BC/EFA Purchases You Wish You Made

It wasn't BC/EFA, and I know I've told this story on here before, but it's sort of followed me through the theatre community, so I'll tell it again.

Back in summer 2009, I was assistant-directing a production of Sweeney Todd in the Pittsburgh area. (It wasn't a very good production exactly, or at least not a very faithful one: someone described as "Muppet Sweeney Todd," since Sweeney and Mrs Lovett played everything straight as an arrow while the rest of the show was played as farce.) Around this time, I happened to see a Facebook or Craigslist posting stating that a warehouse in NYC was being cleaned out, and a number of Broadway prop and set pieces were "free to a good home." One of these was Dracula's coffin from the opening sequence of Dance of the Vampires: neon and leather lined, it floated and levitated and mechanically opened and shut with a built-in smoke machine.

Immediately, our director and our Sweeney said "let's get the coffin for Sweeney's big entrance!" The only trouble is, none of us owned a big enough van to go get it, and the production wouldn't write off a rental from Pittsburgh to NYC and back to get it. Last I heard, a funeral home had taken it and used it in a Halloween promo display... I wonder where the Dracula coffin is now. (Our director and our Sweeney eventually said "what if we bury Sweeney alive for each show and he claws out of a real grave?" This proved unsafe so for the show, Sweeney just... walked out like usual.)

I’m so sad to have missed out on one of the Phantom candles they were selling a couple years ago. I did get a piece of the Majestic floor, but dang I wanted that candle!!