Is there a website out there that chronicles the order of the bows in Broadway shows? Like who gets the big bow, who gets second and third, etc. I don't know why, but I find it really interesting. Does anyone out there know of a site like this?
I feel that the Little Mermaid final bows are not fame of the actor, but fame of the character.
Prince Eric is hardly a show-y or famous role, while Ursula is a iconic one, thus the 2nd to last bow.
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I can't think of any examples off the top of my head but I am fairly certain that there are some shows with no specific bow order. The actors just sort of bow however and in whatever order they want.
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When there are stars involved, it's often decided in negotiations with the agents. For example, Angela Lansbury didn't accept the role of Mrs. Lovett until she was guaranteed top billing and the final bow (this is documented in her biography). Or when Wicked opened, it was decided from the beginning that Kristin and Idina would share the final bow. Joe Mantello didn't really have much of a choice in that case.
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I just finished up a production of Anything Goes (1962 version) and the bows were as follows:
Ensemble (which included Ching and Ling) Angels Steward, Purser, Captain, Whitney (me) Mrs. Harcourt, Moonface and Bonnie came out together and took a separate bow Evelyn and Hope bowed together Billy and finally Reno
That's how we did it.
I've done shows where we've just done a group bow (Our Town, Into the Woods, The Scarlet Letter)
When we did Godspell, it was Sort-of ensemble members (it's an ensemble piece after all), people who sang the main songs, then our Jesus.
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"I can't think of any examples off the top of my head but I am fairly certain that there are some shows with no specific bow order. The actors just sort of bow however and in whatever order they want."
its always awkward when they don't bow In "Hot n' THrobbin", at my college, the director just had the actors walk on stage one at a time and stand there in red light for about a minute. No bows. The audience had no clue, so us in the booth in the back had to start clapping like crazy to get everyone else to realize that yes, these were "The bows" I was also in "Impromptu", where another director decided that the audience will get it if we just stand there.,....they didnt. It wasnt until we walked off stage until the audience was like, "oh, NOW the show is over. Now we can clap"
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