Unusual curtain call moments

[LaurenB]

Posted: 7/25/04 at 4:28pm

Anyone have an unusual curtain call moment? I can think of 3:

1. Ice Man Cometh - This had to be the shortest curtain call of all time. The play ended and the audience rose to its feet. And before you could blink an eye, Kevin Spacey left the stage and the rest of the cast followed. It was the weirdest thing I had ever seen. Someone behind me said that someone in the audience took a picture during the curtain call. I did not see that, and I don't know if that had anything to do with the abrupt departure of the cast. All I know is that I felt cheated at the end, as I enjoy showing my appreciation and sharing that brief moment with the performers.

2. Amy's View - Judi Dench had left the play for about a month to attend to her very ill husband in London. I had tickets and wasn't sure if the play would ever reopen. But she did return to NY for the last few weeks. She was marvelous on stage. At the curtain call, the audience rose to its feed and cheered her. She did not crack a smile. In fact, she looked like she was attending a funeral. Her husband did pass away shortly thereafter, and I can certainly understand the emotional strain she was under. It's just that it was very uncomfortable to watch. She had been animated and lively during the performance, and then her face was stone cold during the curtain call.

3. Sunset Boulevard - tour with Petula Clark. At the curtain call, the audience cheered with a standing-o and then became very quiet, as it looked like Petula wanted to say something. She took a step forward and before she could open her mouth, someone in the balcony yelled, "Sing Downtown!" The whole audience laughed, as did the cast. She did too, and made some brief comment about she couldn't because of copyrights, or some such thing. Then she made her appeal for some charity. Updated On: 12/17/04 at 04:28 PM

[shlamdiddly]

Posted: 7/25/04 at 4:32pm

This isn;t unusual or anything...just something funny about a curtain call...
I saw phantom with school in march, during the BC/EFA fundraising. after the curtain call Hugh(the Phantom) talked about how people would be collecting money at the doors and what not. This one girl who was on the trip started saying how it was so unprofessional...blah blah blah... She really wants to be on broadway and somy friend was like, when she's a struggling actress with AIDS living on the streets begging for money, I'll just pass by her and not give a damn.
soooo , yeah...anyways...

[JakeB]

Posted: 7/25/04 at 4:33pm

Yes. At every Broadway show I've seen there has been a standing ovation, even at Dance of the Vampires. That is very unusual, I have rarely, if ever, seen one in London.

[BlueWizard]

Posted: 7/25/04 at 4:38pm

She really wants to be on broadway and somy friend was like, when she's a struggling actress with AIDS living on the streets begging for money, I'll just pass by her and not give a damn.

Haha, that's hilarious. Black humour, yes, but i love it.

Also not unusual, but ironic: over the past few years I've always been stuck in audiences that give standing ovations to shows that don't deserve it, and that remain sitting during some of the best shows I've ever seen. And I'm gregarious, so I'm forced to follow. Maybe for me, sitting down means you gave a spectacular performance!

[Matt_G]

Posted: 7/25/04 at 4:48pm

Funny you bring this up because when I saw CAROLINE, I was one of the only people to stand at the curtain call. However, yes, the audience leaped to their feet at DANCE OF THE VAMPIRES.

[WhatDoINeedWithLove?]

Posted: 7/25/04 at 4:49pm

when i saw wicked in april, idina was talking about BCEFA and then said they were selling the window cards and couldnt talk she was like "we're selling these poster with entire cast uh duh WHAT? Entire cast signatures! whew" it was cute

(this doesnt seem funny in writing, lol) Updated On: 7/25/04 at 04:49 PM

[shlamdiddly]

Posted: 7/25/04 at 5:02pm

yes...I love it too

[TheQuibbler]

Posted: 7/25/04 at 5:03pm

Surprisingly, the whole audience stood up when I saw "Caroline, Or Change," which I was happy about.

[Rathnait62]

Posted: 7/25/04 at 5:06pm

How long did it take to get an Idina story (and not much of one at that)?

[BalletGirl85]

Posted: 7/25/04 at 5:07pm

This wasn't on Broadway, but when I was in "The Wizard Of Oz" it was my first "big role" so I was so excited and thrilled...and got to take the last bow...but with the dog. So I came running out on opening night, did a little curtsy, and then grabbed hands with the guy next to me for full company bow, forgetting the dog's leash was still in my hand. When we raised our hands up, I heard the trainer scream "NOOOOOOO!" from offstage and everyone in the audience was cracking up at the dog just dangling by his leash between the two actors. Good times. I got yelled at though.

[BillyLawlor]

Posted: 7/25/04 at 5:16pm

How about the Mary Sunshine moment in "Chicago" that happens every night at bows? That was pretty unexpected when I saw the show...pretty wierd, yet very funny moment.

