What is the cleverest stage trick you have seen?- Page 3

[justoldbill]

Posted: 2/19/17 at 10:05am

I'll second the Loveland transformation in the original production of FOLLIES as the most stunning effect I have ever seen.  Another favorite effect of mine involved the two pianos in the original production of GEORGE M!  They were on either side of the stage as part of the proscenium and were used as practical pianos during various scenes in the first act (auditions, George's office, Fay Templeton's home, etc.).  The "trick" occurred at the top of the second act.  After an orchestral fanfare, twin spots hit the pianos and they proceeded to "play" the entr'acte by themselves.  They were player pianos- and that was the first moment you realized it.  Perhaps more of an "effect" than a "trick", but clever and fun.

[pg1287]

Posted: 2/19/17 at 4:22pm

Even though quite simple, I still think Lion King has some pretty nifty effects. Some that always impressed me include the stampede scene and Mufasa's head appearing in the sky.

[kdogg36]

Posted: 2/19/17 at 6:37pm

Theatricality said: "Not sure if this is classified as a trick, but the moment in Finding Nederland towards the end where **SPOILER** the mother dies and they have Peter Pan throw the glitter in the fans and the glitter flies around her."

Speaking of Finding Neverland, the Tinker Bell thing at the start of the show was also pretty cool, and I'm not entirely sure how it was done.

 

[Shannon Bo Dannon]

Posted: 2/19/17 at 10:00pm

I still can't get over that quick change during Show Off in The Drowsy Chaperone.

At 2:54: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cuGBg-iam2U

[Phantom4ever]

Posted: 2/19/17 at 11:01pm

The first time I saw BOM, I too was shocked when the lights came up and the guys were all in pink vests. However, seeing the show again and again, you can notice that the lights go out twice. The first time, for a split second, then they go out again and that first blackout kind of tricks you into thinking it's just as short, but when you know that they are using the time to put those vests on, you can sit there thinking geez, there is enough time to put the vests on, check to see if they're ok, have a stagehand run on and help........not all that impressive the second time around!

Of Mice and Men with that was on Broadway a couple years ago: when Lenny crushes Curley's hand (hope I got those names right) WOW i was sitting in the front row and there was the distinct sound of crunching bone, there was blood, there was something popping out of the actor's hand that looked like a bone........it was disgusting and shocking. 

I have seen the Phantom 3 billion times and every time the Phantom disappears into the chair, I try to analyze what's happening but he really seems to just melt into the chair. And he always waits til the very last minute which stresses me out because if something goes wrong there won't be time to fix it before Meg's nosy self gets all up in the Phantom's business. The new tour was not as effective. 

I recently took a graduate of mine to see the new Phantom tour, and when the Phantom dropped a set piece that was supposed to hit Carlotta, he looked at me and whispered "that was kind of a big mistake wasn't it?"  I had to wait to explain that it was supposed to happen lol which I guess meant the effect worked. 

Cinderella's second costume change was crazy. She was literally wearing ripped apart rags that turned into this huge insane ball gown. It was hard to accept that that happened in front of my eyes. 

 

[RippedMan]

Posted: 2/20/17 at 12:31am

Let The Right One In - soooo goood - was pretty great. Surely he didn't hold his breath that whole time? 

[Lot666]

Posted: 2/20/17 at 7:52am

Elphaba's flight during "Defying Gravity" in Wicked.

The helicopter during "Kim's Nightmare" in Miss Saigon.

Javert's fall into the river at the end of "Javert's Suicide" in the last revival of Les Miserables.

The "automaton" serving cart during "The Beauty Underneath" in the original London production of Love Never Dies. A rolling tea cart was pushed across the stage by the legs of what appeared very much to be an actual, live woman (not at all robotic). Just legs, nothing from the waist up. It was creepy and mind-boggling.

Updated On: 2/20/17 at 07:52 AM

[MayAudraBlessYou2]

Posted: 2/20/17 at 11:35am

In Alan Cumming's one man Macbeth, the scene where the gimp man walks into the room on the monitors but isn't on stage was completely terrifying. I'm sure it was some video effect, but on the screens you see him reacting to how Cumming was moving on the table, completely unnerving. 

And his drowning in the bathtub trick was cool too. 

 

As for the Cinderella quick change...honestly Alexis Michelle did it better when she won So You Think you Can Drag with her Into the Woods number

[RippedMan]

Posted: 2/20/17 at 2:01pm

One of my favorites has been the set changes in "Mother****er With The Hat." For no reason - to me at least - the couch was lifted onto the stage vertically and then fell on its feet. 

[MarkBearSF]

Posted: 2/20/17 at 2:14pm

I loved the transformation of the house in Clybourne Park from the first act to the second. 

[nonstopmachine]

Posted: 2/20/17 at 2:24pm

I saw Charlie and the chocolate factory in London last year , the ending was Amazing ! I hope they keep the trick on broadway.

[asmith0307]

Posted: 2/21/17 at 2:43am

I think I have figured out how they did it, but the blood splatters in Gloria were incredible. I saw it in Chicago with some other stage managers and we had fun during intermission trying to figure it all out (when they got them on, how they were activated, etc.)