Incident at "Blithe Spirit" tonight (4/21)

[karen24]

Posted: 4/21/09 at 11:40pm

I was wondering if anyone else was at tonight's performance who might have been sitting in the orchestra and could see what happened. About halfway through Act I, Scene 3 (the breakfast scene) someone in the orchestra suddenly called out something like "Is there a doctor?" and "Call 911!" Rupert Everett & Jayne Atkinson were onstage at the time and just froze in place, but were clearly trying to see what was happening and looked very concerned. Apparently it was clear even from stage that someone had become quite ill. Then some stagehands came onstage and also looked out into the audience. After about 5 minutes there was an announcement that a person had become ill and that as soon as they were cared for the show would resume. The curtain came down and the lights went up. About 5 minutes after that they announced that people should take their seats, and they started the scene over from the top. That was the first time anything like that ever happened while I was at the theater; it was quite odd to have the show stopped like that. Of course I hope the person who was ill is OK; the usher told us after the show that they were taken to a hospital.

The show itself was really enjoyable (despite the worrisome interlude.) Angela Lansbury was a riot. She seemed very comfortable in her role and had her lines down very well; just a couple of very minor hesitations but nothing really to speak of. Rupert Everett was, I thought, excellent, as was Atkinson. I had kind of mixed feelings about Christine Ebersole; I loved her in Grey Gardens, but felt she wasn't quite right for Elvira. She looks beautiful, but there seemed to me to be something a bit too restrained about her performance. I'd be curious to hear what others think. I did love the musical interludes she recorded to play between acts; what a gorgeous voice she has.

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 4/21/09 at 11:43pm

I hope the person is alright...

When I went to THE VERTICAL HOUR, an older woman had some kind of medical problem and they didn't even stop the show. It was a bit before intermission but no one said anything, apparently the poor woman just kinda sat sprawled across two seats, and they carried her out on a stretcher during intermission. I didn't know about it until intermission when I spoke to someone who was sitting by her. At least someone had the decency to scream for a doctor tonight.

[CapnHook]

Posted: 4/21/09 at 11:45pm

I was at the performance of GYPSY when an airduct vent FELL ON AN AUDIENCE MEMBER'S HEAD during Rose's Turn and they didn't stop the show.

I am glad that they did at BLITHE SPIRIT...but I guess they kind of had to when an audience member is yelling out for help. Hope she is OK.

Updated On: 4/21/09 at 11:45 PM

[Kad]

Posted: 4/21/09 at 11:46pm

Because if ANYTHING was going to stop Rose's Turn, it was going to be Patti.

[orangeskittles]

Posted: 4/21/09 at 11:49pm

I was at Wicked and Idina Menzel fell through the trap door.

[Elphaba3]

Posted: 4/21/09 at 11:51pm

How scary! I personally loved Christine Ebersole as Elvira. I wasn't sure what to expect because she'd gotten mixed reviews, but I thought she was fabulous.

[SirLiir]

Posted: 4/22/09 at 10:19am

I was at the show last night.

Apparently, the man had a seizure and vomited on himself. He recovered and they brought soda and water to help hydrate him. He left on the ambulance soon after and hopefully all is fine.

Great show overall despite the break XD It was interesting to see just how everyone reacted to the incident and thankfully everyone moved quickly.

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 4/22/09 at 10:25am

I am so confused by the air-vent GYPSY story still...

It fell all the way from the ceiling of the St. James?! And the show wasn't stopped?!

[singtopher]

Posted: 4/22/09 at 10:27am

I'm of the school of thought that never stop the show, unless you have no other choice. Obviously, this was the case since people were shouting for a doctor. The show had already been interrupted. In high school, I was stage managing for a show when a man in our audience had a minor heart attack. He was near the back, and on an aisle, so we were able to get paramedics in, and get him to the hospital without having to stop the show. (However, not even 5 minutes later, the fire alarm went off and we had to clear the auditorium. I haven't stage managed since)

[Fosse76]

Posted: 4/22/09 at 10:59am

At a performance of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, a woman in the Mezzanine fell ill and was removed before intermission on a stretcher...without stopping the show. At another performance, Anika Noni Rose was distracted by a group in the rear orchestra and stopped the show, only to discover someone became very ill (the reason for the disturbance). The show was halted until the ambulance was able to remove the woman from the theater.

The average age of the audience for Blithe Spirit is 1000. This was bound to happen sooner or later.

[fbueller]

Posted: 4/22/09 at 11:22am

"I was at the performance of GYPSY when an airduct vent FELL ON AN AUDIENCE MEMBER'S HEAD during Rose's Turn and they didn't stop the show."

Was the audience member talking during the show? Maybe Patty loosened the vent to keep them quiet.

[jejr]

Posted: 4/22/09 at 12:08pm

Is this a curse for "Spirit"? I was at a performance of the show in Toronto a number of years ago (Tammy Grimes was Mme Arcati) and the call came from the audience for a doctor. Miss Grimes just went on with the scene and the person was quietly taken out of the theater.

