accidental ripping fart came through the mic. The poor performer was beetroot red for a while after, as it was clear who it had come from.
Bright New Day - one of the wheels of the pram completely came off.
More of an audience mishap - towards the end one woman thought real police had entered the auditorium.
Another time at the same time in the show the policemen skidaddled to front of house to come in through a sidedoor - only to find the doors locked and they couldn't get in. No staff about either. That was a nervous few minutes.
I can't remember the exact circumstances, but Sean Jones once fell off the back of the stage.
More for bad behaviour - some audience members had been chatting throughout act II, and gotten so loud during the emotional pills-scene that Sean Jones and Gemma Brodrick briefly paused and glared.
|
|
421 posts
|
Post by Distant Dreamer... on Jun 18, 2024 18:13:36 GMT
There used to be a Phantom website called Lamantable Mess which listed lots of things that went wrong..funny and also not.
|
|
1,041 posts
|
Post by David J on Jun 19, 2024 3:58:22 GMT
Not the same but I want to mention when unintentionally right.
In the David Tennant Love's Labour's Lost he had to toss away a straw hat at the beginning when Berowne submit's himself to the King of Navarre's strict rules. The night I saw it he tossed it behind him and it neatly landed on the branch of the tree that was the set. The audience clapped at his moment of time lord magic and he gave a shrug in return to laughter. I'm sure that performance was recorded and I went the archives to watch the recording years later and it happened then.
Seeing the first The Producers tour at the Mayflower Theatre, when Corey English as Max threw Leo Bloom's (Joe Pasquale) coat away in their first scene shouting 'Then account for yourself' the coat flew across the stage and landed neatly on the coat hook by the his apartment door. Received applause from the audience to which Corey broke the forth wall and said 'just for the Mayflower'
Things that went wrong...
I still remember the Nuffield Theatre, Southampton's Christmas show of the Wind in the Willows many moons ago. Ratty and Mole are left alone by badger at his home with some food he has left on these tiered platters. Suddenly one of them collapses and platters and food went everywhere, leaving everyone guffawing and Mole and Ratty couldn't stop corpsing. Even Ratty took a moment to point out the food on the other tiered platter still standing to more laughter.
|
|
153 posts
|
Post by PhantomNcl on Jun 19, 2024 9:03:44 GMT
There used to be a Phantom website called Lamantable Mess which listed lots of things that went wrong..funny and also not. I used to love that website, there were some great examples! Also some hilarious fabricated ones too - one of my favourites was when someone said they'd seen the show and the boat had got stuck, so the Phantom and Christine had continued on foot but the candles rising from the deck had set his cloak on fire. Ummmmm.... they're tiny little light bulbs, not real candles I've witnessed so many things go wrong with Phantom though, from the boat trundling off on its own course, the Angel getting stuck and having to be hand-winched back up to the top of the prosc, the drapes getting stuck on the set during the overture (this happened on a very regular basis), and many more! The two which stick in my mind most were on the first UK tour when the cross fell off the platform in Wishing, with Dave Willetts hidden inside it, and the German production where our Christine was lip-synching her way through the closing bars of the title song (I don't think that's classed as a spoiler any more?) and started to cough while the pre-recorded track carried on, ruining the illusion of a perfect vocal performance.
|
|
153 posts
|
Post by PhantomNcl on Jun 19, 2024 9:12:35 GMT
Another Blood Brothers entry: One time after Kid's Game, as Mickey has thrown the 'bomb' and Sammy comes tumbling out, whoever was in charge of the smoke-machine went a bit too hard. As Linda goes 'Sammy?', Sean Jones as Mickey went 'Where is he?'. They could barely see each other on stage, and the audience was both laughing and coughing as the smoke drifted into the auditorium. Kid's Game again, different show - a very audible accidental ripping fart came through the mic. The poor performer was beetroot red for a while after, as it was clear who it had come from. Bright New Day - one of the wheels of the pram completely came off. More of an audience mishap - towards the end one woman thought real police had entered the auditorium. Another time at the same time in the show the policemen skidaddled to front of house to come in through a sidedoor - only to find the doors locked and they couldn't get in. No staff about either. That was a nervous few minutes. I can't remember the exact circumstances, but Sean Jones once fell off the back of the stage. More for bad behaviour - some audience members had been chatting throughout act II, and gotten so loud during the emotional pills-scene that Sean Jones and Gemma Brodrick briefly paused and glared. I remember ushering the show, sitting in the theatre foyer one evening with an old chap who'd come to pick his wife up after the show. Mickey used to make his entrance from the back of the auditorium, which meant quite a lengthy run from stage left through a pass door, up a staircase, down another staircase, and a scoot across the main foyer, so he'd be coming at quite a speed. He shot across the foyer, gun in hand and slammed his way through the door into the stalls. We were quite used to it happening, so just carried on chatting while the gentleman's eyes got wider and wider, especially when the two policemen sauntered down the stairs too, also with guns, and followed Mickey into the auditorium. We had to explain that it was all part of the show, and that there wasn't some kind of siege going on
|
|
|
Post by hannechalk on Jun 19, 2024 15:07:13 GMT
Another Blood Brothers entry: One time after Kid's Game, as Mickey has thrown the 'bomb' and Sammy comes tumbling out, whoever was in charge of the smoke-machine went a bit too hard. As Linda goes 'Sammy?', Sean Jones as Mickey went 'Where is he?'. They could barely see each other on stage, and the audience was both laughing and coughing as the smoke drifted into the auditorium. Kid's Game again, different show - a very audible accidental ripping fart came through the mic. The poor performer was beetroot red for a while after, as it was clear who it had come from. Bright New Day - one of the wheels of the pram completely came off. More of an audience mishap - towards the end one woman thought real police had entered the auditorium. Another time at the same time in the show the policemen skidaddled to front of house to come in through a sidedoor - only to find the doors locked and they couldn't get in. No staff about either. That was a nervous few minutes. I can't remember the exact circumstances, but Sean Jones once fell off the back of the stage. More for bad behaviour - some audience members had been chatting throughout act II, and gotten so loud during the emotional pills-scene that Sean Jones and Gemma Brodrick briefly paused and glared. I remember ushering the show, sitting in the theatre foyer one evening with an old chap who'd come to pick his wife up after the show. Mickey used to make his entrance from the back of the auditorium, which meant quite a lengthy run from stage left through a pass door, up a staircase, down another staircase, and a scoot across the main foyer, so he'd be coming at quite a speed. He shot across the foyer, gun in hand and slammed his way through the door into the stalls. We were quite used to it happening, so just carried on chatting while the gentleman's eyes got wider and wider, especially when the two policemen sauntered down the stairs too, also with guns, and followed Mickey into the auditorium. We had to explain that it was all part of the show, and that there wasn't some kind of siege going on Shared your story with a Mickey, and he said he was actually rugby tackled by a FOH manager once, who was oblivious to what was meant to happen. 😂
|
|
4,098 posts
|
Post by anthony40 on Jun 19, 2024 17:05:47 GMT
Many (many) years ago- before coming here- I saw a production of My Fair Lady.
In the song 'Show Me' Freddy was standing with his arms out stretched as Eliza was stacking her luggage and belongings and unwisely put a lightweight bamboo bird cage on top which fell off and rolled across the whole way across the front of the stage, eventually landing in the orchestra pit.
|
|