Urban Legends and Anecdotes of the Theatre

Okay, anyone who talks about a "Fifty Shades of Grey" dungeon really hasnt read the books. LOL I think it's safe to call that one discredited.

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HONEY, if every queen who claimed to have tied up Sondheim in his sex dungeon went to see "Passion" it would still be running.

I'm pretty sure Stop Taking Pictures is already the stuff of legend.

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The age of that story leads me to believe it inspired another urban legend of the theatre that everyone has been in a production with someone who saw/performed in: the Flying Jesus.

One production of Superstar allegedly had a resurrection/ascension staged, so that at the end of John 19:41, when it segues into the horns of Superstar, Jesus would ascend on a wire into the heavens triumphantly. The reason for the accident has been reported differently from time to time- some say the weights were designed for a much heavier Jesus and his understudy went on, or that, having missed the cue, an overzealous stage hand yanked the pulleys far too fast. But whatever the reason, Jesus shot screaming out of the tomb at top speed and whizzed into the rafters. There was a hideous thump, and then a moment later, one of his sandals flopped down to the stage ominously.

Some versions of the story add a coda (I wasn't aware that others did not until very recently, as I had always heard the story with the final tag). The audience was in a panic, knowing something was wrong. The stage manager got on the god-mic and, speaking the first words that came to mind, said "Ladies and gentlemen- Jesus will not be returning. Thank you."

Wow!! That JCS story is AMAZING!!! Being a christian, I've always felt very uneasy about that show, and feel really guilty because is one of my favorites. To this day I'm very superstitious about it, and try as much as possible not to watch it or listen to it during Lent.

Yeah- despite the early controversy, "Superstar" is far from critical of religion at large, and in fact gels pretty closely with the Palm Sunday passion play.

so wait . who are all the actors who have died while currently performing in a Broadway show (whether they died at the theatre or not)

the ones I can think of are

Gertrude Lawrence (died during King & I
Irene Ryan (died during Pippin
Kathleen Freeman (died during The Full Monty
Geraldine Page (died during Blithe Spirit

anyone else ??

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Number 17- the spread eagle!

darquegk, there's also the variation on that story that says the rigging wasnt done properly and that, as Jesus rose, He slowly turned a 180, all the while waving His arms to turn back around to face the audience. I've heard that one from several sources, so it might be true.

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two my fair lady anecdotes, both confirmed:

1. Opening night in New Haven of the original production, Rex Harrison refused to go onstage with "those 32 interlopers down there!" (Meaning the orchestra in the pit). The management and his agent persuaded him to go on, and the rest is history.

2. The second, more recent, about Jonathan Pryce and his now-infamous curtain speech:
LINK the rotating Elizas

Another one opera related, this time from the Metropolitan. During Wasgner's LOHENGRIN, a swan is supposed to come onstage to take Lohengrin away. In this particular production (I think it was Melchior who was singing the role), the swan came on — then left about 24 bars before it was supposed to. Melchior turned, saw it was gone, then turned back to audience and said, "Does anyone know when the next swan is to arrive?"

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There are rumors about a certain Broadway diva (most recently seen in London)performing oral services on stagehands just before going on stage.