Scariest Moment in a Musical- Page 2

[hushpuppy]

Posted: 11/28/05 at 11:11pm

In the current London production of Mary Poppins, there is a scene where the children lose their temper and are banished to the nursery. Once there, the toys come to life and terrorize the children while singing a song called 'Temper, Temper'. Included in this are toy soldiers who even point their guns at Jane and Michael. The little girl in front of me was clinging to her father she was so scared. Given all the horrors in the US with school shootings and all, I would be surprised if this scene is included in the Broadway production.

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 11/28/05 at 11:17pm

Wow, hushpuppy, that sounds...interesting. :-/ LOL

[halyiaganitefiz]

Posted: 11/28/05 at 11:32pm

The Finale from "Pippin". (I just got done playing Catherine in my high school production of it.)

For those of you who don't know, "Pippin" is Stephen Schwartz music with Fosse dance... and interesting combination to begin with. It is a show-within-a-show format, a troupe of traveling actors telling the tale of Charlemagne's son, Pippin, on his search for perfection and ultimate fulfillment. In the end, the players try to convince Pippin that his nirvana will be a beautiful suicide, by having him step into a box and light himself on fire. The whole song is driven, upbeat, and very 70's, but the menace behind the Players' desperation is overwhelming by the end of the number. At the last moment possible, Pippin says no, desperately coming to the realization that he just wants to be ordinary, the way Catherine (the love interest whom he previously abandoned because he thought she was TOO ordinary) was. Catherine and her small son Theo show up, taking hands with Pippin, and stand downstage center. The Players become agitated, then frustrated, then angry, then uproariously animalistic. The Leading Player, whom up until this point has been much like Pippin's Jiminy Cricket sort of character, takes on a Satanic air, and he orders that the sets, lights, costumes, makeup, and music be taken out. They rip down the beautiful fantasy world that they have created for Pippin, and eventually leave the three of them mostly naked on a dark stage without music. The Leading Player's last words are, "Try singing without music, sweetheart." He leaves, and Pippin sings a heartbreaking reprise of his theme in search of happiness. There are a few lighthearted lines between Catherine and Pippin, and the curtain falls.

What I find scary about it was the fact that as Catherine, I was unable to look around and watch what was going on around me; I had to be firm and strong and proud that Pippin was choosing me over death, and there are no lines from Catherine in the whole scene until after PIppin's reprise at the end. So there I was, staring out into the dark audience past the bright lights (until they took them out of course) and listening to the absolutely evil whispers the ensemble Players gave throughout the scene, and felt them touching me, shoving me from behind, had to have them rip my costume off, pull my hair out of its tie, and wipe my makeup off with their hands, all without saying anything or reacting audially in any way. And some of the looks our Leading Player gave me really were Satanic.

It was a chilling experience.... Absolutely thrilling as an actor, but terrifying to get used to at first.

[Prettylittlepicture2]

Posted: 11/28/05 at 11:48pm

I agree that when done right the end of Sweeney Todd is terrifying, but nothing is more chilling and downright scary then in the Final Sequence, Todd calls for Toby in that fake, dark, trying-to-appear-nice voice, "Nothing to be afraid of, boy!" Chills, every time.

[lfae]

Posted: 11/29/05 at 12:06am

haha personally, front row of Wicked and having a freed monkey leap out in my face.

[mygfdontliveincanada]

Posted: 11/29/05 at 12:27am

Just thought of another one. The death of the Baker's Wife in "Into the Woods." If staged and lit right with an actress that can really convey the terror of someone about to be stepped on by a giant, it can be truly terrifying.

[neelyohara]

Posted: 11/29/05 at 2:09am

Sweeney Todd scares the crap out of me...in general.

[rockfenris2005]

Posted: 11/29/05 at 3:22am

This is going to seem pretty self-indulgent, but...

I wrote a musical last year that I read and workshopped, and it was a very good idea (I felt) that would really freak an audience. I invited a group of friends, and some people in the area (who were involved with theatre), and walked in and performed the show A Capella with some actors.

What they didn't notice was: I had walked around the theatre and locked up all the doors. I turned off the lights, and told everyone to get comfortable.. and not to worry about Intermission. We performed the show, as normal, (a kind of homage to Cabaret and Threepenny Opera) about a person (in the style of Emcee) who manipulates the events of the musical. Towards the end of the show, he starts losing control.. and the other characters realize his machinations and want to flee. He turns into a huge bat, flying high above the stage, and explodes over the audience's heads. The young romance couple are killed in a car-collision, trying to escape, and the other characters are murdered by the controlling man(I've never been interested in Pippin, but it sounds like my show lol)

Even though it was a tragedy, they all came out and sang this song about The Endless Freeway.. and as the audience got up to leave, when the show was over, my character (I played the controlling man) refused to let them leave. After about ten minutes, my friends were laughing, but getting seriously spooked out: "Come on Ryan, let us leave!". Then they started panicking after a while. I just refused to let the audience leave, because that was the gimmick of the musical: no one was gonna leave the theatre. When you walk out of a show you walk out with a memory that stays with you forever: but the character I play is obsessed, and doubtful, and wants to have everyone stay in his madness, in this darkened theatre, forever.

Eventually, the theatre-people told me: "If you don't open the doors we are not going to pursue this musical." I got really frustrated, and said to myself: "well you've missed the point". Me and the actors broke character, unlocked the doors, and let everyone out. I have sent emails and called a lot of producers about this, and showed taped footage, but I don't think this musical will ever be done: and I think it's maybe going a little too far...

Hehehe

Updated On: 11/29/05 at 03:22 AM

[ThE nEw KiD]

Posted: 11/29/05 at 4:19am

I saw Idina's understudy's understudy. AHHHHHH!!!

