Onstage mishaps.- Page 2

[Amneris]

Posted: 7/14/03 at 1:13pm

i forgot to add when i saw TITANIC with my camp it was the night after it opened and the boat didnt sink...

Tanya (jeanine morrick) fell running down the stairs in Mamma Mia and started to cry

Hairspray the set for I Can Hear The Bells didnt come on..

and one night the steps werent under the Hairspray can properly and Harvey fell flat on his face when he popped out...getting up and saying "GREAT... AND EVERYONE ON TV SAW THAT" it was really a great save.

[SueleenGay]

Posted: 7/14/03 at 1:20pm

A production of WEST SIDE STORY:

At the end of Act I, the guy playing Diesel ran into the proscenium arch and knocked himself out. There were three bodies lying on the ground as the curtain fell. Diesel was never mentioned again, and I assume the actor was taken to the hospital

Posted: 7/14/03 at 1:22pm

The first time I saw Aida, the shackles wouldn't stay clamped on one of Aida's hands. Poor Adam wasn't quite sure what to do when he said "Don't you want me to take them off." They were already pretty much off. LOL

Then, when Idina came out to sing "I Know the Truth" her wedding dress wouldn't zipper down on one side. One of the handmaidens kept yanking on her and she was being jerked back and forth as she stood there singing. She never missed a beat. Just kept right on belting out this soulful ballad and never fell out of character.

Posted: 7/14/03 at 1:24pm

Phantom of the opera at the Ahmanson Theatre Los angeles for its 4 year run. During Notes in Act I the Chandelier kept blinking throughout the entire song.

Jesus Christ Superstar the new National Tour with Sebastian Bach. It was Peter's Denial and Peter denied Jesus, Mary (Natalie Toro) is supposed to come out and sing "Peter don't you know what you have said? You've gone and cut him dead..." but she didn't, there was silence on the stage and you could hear the actress say "Just chill, alright?" ofstage. Peter just sang and Simon took over the rest of Mary's lines. She must've missed it, or her mic was malfunctioning, I dunno.

[BwayTheatre11]

Posted: 7/14/03 at 1:30pm

I love when there is an onstage mishap. It shows that the actors are not perfect. It is also funny on SNL when the people start laughing! :)

[magruder]

Posted: 7/14/03 at 1:48pm

I've seen a few things...

- A performance of Urinetown Off-Broadway, where the musical director contracted food poisoning once the show went up and kept running off-stage to throw up.

- The second to the last performance of Merrily We Roll Along on Broadway where a pencil fell off a desk during "Opening Doors" and the cast had to keep stepping over it as it kept coming around and around on the revolve.

- The Tyne Daly Gypsy where the two wagon pieces for Grantziger's office did not come together but stayed apart, leaving the actress playing Miss Cratchitt stranded.

- Miss Saigon with Sean McDermott as Chris. During "Last Night of the World" (I think that's the song), when he and Kim run to the balcony, Sean caught his boot on the steps and fell flat on his face. He giggled as he regained his composure, but kept right on singing.

Posted: 7/14/03 at 1:49pm

I also saw RENT national Tour where Mark and Joanne sing Tango Maureen, they hold hands and turn upside down, her mic fell off, and was dangling at her side. Mark held her tight and the both sang into his mic, changing the choreography at the spot, the audience was cheering, and loving every second of it, I thought they would pull it off till the end, but when Maureen called, Joanne busted up and the audience went crazy cheering. lol, Mark never once broke character. Joanne put her mic on and the finsihed sending the audience into hysterics. LIVE THEATRE BABY!

[Rypm25]

Posted: 7/14/03 at 1:55pm

Quite a few years ago I saw "A Streetcar Named Desire" with Alec Baldwin and Jessica Lange, and during the big "STELLLLLLLA!" scene, Alec was trying to open the door to go outside of the house and the doorknob fell off..and the door wouldnt open, so he had to walk around the door...walking through the side of the house and he went on with the scene, and then Amy Madigan came down the stairs and he scooped her up in his arms, walked over to the door and kicked the door open, smashing some of it to bits...the audience went crazy when he did that..!

