Kerry Ellis "Defying Gravity" mishap ?

[Elphabuff2]

Posted: 4/20/08 at 11:01pm

This probably belongs on the West End board; I searched it and found nothing. I thought I might find an answer here. If not, sorry.

Anybody have any info. about the "Defying Gravity" mishap around the end of March? From what I've read, it sounds quite scary, but I haven't really found too much. Any additional info. would be appreciated. Thanks.
Updated On: 4/20/08 at 11:01 PM

[PlayhouseBeauty]

Posted: 4/20/08 at 11:12pm

I haven't heard anything...what happened to her?

[Elphabuff2]

Posted: 4/20/08 at 11:27pm

I should have probably been more specific. From what I've researched so far, here's what I've come up with: Kerry seems a little delayed in saying "It's not her..." but she gets there nonetheless. She continues,

"She has nothing to do with it; I'm the one you want!" (She takes an additional pause.)

Loud gasp.

"Ahhhh!" (startled)

"Let me out!"
(At this point, Dianne either says "Elphie!" or "Kerry!")

"Stop it!" (panicked)

"STOP!" (angrily panicked)

Music stops right where Kerry would normally finish "western sky!"

[shh282]

Posted: 4/20/08 at 11:28pm

oh my... that does not sound good..

[millie_dillmount]

Posted: 4/20/08 at 11:30pm

I'm still confused. Was there a problem with her health or something onstage or what?

[viola13]

Posted: 4/20/08 at 11:33pm

While I have no idea what actually happened to prompt Kerry's shouts, I did hear that the curtain quickly came down, but the show continued a little bit later, with Defying Gravity done without the lift.
Updated On: 4/20/08 at 11:33 PM

[Conor2]

Posted: 4/20/08 at 11:36pm

She wasn't hooked into the lift properly and it started to go up. She felt unsafe, so she began to yell (LET ME OFF! STOP IT!). The music stopped, there was silence, the curtain came down, and then the scene restarted without the use of the lift. The whole mishap lasted less than 2 minutes, and Kerry was a little shaken, but uninjured.

[legally_popular]

Posted: 4/20/08 at 11:40pm

I tried finding out info about this too, so I’ll try to explain what I’ve learned so far…

So during Defying Gravity, the Elphaba steps on to the lift, pushes against the lever with her back, the arms secure her in and she defies gravity. Supposedly, Kerry accidently pushed the lever with her arm (while whipping around the cape, I think) and the arms closed before she was safely on the lift. Her body was preventing the arms from closing all the way. And then she was yelling for it to stop.

That’s all I’ve heard so far. I don’t know if the lift ending up rising with her only half on it or what, but geez.. sounds pretty scary.

[winston89]

Posted: 4/21/08 at 12:16am

I know ( and this is from a video I saw with Block on tour explaning how the lift works) that in order for the lift to go up safe the actress playing Elphaba would press a button on the back of the lift that would send two arms of the lift around the actress and it would go up. If the actress is not in place then she doesn't defy gravity.

This is the first time I have heard of a situation where she (the actress playing the role) goes up part way and stops and re starts without the lift.

[suicidalmickeymouse]

Posted: 4/21/08 at 10:55am

Oh my god! That sounds terrible.

[SirNotAppearing]

Posted: 4/21/08 at 11:23am

From what I've heard, apparently the curtain closed and 20 minutes go by without an explanation. The music started back up and Kerry was heard yelling "it's not her, I'm the one you want" bla bla bla. The curtain went up and she ran to the front of the stage. The chorus crouched around her and she belted out the end beautifully.

[hollywearsprada]

Posted: 4/21/08 at 1:27pm

Here's the whole audio, from her 'accident' to her amazing Defying Gravity at the end.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cFRaQMJYwOU

[BrodyFosse123]

Posted: 4/21/08 at 1:33pm

Ouch! That is one genuinely scared sh**tless scream.

[TheatreDiva90016]

Posted: 4/21/08 at 1:37pm

That did not sound good at all.

I hope she's okay.

[millie_dillmount]

Posted: 4/21/08 at 1:44pm

Is YouTube not working for anyone? Anytime I attempt to watch something, it just plays for 2 seconds and pauses.

Updated On: 4/21/08 at 01:44 PM

[BrodyFosse123]

Posted: 4/21/08 at 1:45pm

That performance took place on Friday March 28, 2008. After a few minutes (and stated in the earlier post), she returned to finish the rest of the show -- she wasn't injured, just scared for her life when the incident occurred.

[millie_dillmount]

Posted: 4/21/08 at 1:58pm

Nver mind...I got it to work in IE...stupid Firefox.

[dancingthrulife04]

Posted: 4/21/08 at 2:04pm

That's really scary.

[HoshiForever]

Posted: 4/21/08 at 2:10pm

man that's scary. I'm glad she's alright.

[SirNotAppearing]

Posted: 4/21/08 at 2:37pm

Aaaand it's gone.
Youtube took it down.

[TooDarnHot]

Posted: 4/21/08 at 2:49pm

perhaps because Hollywearsprada posted it on BWW?

exactly why we all complain when people post bootleg videos, from YouTube, on the board.

[BrodyFosse123]

Posted: 4/21/08 at 3:01pm

Well, for what its worth -- it wasn't video footage. It was just the audio of the incident. No footage was shown.

[hollywearsprada]

Posted: 4/21/08 at 3:24pm

Sorry guys, I've only posted a couple of times on here before. I didn't know I shouldn't post stuff like that.

[CHGriffiths]

Posted: 4/21/08 at 3:33pm

I guess the 20 minute break was the interval then? They have got a back up procedure which normally goes into plan when the lift doesn't work, I saw it very early on, on the first Saturday in London with Idina, she didnt fly, and what they do, is she runs forward, they put on the no good deed lighting and up the volume, the ensemble then run on from the wings, does that sound right?

[Marcus2]

Posted: 4/21/08 at 3:43pm

I think the problem was that she hit the thing at the back of the lift (sorry for awful use of english, the thing that click to make the fake skirt clip around the actress) with her elbow or arm this meant the thing click around her instead of encompassing her. Does that make sense at all.

The audio is very scary indeed and you can clearly hear Dianne Pilkington shouting KERRY really loud. And you can also faintly hear Kerry dropping the broom.

This was a wednesday matinee performance and she was fine for the evening and even performed with the lift. She's one tropper that Kerry.

None the less its still incredibly scary and I think she was shaken more than anything considering how high the lift goes and just how little room there is on it.

Also I don't think the break was that long, definatly not 20mins.
Updated On: 4/21/08 at 03:43 PM