Actors smoking...ON STAGE!

[Parks]

Posted: 7/30/05 at 8:24pm

So...when actors smoke on stage, do they usually actually inhale the smoke? I noticed Christina Applegate smoking in Sweet Charity-it was my first production to actually see somebody smoking in...I almost wet myself. Then it happened again in Chicago. I was like...wow.

Could smoking (just the amount they do on stage) really affect their voices? Just curious..

[ljay889]

Posted: 7/30/05 at 8:30pm

Yep. There's a lot of smoking in Charity. and the Chicago ensemble boys smoke at one point.

[Derech2]

Posted: 7/30/05 at 8:37pm

I remember we had smoking in our school show ... I didn't think it was at all uncommon.

[Denny30]

Posted: 7/30/05 at 8:38pm

When I did Grease in stock, we had these fake cigarette thingies that lit up at the ends and looked like cigs, minus all the annoying smoke. That being said, we smoked cloves in Cabaret, so who knows what they are using.

[WiCkEd4LyFfE]

Posted: 7/30/05 at 9:11pm

ohh... i always thought that those were fake ciggs that Christina was smoking...and wouldnt you smell it in the audience?

Posted: 7/30/05 at 9:14pm

The Light in the Piazza uses real cigarettes... but they are herbal cigarettes, so they dont' harm your voice. I asked Victoria Clark, and you could actually smell the cigarettes from where I was sitting. I wondered that throughout the show because a couple of the cast members smoked several times throughout the show, and I couldn't imagine them doing that 8 times a week if it would harm their voices... so I guess some shows use fake cigarettes and other real ones [maybe it's actor preference] --korenglish

[jonartdesigns]

Posted: 7/30/05 at 10:02pm

do to the smoking in buildings ban there are no "real" cigarettes on broadway, they are either clove, herbal, or fake none of the three harm the voice that much

[wildcat]

Posted: 7/30/05 at 10:11pm

I dread shows with smoking onstage because the more judgemental members of the audience immediately start coughing to signify their disapproval, even if they're MILES out of harm's way. Or worse, putting handkerchiefs over their faces.

[WiCkEd4LyFfE]

Posted: 7/30/05 at 10:16pm

LOL so true!

[LesMizazz]

Posted: 7/30/05 at 10:24pm

I've seen several shows with smoking onstage, and often times there is a notice outside of the theatre saying something like 'The use of herbal cigarettes is present in this show' or something like that. It's like the notice that they have for the use of strobe lights.

[Sheri]

Posted: 7/30/05 at 10:34pm

I saw a regional production of "My Way" where the actors smoked a lot onstage and I heard from someone that by the time I saw it they had cut down the amount of smoking because there were some complaints from people in the audience.

Updated On: 7/30/05 at 10:34 PM

[HeyJayNYC]

Posted: 7/30/05 at 10:43pm

They smoke in PILLOWMAN and it smells like regular cigarettes. UGH. Reality though.

[TheActr97J]

Posted: 7/30/05 at 10:47pm

I have never had to smoke in a show, but have been in shows where others did. They used real cigarettes, but the non-smoker actors didn' inhale. They just held it in their mouth and then let it out.

[willact4food]

Posted: 7/30/05 at 10:48pm

The theatre would have to put a big, very visable sign that said "There is the use of smoking in this show" or something simliar. That way, people with certian cases couldn't see the show. So, as far as I know, no show uses actual cigarettes.

Love,
Brandon

[Liz_Bennet]

Posted: 7/30/05 at 11:47pm

I believe it is illegal to use real cigarettes. Can anyone confirm this?

[Denny30]

Posted: 7/30/05 at 11:57pm

Yes, it requires some special dispensation in NY at least.

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 7/31/05 at 12:00am

New York state law forbids the smoking of any tobacco product in any enclosed indoor area open to the public. The only exception is for cigar and tobacco shops. Bloomberg had an exemption for legitimate theatres (which obviously would sometimes present plays that called for on stage smoking), but the subsequent state-wide bill from Pataki and Albany closed that loophole. Most productions use herbal cigarettes of one sort or another (which have their own set of health dangers and smell much worse than regular cigarettes).

Some productions (especially operas) use a cigarette-like device that blows out white powder that sort of looks like smoke from a distance (the performer blows out slowly rather than inhales).

Updated On: 7/31/05 at 12:00 AM

[Rathnait62]

Posted: 7/31/05 at 12:06am

We used those in the show I was in this spring. Don't inhale by mistake - tastes like crap. Don't ask how I know. Just trust me.

Updated On: 7/31/05 at 12:06 AM

[jczelyph]

Posted: 7/31/05 at 12:06am

Here are some good articles about health and herbal cigarettes.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/background_briefings/smoking/272145.stm

http://www.quackwatch.org/02ConsumerProtection/FTCActions/herbalcigarettes.html

[Mr. TN]

Posted: 7/31/05 at 12:43am

I think only Ariel smokes but I could be wrong. And they are definitely herbal cigarettes because he puts them out on the floor and they stop smoldering right away.

You have to remember that they burn more than just cigarettes in The Pillowman. Tupolski (Goldblum) lights the garbage can on fire with lighter fluid for Pete's sake. There is quite a bit of smoke at the end of the play which adds mood without the use of terrible fake-looking smoke machines. It is a "real" smokey atmosphere.

[The Distinctive Baritone]

Posted: 7/31/05 at 12:55am

I smoked onstage once (when I played Lt. Schrank in "West Side Story"), although I personally didn't mind because I smoke in real life (not all the time though...usually just when I'm stressed out).

In any case, because smoking is (obviously) harmful, especially for singers, in general I don't think performers are ever FORCED to smoke onstage. Also, sometimes herbal cigarette are used instead if the performer doesn't want to use real ones.

[jarred03]

Posted: 7/31/05 at 5:15am

I smoked in the play Words, Words, Words. It was at my college and I used real cigarettes, I wasn't supposed to because it's illegal and against school rules, but my director and I decided that if the choir can hold 50 candels on stage then it won't hurt anything for me to smoke one cigarette.

[Rypm25]

Posted: 7/31/05 at 11:06am

I remember a sign outside of "The Women" warning of some smoking in the production..and practically everyone smoked through the whole thing!:)

[thirdrowcenter]

Posted: 7/31/05 at 11:16am

Yes, I was nauseous through "The Women" because everyone in the show smoked. "Frankie and Johnny" and "BUG" come to mind.

[LucilleAndLeoFrank]

Posted: 7/31/05 at 6:48pm

I recently did a production of Arsenic and Old Lace where the director encouraged us to inhale while smoking onstage. I didn't mind, but several cast members flat out refused to do it.