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 7/25/04 at 5:19pm

haha, I LOVE the reaction that gets.

[WhatDoINeedWithLove?]

Posted: 7/25/04 at 5:25pm

and the rude award goes to....Rathnait62!!

[Rathnait62]

Posted: 7/25/04 at 5:50pm

*bows, accepts flowers and sash*

[Sumofallthings]

Posted: 7/25/04 at 5:56pm

He/She is growing up so fast! *beams with pride*

[CapnHook]

Posted: 7/25/04 at 6:07pm

What happens with Mary Sunshine?

[rclocalz]

Posted: 7/25/04 at 6:17pm

Well, one time I was in a regional production of Dracula and I was the title character. At the end of the play I die of course and lay in the box (or coffin). When the box that I am in gets pulled under the stage, I am suppose to get out for curtain call to make an appearance at the castle door. Well, somehow the box got stuck under the stage and I couldn't get out at all, so when the cast took their bows and the castle doors opened up...I WASN'T THERE! It was so awkward for the cast because they had no idea where I was and the audience was in an awkward kind of silence because they didn't know what to do, so my friend who was playing Van Helsing stepped out and "bullcrapped" his was through a speal about the character Dracula dieing and never returning to haunt our nightmares or something like that. In other words, he "cowcrapped" his way through a speech that no one took seriously. The cast finally just took another final bow and exited the stage. It was quite an embarrasing moment for me, and the cast.

Updated On: 7/25/04 at 06:17 PM

[BlueWizard]

Posted: 7/25/04 at 6:54pm

Heheheh, in high school we had a Dracula curtain call moment too. Our production ended with Dracula getting the stake through the heart while in his coffin. After the blackout, for some reason the house lights went immediately on, and Dracula was caught midway climbing out of the coffin.

[jonartdesigns]

Posted: 7/25/04 at 7:23pm

curtain call mess ups i've been in:
Annie: I got sent out in the first group of the ensemble (tho i tried lobbying for a special bow whereas i was the male understudy of the show)...well opening night we were told that the ensemble had to run out for our bows since "noone but your familie's care about anyone but the leads" well it seemed i ran a little faster than my fellow actors and ended up taking a special solo curtain call after all

The second show was a Quartet of 1 Act plays- Sorry, wrong number, the happy journey, the marraige proposal, and 27 wagons of cotton: We had to do a special shortened show for the 4th period english classes in my high school wherein all hell broke loose.. the male leads in 27 wagons had hooked up earlier in the day and had already broken up and the Wrong number cast (including me) was so large that the principals were bowing before every1 got out of the wings (it was supposed to be a full cast bow

[dry2olives]

Posted: 7/25/04 at 8:51pm

My favorite curtain call story:

Phil Silvers starred in the musical Top Banana where he played a character not-so-loosely based on Milton Berle. Berle was in the audience on opening night and as a joke he ran up on stage during Silvers' bow yelling "I'll sue! I'll sue!". Well, there was a big dog in the show and he thought Berle was attacking Silvers and leaped up at him ready to attack. Fortunately the dog was on a leash and nobody was hurt.

[Poppy]

Posted: 7/25/04 at 11:50pm

The audience was probably made up of Michael Crawford's fan club members....

[pab]

Posted: 7/26/04 at 2:21am

I think that standing ovations are so common now, at Broadway shows, that when one is really deserved, who would know? Some people will stand for anything. It used to be that a standing ovation meant that the performance was extra special now anyone can get one just because they have completed the show.

I have only seen this happen once and it was a standing ovation in the middle of a song. Jennifer Holiday in Dreamgirls. She actually deserved it!

[jonartdesigns]

Posted: 7/26/04 at 2:28am

i've noticed that if a performer gets a stading ovation at curtain call every1 after them tends to too.... i guess the concensus is its rude to sit back down when the next person comes out

[ShizamM]

Posted: 7/26/04 at 4:43am

and the rude award goes to....Rathnait62!!

No doubt about that - I've lurked on these boards for some time now and majority of Rathnait62 posters are 2-cent hits -- not even 2 months in & he/she is already a Broadway Star (=400-999 posts)

Speaking of which, maybe that's why they're so jaded because they ARE having such a hard time figuring things out being a he/she and all... He/She is growing up so fast! *beams with pride*

[jo]

Posted: 7/26/04 at 5:12am

I saw CHICAGO for the first time in London onstage. During what I thought were already curtain calls, two roses landed on my lap - one from one leading lady, Ute Lemper, and the other from Ruthie Henshall - where I was sitting very close to the front in the center of the row.

When I saw the movie version eventually, only then did I rezlize that throwing out the roses to the audience was not yet curtain call but was actually part of the show ... I still have the two velvet roses