Posted by Jrand55 @ 11/21/2002 08:10 AM PST

I've seen some pretty bad shows (if you don't see the bad ones, how will you recognize the good?) but my worst audience experience was actually at a good one.

It was Yul Brynner's last tour in The King And I--and it was in the Arie Crown--worst theatre in Chicago. (As a theatre, it would make a great barn.) And it was winter, and a snowstorm (or a "character-builder," as we call them here). But it was Yul Brynner, after all, and it was a chance to see the full Small House of Uncle Thomas. Worth it, right?

Well, it was....except for the 5-year-old in the seat next to me who kept saying--no, make that whining--"Is it over yet?" all during the ballet....

The one good thing about the experience is that I didn't take my daughter to professional theatre until she was about 10 years old, and knew what proper theatre behavior was.

Posted by Pam @ 11/21/2002 08:18 AM PST

I have to say, I've been pretty lucky as an audience member both while attending Community Theatre and professional theatre. I can say I had a ticket mess up at the Ahmanson in LA while attending a production of "Miss Saigon", seems like after the renovation after TOPO (that's internet lingo for "The Phantom of the Opera") the seats we were given no longer existed. In the end, we had GREAT seats which were the wheelchair seating with lots of leg room! I did see "Evita" once where I'm SURE some Mandarin translation was happening behind me, that was sort of annoying. And of course, never see a Disney production on a matinee, I saw "Beauty and the Beast" twice on a Sunday matinee, always a humm of young non-theatre kids. I have a question, why must everyone capitialize "RENT" when talking about the musical? Ponder that... Have a "day" - Matthew

Posted by Matthew @ 11/21/2002 08:19 AM PST

I did see a touring production of "Smokey Joe's Cafe" where the couple behind us brought in a tray of nachos and melted cheese (lord knows where they got them or how they got past the ushers). I turned and said to them "I certainly hope you will have eaten all of those before the show begins." They didn't of course, but thankfully "Smokey Joe's" was amplified enough to drown out the sound of the crunching. One of the few times I was pleased a show was too loud.

Posted by Philip Crosby @ 11/21/2002 08:29 AM PST

will post more later.. just wanted to chime in (DING!) with this comment.. I saw Harry Potter last night - thoroughly enjoyed it. Have no idea how they will work around not having Richard Harris in the next one, and with a different director - who knows what it will "feel" like..

I wanted to commend the CGI people re: Dobby. They created a very viable living and breathing character that I thought wasn't "over" animated as so many cgi elements often are these days. Refreshing to see...

Posted by Craig @ 11/21/2002 08:33 AM PST

Does sitting near the audience as MD count? I was MD-ing a Rodgers review with a half-Equity, half-amateur cast, and we were about to launch into "Chop Suey," which had a whole-tone in thirds intro (a la "You Are the Sunshine of My Life"). For some reason that evening (even though they had done it perfectly every show up til then), EVERY cast member (12, one for each note) started in a different key. I kid you not. They all then started looking at ME as if I had done something wrong, then started scowling at each other--none of them willing to budge. Finally, one of the non-Equity people stepped forward and screamed "Stop! Stop! This is horrible. We need to start over." I saw the Equity people silently erasing this credit from their resumes in their minds as we continued. :)

Posted by JMK @ 11/21/2002 08:38 AM PST

RE: Richard Harris and the Harry Potter movies... word has it that Richard Harris has already filmed the third movie. We should be grateful... sorry that he passed, grateful he shot the third movie... Sorry-Grateful, a Sondheim reference.

Posted by Matthew @ 11/21/2002 08:51 AM PST

Bruce-

I don't know if this movie is your "cup of tea" or even swig of diet coke... but Robert Mulligan directed a very sweet movie called "Man in the Moon" which was Reese Witherspoon's acting debut. (trivia: she auditioned to be an extra and got the lead). It's a personal favorite of mine.. Great cast too - Sam Waterston, Tess Harper and Gail Strickland.

It's about two sisters who fall for the same boy.

And the score by James Newton Howard is a treat too!

Posted by Craig @ 11/21/2002 08:54 AM PST

but why wonder why wonder why... (a Joe Raposo reference).

I was at a Naples (Italy) Little Theater production of "Pajama Game" and it was fabulous. They had a 30-piece ensemble from the 6th Fleet Navy Band with five violinists and a cello from a Neapolitan conservatory which often supplemented our musical orchestras for the experience. The show had been exceedingly well done.

