technical difficulties stop 9 to 5 tonight.- Page 2

[PalJoey]

Posted: 4/10/09 at 10:23am

They HAVE to figure this sh*t out before the end of the month.

Do calm down, dear,

[luvbrdway]

Posted: 4/10/09 at 10:32am

How long did it take before the problem was fixed?

[MusicalComedyMan]

Posted: 4/10/09 at 10:41am

This is why previews should be cheaper!!! If your show isn't ready to have a full price audience you shouldn't charge full price.

[songanddanceman2]

Posted: 4/10/09 at 10:47am

Shows can be halted for tech problems way after previews, years down the line, it makes no difference

[madbrian]

Posted: 4/10/09 at 10:51am

The delay was about ten minutes.

[singtopher]

Posted: 4/10/09 at 10:52am

The pause was only 5 min. at most.

Updated On: 4/10/09 at 10:52 AM

[singtopher]

Posted: 4/10/09 at 10:53am

Was it really that long Madbrian? It didn't seem that long to me.

[madbrian]

Posted: 4/10/09 at 10:57am

I didn't time it, and it's fair to say that we agree that it wasn't very long.

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 4/10/09 at 12:21pm

It was only a 5-6 minute interruption.
It was very interesting to hear just how untrained actors are in that situation, even people with huge voices like Block. I was in the 5th row and could barely hear a word said. I'm not saying it's the actors faults for not knowing what to do, God knows nobody is trained anymore to project like in "the old days" but it was interesting to see.

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 4/10/09 at 12:27pm

I totally agree, Jordan. Megan's mic went out very briefly on the first preview performance just as she opened her mouth to say the line before "Change It" and I could barely hear the sound of her voice at all.

[WishingOnlyWounds2]

Posted: 4/10/09 at 12:44pm

"Get over or it don't go!"

Get over it or don't go!"

Updated On: 4/10/09 at 12:44 PM

[singtopher]

Posted: 4/10/09 at 12:57pm

In all fairness, I'm not sure the actors knew the mics had gone out. It was a more tender moment when they did go, so the actresses were holding back vocally for dramatic effect. One plus side to micing (sp?) is being able to sing softly for effect, and still be heard. I was in the Mezz, and yet I could hear what everyone was saying, I just had to listen harder.

[madbrian]

Posted: 4/10/09 at 1:33pm

I was in row 'L' and I could hear them. In fact, the actress who said something to the effect of "Let's take a break" was heard by most of the audience, because it drew laughs and applause.

[TimeSquare3]

Posted: 4/10/09 at 1:45pm

This is why previews should be cheaper!!! If your show isn't ready to have a full price audience you shouldn't charge full price.

Previews cost as much to run as regular performances.

[wicked_beast4]

Posted: 4/10/09 at 1:47pm

^^^
So? If they aren't prepared to present the same product, they they shouldn't be costing the same price.

Updated On: 4/10/09 at 01:47 PM

[ghostlight2]

Posted: 4/10/09 at 1:49pm

"If for some reason a cable was pulled, resulting in the mics going dead, putting the cable back into the hot system could blow a few speakers if the levels were correct. Resulting in hearing damage for the audience as well as thousands of dollars of destroyed equipment"

Yes, and that would be why no one would do that. You don't as much as plug in a headset without warning others before you do it. Regardless, the scenario you describe doesn't warrant stopping the show, but rather temporarily killing the sound so the cable can be safely re-plugged, or rerouting. No safety issue, no need to stop the show. When was the last time you heard of hundreds getting hearing damage as the result of a Broadway show's sound system?

"Whoever said they don't normally stop shows due to sound obviously knows bugger all about the theatre. Ive done many shows through previews when the show has been stopped due to sound cutting out, levels been incorrect etc."

You mean I've learned "bugger all" in my 30 years working on Broadway?
Imagine my chagrin. Why be insulting about it? All I'd said was that I'd never heard of it before. It hasn't happened in my experience. I've had many, many shows stopped due to automation issues, some because of an actor's injury or sudden illness, and of course, medical emergencies in the audience, but never once for sound. Just lucky, I guess. Obviously, the situation miss pennywise describes would appear to be a major sound board or rack failure, a sound problem which did require that the show be stopped.

