Mistakes in Performances

[Alix]

Posted: 10/6/03 at 4:48pm

What are the worst mistakes you have seen in a performance? I have seen two, but neither were aweful:

~I saw CHICAGO in March and saw the understudy for Billy Flynn (can't remember the actor's name though). He forgot his lines 4 times. Twice it was such a long pause he had to be prompted from offstage.

~In 'Money' in CABARET, Jon Secada sang the wrong first verse. He covered it up well, but it made it seem very unprofessional.

[broadwayguy2]

Posted: 10/6/03 at 4:49pm

-- everything Toni Braxton did on stage during "Beauty and teh Beast"

-- according to the lovely CJR, everything La Train Wreck did on stage during Chicago.

Posted: 10/6/03 at 4:52pm

Taylor Dayne cast as Amneris

[chinkie azn jai]

Posted: 10/6/03 at 5:02pm

mine i guess was when i say Joseph with Donny Osmond and when the song "close every door to me" he like just stopped i think cuz he ran out of air, had to stop the orchestra, and had some1 offstage to get him a drink of water. it wasnt bad it was more funny!!!

[NativeNewYorker]

Posted: 10/6/03 at 5:04pm

In Rent, Karmine Alers doing the eulogy at Angel's memorial and she was supposed to say,

"Angel was more of a man than he'd ever be and more of a woman than he'd ever get"

but said

"Angel was more of a woman than he'd ever be and more of a man than he'd ever get."

The second she said it, you could tell she caught it and wanted to kick herself...I think if I had to say the same lines 8 times, I'd make many mistakes myself.

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 10/6/03 at 5:54pm

Hassellhoff in Jekyll & Hyde

[tapbaby2356]

Posted: 10/6/03 at 5:56pm

holla! Hassellhoff! i 2nd that!!!!

[DivaMommy]

Posted: 10/6/03 at 5:58pm

When I was is High School, I played Oliver Twist in Oliver! The guy playing the doctor one night said "SHE's doing much better, sir." instead of "HE". I mean, it was pretty obvious that I was a girl playing a boy, but it was just bad.

[seymour krelborn]

Posted: 10/6/03 at 6:14pm

A few weeks ago Wicked had a casual preview for group sales clients (by casual I mean limited sets and costumes just to really hear the music and get a gist of the show) and I was there and Idina Menzel froze in the middle of her duet with Kristin and just covered her face with her hands and said "can we please start over", she honestly looked like she was about to cry, then she jokingly said " I promise I will know this song by opening, when your actually paying". I thought that was great!! Then they both kept going. Kristin joked about it a little later during a scene.

[CaTheatreGirl]

Posted: 10/6/03 at 7:36pm

Matthew Broderick getting totally lost in "That Face" and begging the orchestra to stop. He was shown the music to indicate where to restart, but he can't read music. Eventually, he figured out where to restart. Very embarrassing, but some in the audience thought it was part of the show.

[Shawk]

Posted: 10/6/03 at 7:41pm

I've not seen more than minor flubs in a professional production.

I do remember a Javert saying, "The man of justice... :pause, weird face: ... comes again, and talks of... :annoyed look: ...justice!"

Regional productions tend to get more amazing, with flying props and breaking sets and whatnot.

Posted: 10/7/03 at 8:53am

LOL Agreed, Taylor Dayne as Amneris. Oy!

When we talk mistakes, are we talking things that happen or mistakes people make? I've never seend anyone make a mistake regarding lines or actions, but I caught a few bloopers the first time I saw Aida.

1. During the scene where Radames takes off Aida's hand shackles, one had fallen off already.

2. While Amneris sang "I Know the Truth" her wedding dress refused to zipper down, (the part where the handmaidens sew her into her dress), and poor Idina was being yanked on by the handmaiden. She kept singing, though, as though it was perfectly natural to be jerked downwards.