I was sitting center left aisle, two-thirds of the way back from the orchestra in a three-section theater.

The curtain calls had begun, the ovation was rising and the first third of the theater rose to its feet. I, feeling just as enthusiastic, rose to my feet. From behind me, a man snarled, "Thanks for ruining the entire play for me."

I turned and was shocked to see an officer I had both respected and strongly supported in getting his department's story told in the base newspaper (of which I was editor). I stepped into the aisle so he could see the bows without me in the way. He glared at me and asked why I didn't stop making a fool of myself and just sit down. Both sections to the left and right were standing as was the first third of the center section.

I ignored him. His wife later apologized and told me he had been drinking. He never looked me in the eye again, which was just as well for he had embarrassed me and destroyed the respect I had for him.

Posted by Ron Pulliam @ 11/21/2002 08:56 AM PST

What, no response to errant and truant's first message? Sounds interesting to me.....

Posted by Russ @ 11/21/2002 09:25 AM PST

Ah! Terrible theatre experiences! There are so many. Where to begin? I sometimes think I end up at the performance where the people hope to win a "Worst Audience at a Musical" Tony.

Third row center on Broadway for Pippin with Michael Rupert (whom I only knew from the cast album of The Happy Time then). The show gets on its way with "Magic to Do", and finally Mr. Ruppert emerges from the chorus and is held aloft. A loud obnoxious voice right behind me yells (during a moment of silence) "God! He's Jewish!"

The good news was that my friend and I saw Mr. Rupert at a bar after the show and got his autograph.

Then again there was the performance of Equus for which a high school had been bussed in. At the most dramatic moment of the show, where Peter Firth sheds his pantaloons and appears in the all-together: A wolf-whistle from the left side of the orchestra, followed by uproarious laughter.

Sometimes capital punishment is the only reasonable solution.

Posted by William F. Orr @ 11/21/2002 09:35 AM PST

I believe the jigsaw puzzle post is an allegory. Or maybe an Edward Gorey. Definitely one or the other.

Posted by JMK @ 11/21/2002 09:45 AM PST

Filming on Harry Potter 3 does not start until January so Richard Harris did not film his part before he died.

Worst audience experience was at a ballet (I forget what but definitely not "The Nutcracker" and not even a matinee) where the family in front of me had their pre-school children in their tutus. The children were bored stiff but the parents refused to control them.

Posted by William E. Lurie @ 11/21/2002 09:54 AM PST

Mr. Lurie is correct. Harris did not shoot anything for the third Potter movie. He had said he would do it after news broke that he was ill.

Christopher Lee has been signed to take on the role of Dumbledore, giving him a continuint role in not only Harry Potter, but Lord of the Rings and Star Wars. That makes him one of THE most prolific serial fillers of all time!!!!!

Posted by Ron Pulliam @ 11/21/2002 10:37 AM PST

For Errant and Truant -- and for the plaintive plea from Russ -- only the writer of that post can say for sure. However, since the subject for the day was to reveal some dirty thing someone had done to us in our lives, I think that this last post of that day has an allegorical feeling to it -- it may very well be about a lady who loved doing jigsaws and was helping someone with one when a moron came into the room and swept all the pieces to the floor.

That did both people "dirty." But the other lady "loved" the dirty-deed doer and excused the ill behavior. The lady who loved doing jigsaws then resolved herself never to do jigsaws for other people again (or something like that).

In other words, bad things can happen to good people in the presence of other people who stand by and DO NOTHING for whatever reason.

Posted by Ron Pulliam @ 11/21/2002 10:43 AM PST

This subject is making me repressed (Pajama Game reference).

Posted by Jrand @ 11/21/2002 10:50 AM PST

Having to do with the topic at hand.. if any of you have NOT heard "Prologos: Invocation and Instructions to the Audience" from The Frogs/Evening Primrose.. you simply must must must (that's three musts) give it a listen. It's sung by Nathan Lane on the CD, or if you have Putting It Together on DVD or VHS - it's done rather humerously by Bronson Pinchot.

Posted by Craig @ 11/21/2002 11:19 AM PST

Worst Audience Experience #1...Seeing a small production of Chess in Los Angeles (while the show itself was painful, the audience was worse). Ms. Marcia Mitzman was playing Florence. As she sang her first solo number in the hotel room scene the person sitting next to me made the rather loud comment that she looked vaguely like Mr. Ed with her enormous mouth. Now, as much as like Ms. Mitzman's work, I have to admit, she does have a large mouth. Well...this was a small theatre and the giggles began. They travelled around the theatre and finally laughter erupted when Marcia Mitzman said a line similar to "Come in" to which the same audience member added "to the room Willlber". I was equally annoyed and humored and shocked. I say shocked because the person sitting next to me was a fairly well-known stage and screen actor.