[jordangirl]

Posted: 4/22/09 at 12:18pm

I am so confused by the air-vent GYPSY story still...

It fell all the way from the ceiling of the St. James?! And the show wasn't stopped?!

From what I remember, it was in the balcony, but yes, it fell and hit one or two people. And no, the show was not stopped. There was apparently an earlier incident in the mezz involving...was it Kelly Clarkson?...someone famous in the mezz having to go and get a security guard.

[Wanna Be A Foster]

Posted: 4/22/09 at 12:36pm

I was at the GYPSY air vent performance. It was the first preview.

It happened all the way up in the balcony. I was in the Orchestra, and it sounded so distant from where we (and the actors) were, that if anyone was going to stop the show, it should have been someone up in the balcony. The actors didn't know what was going on up there. We just heard a crash and someone crying. For all we knew, the ushers were taking care of it.

[Tom1071]

Posted: 4/22/09 at 3:06pm

I was at Spring Awakening when the show was stopped suddenly in the middle of Act I to remove a crazy guy seated on the stage who was doing lude things...touching himself and the teenage girl sitting next him.

[KirbyCat]

Posted: 4/22/09 at 3:14pm

When I saw the Lion King a few years ago, during Hakuna Matata, one person suffered from a stroke and another person suffered a heart attack. As far as I know, one of them passed away and the other recovered. I truly cannot remember who, but I do know that they did not stop the show, as the curtain was about to drop in a minute or two anyways (they should have though). To make the situation even scarier for me, I was about two rows from the person who had the heart attack. Intermission that night lasted about 45 minutes...

[Dollypop]

Posted: 4/22/09 at 3:26pm

I was at a performance of Verdi's MACBETH at the Metropolitan Opera when a man committed suicide by jumping from the railing in the Family Circle.

The performance was ended and I never go to see the last act.

[ghostlight2]

Posted: 4/22/09 at 3:50pm

These things happen with some frequency. Angels in America had to stop many shows due to illnesses and even deaths of late-stage AIDS patients. A man died of a stroke on Valentines day years ago during The Producers. Frankie and Johnny in the Claire de Lune was stopped by a near-naked Tucci who asked if there was a doctor in the house.

Shows don't always have to be stopped to deal with emergencies. Very often medical emergencies are handled with very little audience disturbance.

I remember the one Dollypop speaks of well. This man told his great niece he was going to the Met to kill himself, and sure enough, he did just that.
Bantcho Bantchevsky

[Kelsey Boze]

Posted: 4/22/09 at 4:08pm

Thats crazy! Ive never witnessed anything like that during a show before.That just proves that anything can happen on Broadway

[CapnHook]

Posted: 4/22/09 at 4:42pm

GYPSY air-vent story:

I forget where I was seated as I had seen GYPSY several times...I think for that performance I was in the rear orchestra. I remember hearing a commotion above me (in the mezz/balcony) and someone shouted out "Are you alright??!" and I heard moaning. Then tons of voices, murmurs, shushing, etc. I saw the house manager run up to the stairs.

Apparently, an air vent fell on an audience member's head -- at least that is what I was told by passerbys outside the theatre after I saw the ambulance leaving.

Patti was obviously distracted and glanced up there once or twice. It definitely took away from the flow of the show, but Patti troup'd on. I don't think she was able to see the mezz/balcony audience very clearly, anyway.

[SNAFU]

Posted: 4/22/09 at 5:12pm

They didn't stop the show for fear of Patti wishing them to the cornfield!

[adamgreer]

Posted: 4/22/09 at 6:15pm

There was apparently an earlier incident in the mezz involving...was it Kelly Clarkson?...someone famous in the mezz having to go and get a security guard.

It was actually Katherine McPhee. It was in the mezz at the first preview (the same night as the falling air duct). A crazed Patti fan was apparently choking the person in front of him, because he was blocking his view. This was early in the show....I want to say around Some People (?). The wife of the man who was being choked apparently said something about getting security, and it was Katherine McPhee who ended up finding an usher.

[#1Elphie]

Posted: 4/22/09 at 7:47pm

Wow, that was quite an eventful night at Gypsy!

[flaemmchen]

Posted: 4/22/09 at 7:52pm

Is this a curse for "Spirit"? I was at a performance of the show in Toronto a number of years ago (Tammy Grimes was Mme Arcati) and the call came from the audience for a doctor. Miss Grimes just went on with the scene and the person was quietly taken out of the theater.


No curse. As you can see from the thread, incidents like this happen every so often. It's a hazard, particularly when your audience is of a certain age.

Updated On: 4/22/09 at 07:52 PM

[karen24]

Posted: 4/22/09 at 8:28pm

Thanks to the previous poster for filling us in on what exactly happened at BLITHE SPIRIT that night. I was in the second row of the mezz and the ill person was far enough back in the orchestra that I couldn't see what was happening from my seat. I'm glad it (apparently) wasn't something more serious. Hopefully he will be OK.
And yes, the show pretty much had to stop once the person or persons started shouting out loud for a doctor.