[jo]

Posted: 10/7/03 at 9:25am

As narrated by Michael Ball --

In London, he once forgot the lyrics to LOVE CHANGES EVERYTHING (Aspects of Love) and had to keep singing :

Love, love changes everything
Hands and faces, earth and sky
Love, love changes everything
Hands and faces, earth and sky

Fortunately, an old lady seating in front during the matinee started mouthing back the lyrics to him



Updated On: 10/7/03 at 09:25 AM

[robbiej]

Posted: 10/7/03 at 11:19am

A dear friend told me of a production of MAME he saw at a stock house (Beef & Boards maybe?) and the entire production was canned...meaning the orchestra was on a recorded track. Anyway, out came Mame, bugle and all and started 'It's Today' and then...well...here's how it went.

Get the ice out.
Get the ice out.
Get the ice out.
GET OUT THE ICE!!!!!!!

It still reduces me to giggles.

[Zola LaPlaya]

Posted: 10/8/03 at 3:57pm

Oh dear Lord, have any of you ever seen a live performance by Miss Liza Minnelli? Admittedly, that poor creature does not mangle ALL lyrics, only the ones that are not pre-recorded.

When she was in "The Act" one hundred years ago (a show which made headlines for daring to charge a top ticket price of $25!) she missed her cue so many times while the orchestra kept vamping. Eventually, it was clear to everyone she did not know the words, giggles turned into guffaws, and she slithered off the stage.

The weird thing is that she never re-appeared to sing it -- the show just skipped over the song and continued which the next scene.

It was bizarre, but after all it was the 70s.

z

[TheBalladeer]

Posted: 10/8/03 at 3:59pm

Her rendition of "Some People" was ridiculous. She mangled those lyrics. It was shocking.

Updated On: 10/8/03 at 03:59 PM

Posted: 10/8/03 at 4:10pm

Phantom during the 4 year run in Los Angeles
during the notes scene in Act I the chandelier started blinking and shaking, since i was in the balcony it was so annoying, i knew it wasn't supposed to happen cuz i had seen it before, but the actors kept going.

During RENTs tango maureen Joanne's Mic fell off while doing the tango and Mark pulled her close so she could see into his mic, and they just made up a tango, the audience who knew the show were dying with laughter...then when they stop to "try the mic" joanne started busting up, the audience went wild with applause, mark never broke character, then she calmly put on her mic, so they both sang that last "tango maur-een!"

[PennyLou]

Posted: 10/8/03 at 7:38pm

um nothing totally major


1) When I saw 42nd st. one of the dancers fell up the stairs in the last number. I thought that was awesome because I have fallen on staged during a show a few time. But ya just get up and keep going.

2) I saw Annie get your gun when Reba was in it and I saw the under study for frank butler and he was also the guy who tells the story (buffalo bill maybe) and there was a part where questioned Annie and he asked a question first and he asked bill's question instead of Franks and you could tall because the next question was the same one but out of bill's mouth.

3) When I saw grease like 4 years ago at one point Danny smoked a cigarette but he pulled it out of his pants put it in his mouth and stared smoking it have never light it yet it was smoking?

4) My friend saw HAIRSPRAY the week before Marissa left but she saw Kathy as Tracy and during the part where Tracy adds hair to the top of her wig "I'm keeping up with all the styles I'm teasing my hair as high as I can" The added hair fell off but she just bent down picked it up put it back on and kept going.

[newyorkuniq]

Posted: 10/8/03 at 7:50pm

Hmmm... One of the times I saw 42nd Street during "Dames" one of the girls hats fell off as she was walking through the door. It got kicked all over the floor during the dance number and ruined the rainbow:P

[Big Pink]

Posted: 10/8/03 at 8:01pm

When I saw Noises Off, Faith Prince accidentally dropped the wine bottle off the stage in the scene where they toss it around... and someone in the front row PICKED IT UP AND LAY IT ON THE EDGE OF THE STAGE. Faith looked at it and just laughed, and then went on with the show. =) Updated On: 10/8/03 at 08:01 PM