Worst Audience Experience #2...Jekyll & Hyde: pre-broadway tour. The woman sitting in front of me actually took a phone call during the "Murder, Murder" sequence. She spoke at full-voice and told the person on the other end that she would have to call her back because they just cut off someone's head and were FINALLY singing a good song.

Posted by Me @ 11/21/2002 11:29 AM PST

Speaking of Putting it Together, I MD'd the west coast premiere here several years ago and something very funny happened. This was done by an Equity house that was about to go out of business (this was indeed their last real production), and they couldn't afford to hire the full band. So they had me reduce the two piano score to one (and with Sondheim one piano is usually equivalent to about four of any other composer). So they got me a digital keyboard with memory so that I could prerecord some of the tracks which simply could not be reduced. Amazingly, nothing ever went wrong with playing live with the prerecord. However, for some inexplicable reason during Act Two one evening, in the relatively quiet "Night Music" segment, the frigging metronome on the record function (a loud ting-ting-ting) simply went off on its own accord. The wonderful cast managed mostly not to break character, and we the band (onstage) struggled through the sequence as I vainly attempted to get the damn thing to shut off (I ultimately had to turn the keyboard off and turn it back on in between scenes). Unbelievably the Nazi stage manager chastised us all after the performance as if we done it on purpose.

Posted by JMk @ 11/21/2002 12:22 PM PST

...HAD done it on purpose. Ahem.

Posted by JMK @ 11/21/2002 12:23 PM PST

This is a warning to anyone who is a potential audience member at any live presentation:

If your cell phone rings and you answer it, it WILL BE grabbed from your clammy fingers and smashed to smithereens by the heels of my shoes. I will pitch such a fit as has seldome been seen in the annals of mankind. I will then apologize to the performs and suggest they will NOT be interrupted again while I'M in the audience.

: )

Posted by Ron Pulliam @ 11/21/2002 12:25 PM PST

Ron.

1 word. Decaf!

Posted by Mr. Coffee @ 11/21/2002 12:47 PM PST

I have finished reading the late yesterday/early today posts. Some people don't let the stars get in their eyes. Perhaps it was a Dark Moon night. We did not get "Your Hit Parade" here in OZ.The "hits" were often released for airplay etc here some 4 - 6 months later. My favourite Polly Bergan "hit" was Come Prima. (The Platters were also successful with it here in OZ).
Today's topic: "My second visit to NYC in May of last year. We had missed out on getting tickets to see Lion King in London so spent a fortune to see it in NY. (Fortunately we had prebooked our tickets for "The Producers" before it opened - bargain. The family in front of us had brought a small child to whom everything was explained in terms of the film and the satge was just a large TV. The infant was handed from family member to family member for the duration of the first act and no-one attempted in any way to stoip her from talking. Grandfather (?) went out at interval and bought her every Lion King toy available. The family (6 or 7 members) eventually walked out about a half hour before the show fninshed. I thought the Lion King was an interesting spectacle but it went rapidly down hill after the opening - no soul. I also remember years ago at a London performance of "Cats" having my seat kicked constantly during the first Act by an ADULT. Looking around did not deter them asnd I felt ti necessary to wait until the interval to speak my mind. No doubt I was just another bloody inconsiderate rude Australian.

Our local theatre (well relatively) at he nearest University has aprogramme for children each holiday season where kids are taught how to be an audience. They make sure the shows do not have long periods of dialogue etc for short attention spans and there is audience participation in sing-a-longs at times. There are different shows for diferent age groups so that the children progress to theatre that requires a longer attention span. I remember (SS ref) going with my niece and nephew to a stage performance of "The Magic Faraway Tree" where we all got to wash clothes with Dame Washalot. (Jason, Allan & Stephen may know the story).
Think I should stay away from musicals having anything to do with felines.

Posted by Tom from OZ @ 11/21/2002 01:00 PM PST

Someone's cell phone rang whn I was at a funeral a few years back. The culprit was my sister who is a Rental Properties agent! I nearly buried her as well. She just turned her phone off and did not answer it - thank goodness - unless she was selling buriel plots (Not renting surely!)I really could not comprhens why she even had the phone with her.

