Scariest Moment in a Musical or Play — Page 2

The very, very end of Sweeney Todd gives me chills, but I've never been as scared in a theater as I was when I saw Cabaret at Studio 54. My palms were so sweaty, and it took me a few moments to collect myself. But that ending is always terrifying, no matter how it's staged. Hell, the movie still scares me.

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I second RentBoy86. Could someone who knows the terribly disturbing end of Cabaret please fill in the rest of us who never got a chance to see it?

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The loud music freaked me out in MAMA MIA

People mentioning that scene in Pillowman still freaks me out. I literally jumped a few inches out of my chair as well as made a verbal noise. That whole show I was FREAKED out. They need to make a movie of that play

SWEENEY TODD REVIVAL. i was on the second row and several points during the show Tobias, Johanna, Sweeney, and Patti would just randomly stare at you. ahhh it was chilling.
and the very last door slamming. gee minelli

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Chita Rivera standing on that slanted table in wet heels during the Grand Canal section of the Nine revival.

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Can anyone fill me in on what was the scary scene in Pillowman that you guys have been answering with?

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"Could someone who knows the terribly disturbing end of Cabaret please fill in the rest of us who never got a chance to see it? "

MAJOR MAJOR CABARET SPOILERS FOLLOW....

After Cliff leaves Germany, the Emcee begins singing Cabaret again. You realize the Customs Official is actually the Emcee. As he wanders around the stage, he reminds the audience that all their troubles are gone now. When he repeats that, "even the orchestra is beautiful" the scrim is pulled away and there is no orchestra there anymore, but you can still hear them. The sound builds, and becomes increasingly dissonant. Gradually, all of the principal characters start to descend the staircases which flanked the stage. You begin to hear the sound of an oven/incinerator. The stage is completely bare and the cast moves towards the back of the stage. The sound of the incincerator continues to get louder. The Emcee steps forward, bids us all goodnight, and then, as the music builds to a final cymbal crash, takes off his coat to reveal the uniform of a concentration camp prisoner. In addition to the Jewish star, he also has the pink triangle. As the lights move to a blackout, he goes and takes his place with the other "dead" cast members. There is a final symbal crash, and then we are left in darkness.

I hope I remembered everything. It was truly shocking and incredible. Even as I type it, I am getting goosebumps. Nothing will ever compare to seeing it live, however.

Updated On: 6/5/06 at 06:44 PM

When Patty Lupone is sitting on that chair cleaning the tools. The day I saw it I was sure that chair was going to fall.

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Now I'm even sorrier that I missed Pillowman.

Completely agree about the revival of Cabaret.

In the original Broadway production of Spider Woman, there were two moments that gave me the shakes. In Act One, when Valentin is poisoned, the cell's curtains suddenly part to reveal the Spider Woman standing there, coming for him. It's a quick moment, but wonderfully creepy. In the second act, the title song scared the bejeezus out of me. The subject matter was intense enough, but Chita's delivery of it-- the triumphant roar of that last line as the music speeds up and seems to crash down around her-- was just heartstopping.

Ahem. Yeah. Thirteen years later, and I'm still obsessed. Right, then. Moving on.

Much as I wasn't wowed by Shining City, the last seconds of the play gave me a nice little shudder. I wouldn't necessarily agree with Ben Brantley's description of the moment as "shocking," but it's appropriately creepy, and earns more than a few gasps.

Assassins, yeah. Intense, scary, gorgeous, wonderful. Ditto Sweeney. All of it, both original and revival.

One final memory: about twenty years ago (I'm so dating myself here), my school went on a trip to see a local children's theatre troup perform an adaptation of Poe's Fall of the House of Usher. (Why they thought Usher was a good story for a bunch of kids to read is subject for another thread.) Towards the end of the play, as the characters realise that they have buried Mrs. Usher alive, there were three flashes of lightning. In the first, we saw Mrs. Usher in the tomb, lying on her bier. In the second, she was sitting up. In the third, she was gone. I had nightmares for weeks.

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I agree with a lot of moments mentioned here, but no play has ever had the hairs on the back of my neck standing on end like "The Weir."

Truly creepy, atmospheric, and underrated as a piece of drama.

This is kind of wierd but, on eof the most happiest/ scariest moments for me is when Sweeney reveals himself to the Judge.

Gunshots always scare me. So when Kim shot Thuy in Miss Saigon I was 3 feet off my seat.