[TheaterBaby]

Posted: 7/14/03 at 2:16pm

"It is also funny on SNL when the people start laughing!"

LOL I love when the actos in Broadway Shows start laughing. To me it shows that they are having fun. The last time I saw Gypsy, Bernadette Peters and John Dossett kept makng each other laugh through the entire first act (especially in the scene where they first meet). I was waiting for one of them to mess up a line, but neither one did...although there were a lot of giggles and different line deliveries coming from Bernadette.

[Dollypop]

Posted: 7/14/03 at 2:41pm

It seems that the biggest mishap ever to take place on stage was when the producers cast Melanie Griffith as Roxie Hart!!!!!!

[BillyLawlor]

Posted: 7/14/03 at 2:42pm

I wholeheartedly agree, DollyPop. Theater history, indeed.

Posted: 7/14/03 at 2:49pm

What are you trying to say, Dollypop? That Melanie does NOT hold a candle to Gwen Verdon, Liza Minnelli, Anne Reinking, Ruthie Henshall and Chita Rivera as Roxie Hart? Shocking.

[dancindeeva]

Posted: 7/14/03 at 3:53pm

When i saw the lion king, after mufasa's death, when the lionesses pull the white tears from their masks and they are supposed to come off, one of sarabi's didn't and she nearly pulled her whole mask off, she managed to adjust her head dress, but could not compose herself, in this particular scene she spends some time on the floor where she made adjustments to her costume, but she couldln't get a line out without giggling, it was very distracting considering it was a somber scene. I like to watch actors have mishaps and recover, but this was ridiculous, and not such a huge disaster that it warranted a complete break of character. Very unprofessional.

Posted: 7/14/03 at 4:01pm

I agree, and that's how you seperate the good from the bad.

[cabarethed]

Posted: 7/15/03 at 1:04am

During Design for Living, Alan Cumming could never work the spray thingy that he used to fill drinks and would make the cutest noises when something would happen. Especially on the last night of the run when he sprayed himself in the face. He made a joke referring to his luck with that thing, and he and Jennifer Ehle couldn't stop giggling. Adorable.

In Cabaret one night during Raul's 2nd run, there was a mishap during the kickline. I saw this black thing onstage and realized Raul's beret fell. When he came forward to yell It's Me!!!, he completely shocked me by actually ripping the wig off. Totally impromptu- not even necessary- and might I add, very hot!

[onceadancer2]

Posted: 7/15/03 at 5:43pm

I've mentioned this before on Broadway.com. The biggest mishpa in my career was during the JOHNNY ONE NOTE BALLET in BABES IN ARMS (1937). Eleanor Roosevelt was in the audience, and four of us were doing a spoof of the SWAN LAKE PAS DE QUATRE. We all began to slip and wound up in a pile on the floor. Eleanor Roosevelt thought it was very funny however.

Other funny mishaps: PAL JOEY, Vivienne Segal was singing WHAT IS A MAN and had to do a routine with a telephone. No sooner did he pick it up than it broke right on her. Somehow she came through it. In the finale to ACT ONE, Gene Kelly ripped his pants and his shirt, exposing everything. But Kelly was very proud of his physique and went right on performing to the loud applause of the audience.

[LiTtLeDaNcEr729]

Posted: 7/15/03 at 8:35pm

Mishaps that I've seen:

When I saw THE PRODUCERS with Nathan and Matthew, there was an understudy for Carmen Ghia (spelling?). At the part where Leo is sitting on Roger Debris's (spelling again? Hehe)couch and Max is standing beside it and Carmen goes offstage to get Roger- the understudy did something that made Nathan break out laughing- he couldn't stop laughing. And Matthew was just sitting on the couch looking at him- so then Nathan goes to sit on the couch and puts his face in his hands- by this point the whole audience was laughing- it took him about 5 minutes to stop. It was so funny.

In THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE at the part where Muzzy is at the Hotel Priscilla talking to Mrs. Meers- Harriet Harris did something that made Sheryl Lee Ralph start laughing- it was just for a couple seconds- Muzzy turned her face from the audience and slapped her hand down on the desk- then went on with her lines.