What I don't understand why a show would be stopped, even in previews, because the sound levels were "incorrect". That is something easily adjustable from the sound board, and in fact, is the reason for the sound mixers existence. Absolutely no reason to stop the show for that. If an individual's mic is cutting out, stage management will have a deck audio person waiting offstage to replace it the moment the actor comes offstage.

It happens frequently, particularly in heavy dance shows when mics get sweated out, and the change can be made often in under a minute. Many lead characters are often double-miked to avoid even that scenario. One mic fails, you simply switch to the other. If everybody's mics are cutting out, that's a different issue, but even that can usually be dealt with through re-routing, which, again, doesn't necessitate stopping the show. I still maintain that, while not unheard of, sound is one of the least likely culprits for stopping a show.

Hope they've got it sorted out and have smooth sailing tonight.
Updated On: 4/10/09 at 01:49 PM

[BroadwayBoy2]

Posted: 4/10/09 at 2:06pm

FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, THE SOUND WON'T TURN OFF!!!!!!!

[TimeSquare3]

Posted: 4/10/09 at 2:11pm

So? If they aren't prepared to present the same product, they they shouldn't be costing the same price.

Because they wouldn't be able to pay the bills...

[ghostlight2]

Posted: 4/10/09 at 2:12pm

"FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, THE SOUND WON'T TURN OFF!!!!!!!"

Is that why you're shouting? Pull the plug
Updated On: 4/10/09 at 02:12 PM

[KirbyCat]

Posted: 4/10/09 at 2:13pm

Ok- Got a few things to say here.

-This is what previews are for! And oddly enough, there is the minority that enjoys seeing a show stopped. I know that sounds bizarre and not right, but my younger sister was dying to see Shrek in previews because she wanted to see something go differently than planned. Nothing happened the night we saw it. (2nd Preview.) I was actually surprised that nothing did happen considering how heavily automated this show is!

-I have seen many shows mid run have to stop during technical difficulties and just plow through them with no stop. When I saw Billy Elliot and the set split, the chair at the piano fell off of the set. Much to our surprise, it stayed there for a good 20 minutes. Thank god that the set didn't roll back on before it was taken off because it would have been ugly.

That being said, the many times I've seen Mary Poppins, there have been minor difficulties to major ones. I have seen the magic carpet bag fault, I have seen a park gate not roll off, I have seen the house get de-tracked. Yeah that last one was pretty bad. They cancelled the show for that one!

-Give this show a break. Tonight will be their 4th night on Broadway. This is an extremely automation-heavy show. They WILL have all of these kinks ironed out before their official opening, but expect minor kinks throughout the run.

[BroadwayBoy2]

Posted: 4/10/09 at 2:29pm

What is the big deal? So the show stopped for 10 mintues? I'm still looking for a reason to b*itch and moan about it.

[hmpeterson]

Posted: 4/10/09 at 2:29pm

Madbrian: I was in in row L too. Where were your seats?

[mywonderwa11]

Posted: 4/10/09 at 2:39pm

I was there last night, too and I must say the whole experience didn't bother me one bit! As a preview audience you should go in KNOWING that things like that will happen. If you're not willing to pay full price for that then wait till after the show opens.

The interruption didn't last ten minutes at all. It lasted maybe 5 minutes. And thanks to Ioana Alfonso, I got a great laugh out of it.

This is why live theatre is so fun.

[madbrian]

Posted: 4/10/09 at 2:43pm

"Madbrian: I was in in row L too. Where were your seats?"

My wife and I were on the right side, seats 2 & 4.

[whatever2]

Posted: 4/10/09 at 3:34pm

> Because they wouldn't be able to pay the bills...

Say wha'???

a show so thinly capitalized that it could not afford to charge less during a (already heavily discounted, papered, and/or comped) three-ish week preview period would be on too-thin ice regardless.