Scariest Moment in a Musical — Page 2

In the current London production of Mary Poppins, there is a scene where the children lose their temper and are banished to the nursery. Once there, the toys come to life and terrorize the children while singing a song called 'Temper, Temper'. Included in this are toy soldiers who even point their guns at Jane and Michael. The little girl in front of me was clinging to her father she was so scared. Given all the horrors in the US with school shootings and all, I would be surprised if this scene is included in the Broadway production.

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The Finale from "Pippin". (I just got done playing Catherine in my high school production of it.)

For those of you who don't know, "Pippin" is Stephen Schwartz music with Fosse dance... and interesting combination to begin with. It is a show-within-a-show format, a troupe of traveling actors telling the tale of Charlemagne's son, Pippin, on his search for perfection and ultimate fulfillment. In the end, the players try to convince Pippin that his nirvana will be a beautiful suicide, by having him step into a box and light himself on fire. The whole song is driven, upbeat, and very 70's, but the menace behind the Players' desperation is overwhelming by the end of the number. At the last moment possible, Pippin says no, desperately coming to the realization that he just wants to be ordinary, the way Catherine (the love interest whom he previously abandoned because he thought she was TOO ordinary) was. Catherine and her small son Theo show up, taking hands with Pippin, and stand downstage center. The Players become agitated, then frustrated, then angry, then uproariously animalistic. The Leading Player, whom up until this point has been much like Pippin's Jiminy Cricket sort of character, takes on a Satanic air, and he orders that the sets, lights, costumes, makeup, and music be taken out. They rip down the beautiful fantasy world that they have created for Pippin, and eventually leave the three of them mostly naked on a dark stage without music. The Leading Player's last words are, "Try singing without music, sweetheart." He leaves, and Pippin sings a heartbreaking reprise of his theme in search of happiness. There are a few lighthearted lines between Catherine and Pippin, and the curtain falls.

What I find scary about it was the fact that as Catherine, I was unable to look around and watch what was going on around me; I had to be firm and strong and proud that Pippin was choosing me over death, and there are no lines from Catherine in the whole scene until after PIppin's reprise at the end. So there I was, staring out into the dark audience past the bright lights (until they took them out of course) and listening to the absolutely evil whispers the ensemble Players gave throughout the scene, and felt them touching me, shoving me from behind, had to have them rip my costume off, pull my hair out of its tie, and wipe my makeup off with their hands, all without saying anything or reacting audially in any way. And some of the looks our Leading Player gave me really were Satanic.

It was a chilling experience.... Absolutely thrilling as an actor, but terrifying to get used to at first.

haha personally, front row of Wicked and having a freed monkey leap out in my face.

Sweeney Todd scares the crap out of me...in general.

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I saw Idina's understudy's understudy. AHHHHHH!!!

yeah, it's a kid's show, but it was still scary.... that part in the west wing when belle discovers the rose, and the beast comes out of nowhere and yells "what are you doing"

it always gives me a jump.

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the seen in the Texas School Book depository in Assassins
and The original opening of Sweeney both so creepy.


Horton (a very Sondheim mooded elephant)

The whistle in Sweeney Todd...and of course, the ending. Tobias scared the crap out of me

"Eventually, the theatre-people told me: "If you don't open the doors we are not going to pursue this musical." I got really frustrated, and said to myself: "well you've missed the point"."

I'm sure you violated a dozen fire codes by locking the doors.

Oh yes. Here's the ending of Cabaret that we did at our school. But I don't have a scanner, so I cant' get pics onto the computer.


Cliff left for Paris, as always. The Emcee came on and said his lines about there being no troubles at the Kit Kat Klub.

"Here, life is beautiful..." he said, spitting the 'beautiful'.
"The girls are beautiful..." he said, this time saying that last word sarcastically.

"Even the orchestra is...beautiful." he whispered.

The orchestra was there, but they were dressed all in black, like at a funeral. Sally, Schneider, Schultz, and Kost came on and stood in a line.

We had several curtains, so the Emcee pulled one across so we couldn't see the other characters.
Then the Emcee stepped in front of the curtain.

There was darkness.

The music shrieked the last discordant note, and the Emcee bowed.

"Auf Weidersehen. A bientot," he sang.

Then he took off his coat...to reveal... a swastika armband!

As the cymbals crashed after the drumroll he pulled aside the curtain with a wicked grin.

Sally, Schneider, Schultz, and Kost were lying face down, dead. Wisps of smoke remained; the smoke filled the stage when the curtain was down.

Blackout. End of play.

freeadmission-

oooOOOOoooh. THAT sounds like it was COOL. *shivers!* Our Theo was six and a half, so I'm pretty sure we couldn't have done the reprise like you did... But what a great idea.

I love "Pippin". It's so powerful. And so underestimated.

I dunno if i'd consider this scary. But Judge Turpin's song "Johanna" whoa that really really is disturbing. I have to agree the whistle made me jump especially the first time it goes off right in the begining.

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Uh huh let's all take a moment to allow zepka how wonderful he is...hahaha.

But the monkeys in Wicked are definitely scary.