Piazza smoking

[astonishing1985]

Posted: 4/1/06 at 12:11pm

Last week my boyfriend and I saw The Light in the Piazza and absolutely loved it, have not taken the CD out of my stereo.

There was some smoking on stage and it seemed very real. At first I thought they must use very good fake ones but my boyfriend was pretty sure they were real cigarettes and because they had this different smell they apparently are really strong and more unhealthy than regular ones.
Can someone set us straight and tell us what they use for cigarettes? Real or fake?

[greeneyed_one]

Posted: 4/1/06 at 12:14pm

Don't quote me on this but I remember reading a thread that said they used herbal cigarettes which smelled like the real thing but were not bad for you. Not sure if this is exactly true but most likely it is something like this.

[greencup]

Posted: 4/1/06 at 12:18pm

I read the same thing greeneyed. I've never seen it, but I've heard they smell really strong.

[astonishing1985]

Posted: 4/1/06 at 12:21pm

The thing is they looked so real but they smelled differently, they actually smelled good, lol...and I hate smoking

[DefyingPopular]

Posted: 4/1/06 at 12:24pm

When I saw it, the smell was nauseating... but that was almost a year ago, so they could have changed it by now.

[kasim]

Posted: 4/1/06 at 1:05pm

yeah they did smell funny ... i was in the front row and it definetly was some kind of "real" smoke

[Katurian2]

Posted: 4/1/06 at 1:13pm

If it is like most other shows, it is an herbal cigarette. If you go to see Pajama Game, they have a warning outside the theatre telling the audience about this. Herbal smokes do not hurt an actor's vocal production as much as regular ones. And if you thought that Piazza was bad, don't head to The Odd Couple.

[Sandy in Sable]

Posted: 4/1/06 at 1:18pm

When I and a few other cast members smoked in a production we had to smoke herbals. They didn't smell that great and tasted even worse. It was mentioned in the program, but of course we still got a few complaints from audience members. The smoke just kinda hangs there ya know.

[Sandy in Sable]

Posted: 4/1/06 at 1:18pm

When I and a few other cast members smoked in a production we had to smoke herbals. They didn't smell that great and tasted even worse. It was mentioned in the program, but of course we still got a few complaints from audience members. The smoke just kinda hangs there ya know.

[broadwaybelter]

Posted: 4/1/06 at 3:22pm

yea i was wondering this when i saw caroline or change

[ChrisLovesShows]

Posted: 4/1/06 at 3:25pm

DO I remember right that because of the recent NYC ordinance, you CANNOT smoke tobacco in the theatres now, even on stage, so that any "smoking" has to be with herbal cigs?

[WickedGeek28]

Posted: 4/1/06 at 3:33pm

Herbal, there're signs before entering the auditorium that warns the audience of this.

[Ourtime992]

Posted: 4/1/06 at 3:35pm

There's a sign in the lobby of the Vivian Beaumont that states that herbal cigarettes will be used in the production. And if you've ever been in the first few rows for that show you know you can count on smelling them from Dividing Day through the end of the first act.

[Unknown User]

Posted: 4/1/06 at 4:07pm

so here is an interesting question. HOW ESSENTIAL is smoking to the characters in these shows? not trying to be feisty..i really am curious.

[BwayTheatre11]

Posted: 4/1/06 at 4:14pm

I have been told herbal cigarettes are just as bad, if not worse, for you.

[Horton]

Posted: 4/1/06 at 4:27pm

If you were an actor, and the part called for you to smoke, would you?

[popular_elphie]

Posted: 4/1/06 at 4:33pm

I've also wondered this about Jersey Boys. A lot of characters in the show smoke.

[KJisgroovy]

Posted: 4/20/06 at 1:57am

But in Jersey Boys the main actors don't smoke... they have stand ins smoking in the wings for them.

kmc

[DG]

Posted: 4/20/06 at 2:13am

"HOW ESSENTIAL is smoking to the characters in these shows?"

If you're presenting something from those time periods and want it to be even remotely real, smoking is essential.

[iluvtheatertrash]

Posted: 4/20/06 at 2:15am

Let us remember that Margaret's husband works for a cigarette company. (He's the VP, if I'm remembering correctly). And going back to that time period and the kind of woman she is, it doesn't surprise me at all that she speaks. I find it a very smart character choice.

[thevolleyballer]

Posted: 4/20/06 at 2:25am

I can't imagine having to smoke -- real, herbal, or anything, for that matter -- and having to sing directly after, as I'm sure the smoking characters often do. Heck, whenever there's fog on the stage, it's hard not to cough and get congested, but smoke? Gosh. Talk about the tough life of a Broadway star.

[EugLoven]

Posted: 4/20/06 at 2:27am

I second the herbal. My college (SFSU) theatre department uses herbal cigs in their shows. I'd assume since we can afford the effect, Broadway can too :)

[Jazzysuite82]

Posted: 4/20/06 at 2:43am

Actually herbal Cigs are fairly easy to sing after smoking them. Keep in mind they were created for stage actors and singers. If it were unhealthy they wouldn't do it. ESP in an Adam Guettel show. The fog should be special regulation. I know the union has rules about the fog that can be used. I believe equity uses the same regulations that AGMA (the opera singer's union) uses. They're made to be sung through. Some of those fog machines are really bad...

[ghostlight2]

Posted: 4/20/06 at 2:46am

Victoria Clark has a positively brilliant moment in the song "Dividing Day" where she pauses, lights a cigarette, and exhales with the next line.

[MrBundles]

Posted: 4/20/06 at 3:07am

"But despite this marketing ploy, alternative cigarettes are NOT safe. In fact, some are considerably more dangerous than normal cigarettes. As the director of the Federal Trade Commission's Bureau of Consumer Affairs recently stated, "There's no such thing as a safe smoke.""

http://www.ahealthyme.com/topic/herbalcig