Posted by Tom from OZ @ 11/21/2002 01:04 PM PST

I, too, believe the post to which errant and truant refers is an allegory. And like all allegories, it can be read in any number of ways. Now, today, Russ found that that post "sounded interesting" and wondered why no one had as of yet responded to errant and truant. Well, Russ, why don't you tell us why it sounds interesting. I'd find that interesting and so would our dear readers. I am senile occasionally, so perhaps you've posted before, but I don't recall it.

My worst audience experience - at Prelude to a Kiss at the Helen Hayes Theater, when an elderly Jewish couple in the rear of the orchestra began to argue - the argument grew in volume - Timothy Hutton was in the middle of a lengthy speech and he tried valiently to carry on, as the voices grew louder. He finally stared out toward the sound with an annoyed expression. He finally couldn't compete and he just stopped and stood there and stared nastily at the idiot couple. The audience and an usher finally got them to shut up and Mr. Hutton carried on.

Posted by bk @ 11/21/2002 01:18 PM PST

By the way, although I was not present for the following, this story was reported in all the Chicago papers and on the radio and television news.

Opening Night of the Philharmonic there was a pre-concert dinner for the benefactors. They were given a gift box (wrapped up). Apparently one of the items in the box was an alarm clock because during the concert the clocks kept going off... like clockwork!

Posted by William E. Lurie @ 11/21/2002 01:28 PM PST

JMK now yu done it.

Posted by Jrand55 @ 11/21/2002 01:40 PM PST

I don't know from Polly Bergen and The Platters doing Come Prima.

Louis Prima was big here, though!

Posted by De Rat in de Hat @ 11/21/2002 02:48 PM PST

Re: Jrand55's comment re: JMK:

Yes. I believe it was he who done it!

Posted by Ron Pulliam @ 11/21/2002 02:50 PM PST

I've been in audiences with my
fair share of ringing cell
phones and disinterested
children as well. No particular
story that stands out above the
rest, however.

Re "Instructions to the
Audience": My favorite version
of this (owning the Lane and
Pinchot versions as well) is
Christopher Durang's version
on the Manhattan Theater Club
version of Putting It Together.
Such a wonderful song, I
actually used it myself to open
two of the three Sondheim
recitals I performed last year.

Posted by Jed @ 11/21/2002 02:51 PM PST

When I saw Jekyll and Hyde, two different people at two different times during the first act keeled (sp?) over in their seats in front of me. I mean one person passing out is one thing, but when it happened twice, I began to get worried. And they were sitting rows apart; they weren't even in the same party. I'm not sure if it was my worst audience experience, but it was one of my most interesting. Especially more interesting than the show. Oh. Did I just type that out loud? I guess I'm just not a big David Hasslehoff fan.

I think my worst experience was with the older man behind me at Show Boat who insisted on humming along with every song. But I guess I can't really complain because I never did ask him to be quiet. But shouldn't he have known better?

Posted by Mark L. @ 11/21/2002 03:34 PM PST

Wow... from reading the above I'm glad I never bothered with JECKYL AND HYDE. It seems to have beaten any other show in problem audiences.

Anyway, I just finished reading WICKED on the subway tonight. It's really not my kind of book and I found it a little slow going but it was worth it for the payoff at the end. I won't spoil it for my fellow Hainsies and Kimlets who have not yet read it, but at last I now know the truth about Dorothy and the Witch. I am looking forward to seeing it as a musical. Ms. Chenowith is perfect for the role of Glinda, but the character is definitely secondary (appearing in only about 25% of the book) and not as interesting as The Wicked Witch of the West (Elphaba. I thought Ms. Chenowith would be returning to Broadway in a lead instead of a supporting role... unless they have radically re-written it in the adaptation.

Posted by William E. Lurie @ 11/21/2002 04:00 PM PST

Ghost in the Machine. JMK, it happens. We were using an electronic keyboard as a secondary in a production of OKLAHOMA! As the show started and the strains of 'Oh What a Beautiful Morning' began, when the operator punched the key for bird sounds we got instead the lovely six-note fanfare that usually ends with the yell CHARGE!!!
I was in the booth running the other tech and thought it set the tone of that particular production very well.