[Emcee4ever]

Posted: 11/29/05 at 3:48pm

LOL! Was she that bad?

[Pippin]

Posted: 11/29/05 at 3:55pm

yeah, it's a kid's show, but it was still scary.... that part in the west wing when belle discovers the rose, and the beast comes out of nowhere and yells "what are you doing"

it always gives me a jump.

[StephanietheStar]

Posted: 11/29/05 at 3:55pm

This thread has made me realize, that out of all the shows I have seen, they are all musical comedy! No sweeney todd, or phantom, or anything scary....gawd I suck

[Horton]

Posted: 11/29/05 at 4:04pm

the seen in the Texas School Book depository in Assassins
and The original opening of Sweeney both so creepy.


Horton (a very Sondheim mooded elephant)

[freeadmission]

Posted: 11/29/05 at 4:11pm

"The Finale from "Pippin". (I just got done playing Catherine in my high school production of it.) "

I totally agree. I was in it too. in fact, we just closed last weekend.

I was a player.

Not just any player. The player with the torch. Damn that was fun. The finale was one of my favorite scenes to perform. There's something exhilerating about playing such an, as you put it, animalistic character. Even though we were all glaring at him, our Pippin glared right back . . . triumphant almost. It was awesome. And right after we all said, "And no magic!" he gave Catherine a defiant kiss. It was great.

Of course, we made it even creepier by using the Papermill Playhouse ending where Theo starts to follow Catherine and Pippin offstage, but then returns to center where he sings an a cappela reprise of "Corner of the Sky". All the players peek out from the wings and start making their way towards him singing the "oohs" from "Magic to Do". It's fabulous.

Posted: 11/29/05 at 4:18pm

The whistle in Sweeney Todd...and of course, the ending. Tobias scared the crap out of me

[EugLoven]

Posted: 11/29/05 at 4:30pm

Agree with Sweeney's end.
Agree with release of monkeys.
I'm also going to add:
"Mr.Andrew's Song" in Titanic (as the ship sinks)

And it can be fun and thrillying at the same time, but I love the "scare" of Little Shop's finale! I saw it in San Francisco last year with Anthony Rapp and that plant is HUGE! HUGE! I swear I would have peed my pants from sheer shock of size-proportions when Audrey comes down into the audience! Damn that thing was frighteningly awesome!

[Fosse76]

Posted: 11/29/05 at 4:34pm

"Eventually, the theatre-people told me: "If you don't open the doors we are not going to pursue this musical." I got really frustrated, and said to myself: "well you've missed the point"."

I'm sure you violated a dozen fire codes by locking the doors.

[noloversfool]

Posted: 11/29/05 at 4:55pm

I get so freaked out during the crucifixion scene in Jesus Christ Superstar even when I'm listening to it at home.

I jumped out of my seat during Miss Saigon. I was expecting the first gunshot but not the second.

[Emcee4ever]

Posted: 11/29/05 at 5:05pm

Oh yes. Here's the ending of Cabaret that we did at our school. But I don't have a scanner, so I cant' get pics onto the computer.


Cliff left for Paris, as always. The Emcee came on and said his lines about there being no troubles at the Kit Kat Klub.

"Here, life is beautiful..." he said, spitting the 'beautiful'.
"The girls are beautiful..." he said, this time saying that last word sarcastically.

"Even the orchestra is...beautiful." he whispered.

The orchestra was there, but they were dressed all in black, like at a funeral. Sally, Schneider, Schultz, and Kost came on and stood in a line.

We had several curtains, so the Emcee pulled one across so we couldn't see the other characters.
Then the Emcee stepped in front of the curtain.

There was darkness.

The music shrieked the last discordant note, and the Emcee bowed.

"Auf Weidersehen. A bientot," he sang.

Then he took off his coat...to reveal... a swastika armband!

As the cymbals crashed after the drumroll he pulled aside the curtain with a wicked grin.

Sally, Schneider, Schultz, and Kost were lying face down, dead. Wisps of smoke remained; the smoke filled the stage when the curtain was down.

Blackout. End of play.

[zepka102]

Posted: 11/29/05 at 5:07pm

i'm agreeing completely with lfae... the monkeys are FREAKY from the front row. especially when you can see their eyes as they stare at you. it really made me uncomfortable.




little did i know at that point what the actor was REALLY thinking... haha

[halyiaganitefiz]

Posted: 11/29/05 at 6:00pm

freeadmission-

oooOOOOoooh. THAT sounds like it was COOL. *shivers!* Our Theo was six and a half, so I'm pretty sure we couldn't have done the reprise like you did... But what a great idea.

I love "Pippin". It's so powerful. And so underestimated.

[OddExoticCreature]

Posted: 11/29/05 at 6:00pm

lol zepka what is that supposed to mean?

The monkeys didn't creep me out, though I was somewhat uncomfortable for a different reason, but Carole Shelley as Madame Morrible when she screeches "WICKED WIIIITCH!!!" was definitely disturbing. I was in the front row partial view so she was directly above me and I was like, "uhh...whoa, you're evil dude." That and Michelle Federer makes some really scary facial expressions.

I can't think of any shows I've actually been scared...maybe when I was really little and saw Phantom.

[deck925]

Posted: 11/29/05 at 6:10pm

I dunno if i'd consider this scary. But Judge Turpin's song "Johanna" whoa that really really is disturbing. I have to agree the whistle made me jump especially the first time it goes off right in the begining.

[zepka102]

Posted: 11/29/05 at 6:12pm

THREADJACK: hehe the cast was checkin me out... so i was told by an ensemble member the next day when he recognized me :P



aaaaaaaaand back on topic

[ShuQ]

Posted: 11/29/05 at 6:18pm

Uh huh let's all take a moment to allow zepka how wonderful he is...hahaha.

But the monkeys in Wicked are definitely scary.