Mishaps that have happened at my performances:

Well- the only one I can remember is when one girl's top fell down during our tap number. She was front center- and I think 26 at the time (she was a teacher at the studio and wanted to learn to tap dance- so she joined my class)- and the top was velcro- she ran offstage and was afraid to do the dance again the next night.

[DofB5]

Posted: 7/15/03 at 9:02pm

Professionally, I saw “Evita” drop her hat in one scene and she had to retrieve it before the curtain came down.

Personally, I got a bloody nose when one of the people I was doing “A Christmas Carol” with got to much “into character” and she really hit me with her package before Christmas Present could sprinkle his “Christmas Spirit Dust” on us. :)

D

[PJ]

Posted: 7/15/03 at 9:41pm

a bloody nose. lol

[Madame X]

Posted: 7/15/03 at 10:19pm

I had my first ever Gypsy experience 2 weeks ago. There's a scene when Rose is throwing bowls (or something) at Herbie and Louise. Well the first bowl Bernadette threw was a really bad throw and John had to really reach to get it. I had some awful seats but I could even hear Bernadette **shriek** (really high shriek nonetheless) at being startled at how bad her throw was. Then she got a 5 - 10 second case of the giggles (shaking shoulders and all) and then continued on like nothing happened :)

[qpidsangel]

Posted: 7/17/03 at 11:30am

LOL I love when the actos in Broadway Shows start laughing. To me it shows that they are having fun. The last time I saw Gypsy, Bernadette Peters and John Dossett kept makng each other laugh through the entire first act (especially in the scene where they first meet). I was waiting for one of them to mess up a line, but neither one did...although there were a lot of giggles and different line deliveries coming from Bernadette.

Oh, what was she saying? Bernadette always does that when she's on stage. I love it!!!!!!

[flaemmchen]

Posted: 7/17/03 at 1:25pm

I just remembered a mishap from when I first saw Gypsy. During the "What am I supposed to do when big hats go out?" strip, Tammy lost her big skirt as she was walking, which sort of defeated the purpose of the whole strip, but she still went on with the lines anyway.

[CourtneyM]

Posted: 7/17/03 at 2:17pm

the last night of dance of the vampires when the professor comes down to ask boris to bring the bags up and boris goes yeeessss masssteeer and hits the wall part of the wall came out


and one time at frankie and johnny during the scene where farnkie is making sandwiches, you hear someone yelling don't open that at first i thought it was part of the show but it kept up and rosie perez and joe pantoliano stop what their doing and look up in the mezzanine (that's where the people making the noise were sitting) rosie perez said something like "noisy neighbors" or something like that i'm not sure and "joe pantoliano replied with "how rude"

Posted: 7/17/03 at 2:24pm

Once at a production of Joseph, the guy who plays Jacob was having trouble with his mic. I was standing backstage checking the focus of some of my lights as someone had tripped over one of the floor mounts. Anyway, the mic kept falling off of Jacob and when he came backstage, he says "I hate this f&^*ing thing!" And very faintly through the backstage PA we heard echoing, "f&*$ing thing, f&*$ing thing, f&*$ing thing" I still don't know if it actually went out into the audience or not.

[scooter38432]

Posted: 7/17/03 at 7:48pm

THE WILL ROGERS' FOLLIES
During the curtain call, the dog trainer dressed as a Native American squaw came running out to bow, slipped, landed flat on her ass (while in a skirt, of course) and slid what seemed like10-12 feet. Completely hysterical. Cast went wild.

THE FULL MONTY
The guy playing Dave (JEC's successor -- named?) were in the bed as it rolled out ... well ... as it ALMOST rolled out. It was making horrible noises. The actors were still in the dark, so Dave gets out to give help pull it into place. The scene goes on, ends, and the set makes its horrible noise again. Actors leave. The next scene with Jerry and his son (on the street?) has the bed in it. Show stops. Announcement. Techies descend and remove the bed unit, leaving just the "truck". 30 minute delay.
Not exciting, yet memorable.