Posted by Jrand55 @ 11/21/2002 04:31 PM PST

I really don't have a worst, but rather a disappointing story. I was going to see Jesus Christ Superstar performed by a Polish company in a one time only performance at Place Des Art in Montreal. Promptly at 8:00 the houselights went down and maybe twenty seconds of the overture was heard. The emergency lights came on. Then the regular lights came. The overture started again and the emergency lights came on and stayed on. We went into the lobby where we could see the whole city was in darkness. After thirty minutes of waiting around we were informed it was not only the city was in darkness but most of the province and the eastern seaboard of the USA. It was a massive blackout. Since it was a one time only performance I never did see Jesus Christ Superstar in Polish.

Posted by Michael Shayne @ 11/21/2002 04:36 PM PST

Anyone if Brent Barrett's new cd will be released next week as scheduled?

Posted by Michael Shayne @ 11/21/2002 05:14 PM PST

Michael: You win, hands down. That's the most depressing story...ever!

Posted by Ron Pulliam @ 11/21/2002 05:39 PM PST

Yes, I was being a bit facetious, but I thought it an interesting tale and that would have been a production to see!

Don't hate me, Michael!

When was this massive blackout?

Posted by Ron Pulliam @ 11/21/2002 05:40 PM PST

Craig,

You've made my day/night !

I was recently mentioning MAN
IN THE MOON the other day to
Tom from Oz -- in a private"
email --

It IS a gem of a movie! One of
my favo(u)rites.

You're right; the score also is
magnificent, and the scoring of
the DRAMATIC moment
always get me.

Man IN the Moon -- Man ON
the Moon is quite good to, IMO
-- a very underrated
masterpiece.

Posted by François @ 11/21/2002 06:06 PM PST

I don't care what that website says... the Brent Barrett CD will not be officially available until it shows up as a "New Release" on the Footlights website. If you order it from the manufacturer you may never get it.

Posted by William E. Lurie @ 11/21/2002 06:16 PM PST

Well said, William!

Michael Shayne:

I saw "South Pacific", with
Jane Powell and Howard Keel
-- they were on stage, NOT
with me !!:-)
as well as Theodore Bikel in
Zorba! at Place des Arts, in
Montréal, wheni lived there,
back in the seventies....

Thanks for bringing back old
memories..........

Everything went alright during
those shows, tho.

I just HATE some American
audiences' habits of LEAVING
the theater 10 to 15 minutes
BEFORE the end of the show,
just to "beat the crowds and
car rush.

Those people are NOT theater
lovers and are quite a
nuisance, you hear me!

Posted by François @ 11/21/2002 06:34 PM PST

Don't remember the actor's
name -- French! -- but he
confided the other day, on the
radio, that he walked oof stage
one night, when down in the
audience, grabbed the cell
phone that just rang, and
smashed it into pieces!!

That's what he said he did!!!!

Most frequently line used
when answering a call on a
cell phone:
"Hi! Where are you?".......

Posted by François @ 11/21/2002 06:41 PM PST

To Ron P:

I still have the program and it is with me here in Florida. I thought I may have had it still packed away in Canada.

It was Gdynia Music Theater and they were on tour in the USA and Canada April 1988! As for the exact day I do not remember but perhaps someone can search it on the WWW.

Posted by Michael Shayne @ 11/21/2002 07:17 PM PST

South Florida audiences are repeated to be the rudest in the USA. I think it was in the Sun Sentinel when the theater or music critic to the audience to task who attended the opera recital of Renee Flemming. People were walk out during her bows to get their cars and did not wait around for the encore. Never understood these people.

Posted by Michael Shayne @ 11/21/2002 07:23 PM PST

Well, it's the errant and truant Ben here. I keep trying to get here but things keep pulling me the other way.

One of worst audience experiences I had was at opening night of Waiting in the Wings. I think it was 2 or 3 years ago, at the time of Noel Coward's centennial. The show was being done at the Walter Kerr Theatre on West 48th Street. I like the orchestra of the Kerr and I think it's a nice theatre. I saw Proof there and Angels in America but I had never sat in the balcony. Well, the tickets for Wings were freebies from Actor's Equity to fill up the house. We were in the balcony and I have never seen such a steep, un-manuverable (is that a word?) and audience unfriendly balcony in my life. So much so that during intermission an older gentleman was trying to get back to his seat and fell almost from the top of the aisle down to the wall of the balcony. The intermission went on for another 45 minutes as they called EMS and then tried to extricate the poor man from the aisle. The emergency technicians couldn't get the stretcher down the aisle easily and they were afraid the man had broken his neck in the fall because he had trouble moving. They finally ended up strapping the man on to the gurney and holding it up to carry it back up the stairs and out of the theatre. Needless to say, it put a damper on the second act. Ms. Bacall (who was visibly nervous in the first act)and Ms. (Rosemary) Harris just didn't seem to have the same energy for the end of the show.

