Funny/Horrible Mistakes on Live Performances!

Hey Guys!

I think these "voice your experience" type threads are kind of cool so i decided to start one on a funny or horrible or noticable mistake you have seen on a Broadway or Professional show.

Mine was in Wicked when one of the beds didn't come out (Galinda's). Kristin and Idina did a ton of ad-libbing and everyone was cracking up! I thought it made the show even better.

What about you?

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Brooke Shields' voice was cracking all over the place during '100 Easy Ways' when I saw her in Wonderful Town.
And she kept running out of breath which led to awkward phrasing.

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i have a few....

1. (my favorite) In Annie get your gun, Bernadette and Tom started intentionally screwing each other up in Old Fashioned Wedding, up to the point where she had to walk off stage to finish the song.

2. In the Producers, the "choreographer" in Roger's production team came out packing a lot more than most men in his pants. Nathan stopped the show laughing for about ten minutes after seeing this.

3. I was at the "La Cage" where Daniel Davis walked out due to illness.

In Rent, the orchestra forgot to play in Over the Moon. Maureen kept snapping, but the orchestra wouldn't play.

When I saw The Producers, the motorcycle Franz arrives at the theater in (before Springtime for Hitler) wasn't working, and wouldn't drive back off the stage. A couple of stage hands had to come wheel it off, and Gunter walked off, behind them. Nobody broke character, and the rest of the scene went smoothly, so I don't know if this classifies as "horrible." Pretty noticeable, though. Then again, my mom didn't realize it happened...

I have so many - but don't feel like typing them

I have seen Drew Lachey and Merld D crak up in Tango:maureen twice. It is actually funny to watch.

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During "Hairspray", I don't know who it was, but there were chorus people dressed as soldiers I believe (I dunno) that came on stage from the aisles right before Linda Hart's number, and one of them tripped coming up the stairs.

During a local "Little Shop" production when Seymour fishes Audrey out of Audrey II and she's dying she got really in the moment when he was carrying her, and Audrey swung her head around and knocked the mic clean off his face (it was an outdoor production and the mic was huge!) he had to shout his last words to Audrey, whist trying to reattach it to his head.


And during Funny Girl, when Fanny and (her love interest, can remember his name) are having a romantic dinner at his house. There was a little side table that came up through the trapdoor. It would go up and down throughout the entire scene, something was wrong with the trapdoor. Finally they sent a crew member out to hang on to it, and keep it from moving. Meanwhile Fanny and her guyfriend are making out on this couch, while a crew member is hiding under the small table like some peeping Tom, trying to keep it from upstaging the actors. It really added to the scene.

(re: Sandra's post about Les Mis) Oh my god, that's horrible! And funny! And horrible! And it reminded me of something I read once where the poor guy playing Marius's pants ripped, some time into the show (I think it was during A Little Fall of Rain... maybe). Ugh, I have to go find that.

Updated On: 1/30/05 at 07:54 PM

In the Producers, the "choreographer" in Roger's production team came out packing a lot more than most men in his pants. Nathan stopped the show laughing for about ten minutes after seeing this.

Yankeefan007...that's supposed to happen. I mean, Scott having a huge bulge in his pants isn't a mistake.

Not really a mistake, but there were a few hysterical ad-libs during the final week of TABOO:

1.) When Big Sue (Liz McArtney) told the audience that she worked in an unemployment office, then she added for the final performance "Ironic, isn't it?" It was hysterical.

2.) During one of the last performances during the argument between Phillip, George, and Marcus (Gary?) Raul picked up the microphone stand and attacked Carey Shields with it, then stormed off stage. Euan couldn't stop laughing, and by that point the majority of the audience had already seen the show a dozen times and couldn't stop laughing.

3.) During Ich Bin Kunst, George would always say random things that would crack me up. Just a few that I can remember:

(grabbing his chest) - Janet Jackson, eat your heart out!

-That Justin Timberlake is so gay - no straight man can hit notes that high.

-It's funny how the country that gave us Michael Jackson think's I'M strange

I can't think of any more right now, but they were certainly priceless.

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This is reminding me of that whole chapter from "Making It On Broadway" about "The Thrill of Live Theatre".

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