Showstoppers - Witnessed Accounts of Show-Stopping Moments — Page 4

"OLD FASHIONED WEDDING" is a classic 11 o'clocker! I saw a production where the number got so many encores and the singers were so exhausted, the performer playing Annie did the final reprise lying flat on the floor. Naturally that drove the audience even wilder.

hmm My moment was a moment in Kiss Me kate. Marin Mazzie(who doesn't get as much credit as she deserves) sings "But don't forget tis he who'll have the fun and thee the baby OOOOOOOOOOHHHH I hate men". During the line she simulates giving birth on a table. She ended the verse (which is in the middle of the song) with her legs spread eagle panting, lying on the table. She stopped the show with applause for about a minute or so before moving on.

Washington August 2002. Final performance of MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG. Raoul Esparza performed the tongue-twisting "Franklin Shephard Inc." flawlessly, roaming around the stage in an office chair. He reached the final notes and the applause started. Then just when it started to die down the opposite happened and it swelled up again and went on ...and on...and on. Now that song is not normally a show-stopper, but his performance was indeed electifying!

We have so few true "show-stoppers" these days. Not like we read about when Ethel Merman sang "You're Just in Love" and the audience kept applauding until she and Russell Nype had sung it 2 or 3 more times. But the we don't have stars like Ethel Merman any more. Something has been lost.

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In Hal Prince's SHOW BOAT in London the actress playing Julie received standing ovation after she had sung "BILL" (= in the middle of ACT II). Her performance was just unbelievable, I have never seen or heard anything like it! So emotional and touching that there were no dry eyes in the house. Sadly I can't remember her name.

Lot's Wife was amazing when I saw it too.

No one will know or care about this person, but in Seattle there's a group called Acting Out Against AIDS that raises money for BC/EFA, and they do benefit concerts every year. Their first concert was Falsettos, and the production was amazing. But the woman playing Trina (Anna Lauris) literally STOPPED the show singing her rendition of "I'm Breaking Down." It was phenominal. In Seattle, shows don't stop for applause. That never happens. This show was the last thing she did before she went to New York. I've seen her in a lot, and have been in a show with her, and she's one of the best actresses I've seen.

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Once again like bjivie, I have someone no one knows, but there is this girl who is gonna be so famous one day named Amanda Mischon. She was Oolie in City of Angels at my college. now it was a big skeptical thing because number 1 she is a black girl. which wasnt the biggest issue but it was an issue, and number 2 she had like a real down in the delta, beautiful, but still had a raw quality type of voice. Kinda like a Deborah Cox voice. Well she came out for "You Can Always Count on Me" and at the end of the song there was this split second silence, then a ROAR of applause. there was screaming, and i looked over and this evil tramp named Shante (who has no soul by the way) was in tears. if youve heard the song, youre probably wondering, "what the hell are they crying for, she's just talking about being a door mat?"i have never heard that song performed the way Amanda did it. she gave it something extra. yea it's a funny song, she's just complaining, but she made it something human. it was incredible.

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Thought that this thread should be brought backed. Here are mine:

Follies this past summer at Barrington Stage Company:
Broadway Baby
I'm Still Here
One More Kiss( Marni Nixon sang this and when she came out you could hear a pin drop but when she finished everyone went wild. I thought I was going to cry because it was so beautiful.)

La Cage Aux Folles:
All the Cagelles songs but " La Cage Aux Folles stoped the show for a few good minutes.

Spelling Bee:
Not a song but the introduction of one of the non- cast members. Here it is " Dr. So and So is afriad to go near watermellons because he is tired of being mistaken for Galager(sp?)" Everyone just died because they were laughing so hard and when the laughter slowed down it stated again.

Dirty Rotten Scoundrels:
Drity Rotten Number The look on Norbert and John's faces were priceless.

Gypsy with Bernadette:
Roses Turn got a Standing O

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Doesn't seem like anyone's mentioned actually being part of a number that has stopped a show so . . .

I did a production of CRAZY FOR YOU in July of 2004 and during one Saturday evening performance, we did Slap That Bass which always got a great reaction cause it's a wonderufl song, but this night the audience kept applauding and wouldn't stop. The guy who played Bobby tried several times to re-start the scene but he kept beign drowned out by the applause. Finally a few people started standing and it kept going for well over a minute (our stage manager pulled out her stop watch and timed it). It's really quite an amazing feeling to get that kind of reaction.

This was not due to amazingness on STAGE so much as amazingness in general. Not too long ago, I was at a performance of Dirty Rotten Scoundrels were one of the members of the audience was a crazy laugher. You know the type, the one that you can ALWAYS pick out among everyone else. Of course, this guy also laughed when no one else did. During the scene where Freddy is trying to explain his problem to Christine, this guy just lost it. He was in very close vicinty to the stage, and Norbert could not help but start to crack up because of this laugh. He pretended to be sobbing to fit the story, but he was laughing so hard he couldn't sit up straight. Soon, everyone in the audience caught on to what was happening. Sherie also started laughing and the two had to literally stop the scene for a few moment to regain composure, while the audience whooped and applauded. Craziness!

As for amazing AT shows, I'd have to say after John Lloyd Young sang "Can't Take My Eyes Of You" at Jersey Boys, causing Frankie Valli, followed by the majority of the rest of the audience, to stand in the middle of the second act.

In 1994 there was a touring production of Jesus Christ Superstar, with Carl Anderson and Ted Neeley in the lead roles. EVERY PERFORMANCE, Carl would get a standing ovation for his Heaven on Their Minds, and his Superstar. EVERY NIGHT. But whats better, and in my opinion a true show stopping moment was the consistent reaction to both Judas' Death, and Neeley's Gethsemane. After both numbers there was total silence, except for the sound of people crying. The tension in the theatre after these numbers, especially gethsemane, was beyond what words can describe. The audience didn't know how to respond, the piece was so emotional and intense. Often times there would be well over two or three minutes of total silence. The orchastra wouldn't start until Ted started, and Ted wouldn't start until he knew it was the right time. It was the most intense, real, moments in my experience with musical theatre. The song itself is written as a show stopper and can easily get a standing ovation, but this was beyond even that.

Also, Colm's Bring Him Home at the tenth aniversary concert, was in my opinion, quite the showstopper.

ok, first of all I LOVE THIS THREAD! it is so compelling and moving to read everyone's tales...


for me it was actually seeing the australian production of URINETOWN. during RUN, FREEDOM, RUN i was watching the audience's reaction and the infectious music and the hilarity of the performances in conjunction with the tight choreography was putting everyone in the theater inreasingly on edge. there were several moments of sporadic applause throughout the song, particularly during the a capella section and by the conclusion of the song and bobby's perfectly sustained high A, the audience absolutely lost it. the entire theater rose as one, shouting and cheering on their feet, yelling and clapping. the joy on their faces was unparallelled.

the performers onstage held their positions for the first two minutes or so of the ovation and then gave up; lowering their arms and smiling politely to us and to each other. after a total of about 5 minutes the audicence sat down and the show continued. brilliant.

my first DEFYING GRAVITY experience sent shock waves over the gershwin. lea salonga's ON MY OWN sent the audience into emotional applause mid song. and also, during one particularly tight performance of PHANTOM at the conclusion to PAST THE POINT OF NO RETURN, the audience went nuts.

but definitely URINETOWN sticks out - the joy, enthusiasm, talent and energy of the cast was infectious.

i look forward to reading more responses. xx

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