I'm off to Bridgeport, CT to Playhouse on the Green on Saturday for the opening night performance of Babes in Toyland starring, (well, almost...alright, alright, it's the comic relief role of one of the goofy pirates) Anthony Morelli (my partner). Wish him luck Hainsies & Kimmlets. Thanks.

Posted by Ben @ 11/21/2002 07:36 PM PST

I still have to check out Man in/on the Moon. Man landed on the moon on my mother's birthday. I know you needed to know that.
I remembered my worst for the actors (I think) experience. I think I mentioned in a long ago post. It was the Colliseum theatre London and it was during a production of Peter Pan. A fight between parents (over an incident between kids) sitting in a box. The acoustics were wonderful and the threatening sue, calling police, manager whatever comments drowned out the performance on that enormous stage. The Peter Pan was none other than the wonderful Maggie Smith. (Dec 1973).
William: Glad tou persevered with Wicked. My partner Colin got through it and he is not "in to" fantasy writing at all. I thought the spin on the OZ story was more believable than the original. I guess the musical will only concentrate on the story from the "school" on. I am hoping some kind family member will buy "Confessions Of an Ugly Stepsister" for me for Christmas.I doubt it.
I noticed in my London years that sometimes Americans in theatres would walk out about 10 minutes before the curtain (disturbing everyone in the aisle). I did not realise that it was a habit for some. It seemed so pointless - even if they had not liked the show. So that's the reason - crowds and parking! How did I know they were Americans?

Posted by Tom Guest (from OZ) @ 11/21/2002 07:37 PM PST

I am sure Anthony will be a star pirate. (as long as he not supposed to be a pilot).Welcome back Ben.

Posted by Tom Guest @ 11/21/2002 07:40 PM PST

OK. So where did everbody go?

Posted by Tom from OZ @ 11/21/2002 08:18 PM PST

I went to the fridge to get more
chocolate cake!

Care for a piece?

Posted by François @ 11/21/2002 08:33 PM PST

"About A Boy" is the English title. I have not seen it as yet. My favourite Grant film is still "Maurice".
Can't wait for Men to land again on the moon (or in OZ for that matter). Ah! It's Raining Men. We need it to rain rain rain. Our year has been so dry.
With the Chocolate cake comment you will have Kerry catching a plane to Paris. (I think you catch them using chocolate cake for bait). I had my hair cut today and I think the sunshine has addled my brain. Addle is such an old-fashioned word.Not quite as interesting as "awry" which is my favourite.

Posted by Tom from OZ @ 11/21/2002 09:04 PM PST

Good evening. Sorry for not posting earlier, but dealing with internet connectivity problems galore tonight. *And my "cold" - or whatever it is that me and about half of the DC Metro population currently have - decided to stage a comeback of sorts this afternoon...

Worst audience experience had to be the closing not of Passion on Broadway. A woman behind me and my friend proceeded to call her doctor during the show - and during one of the long book scenes - the long quiet book scenes. She even related where she was and how she would be more than happy to hold for the proper person to speak to. Needless to say, the many stares of death she received from those around her did no good. Thankfully, she did end her phone call. Of course, since she was sitting in the middle of the row in the balcony, there was no real way an usher could have gotten to her without disturbing every one else in the section.

Oh... Wait, I do have a more worse audience story than that... actually it's kind of morbid... When I was working in Florida last spring, there were two theatres in this one complex - the mainstage and a black box. Well, I was doing the show in the black box, and it was our closing night. As I was coming out of the theatre all smiles and giggles, I noticed a team of medical personnel working on a woman who had collapsed in the lobby coming out of the other show. Unfortunately, this woman died on the scene after much effort by not only the EMTs, but also one of the actors who was an EMT too. Needless to say, it truly put things in perspective.

On the sunny side of the situation, the women's daughter and friends were there with her. They explained to us that she had had some major surgery a few weeks prior, and that she had thoroughly enjoyed the show she had just seen. They were all very calm about the situation which helped many of the staff and cast members deal with the situation.

Posted by Jose C. Simbulan @ 11/21/2002 09:10 PM PST

Importantly Jose - Did you enjoy "Passion". Colin and I loved it. I had been playing the Cd for weeks. I still find the musical very moving. I think the transformation of Georgio is remarkable (I thought Jere was underappreciated). From a boring, self indulgent, shallow man he truly becomes someone who cares deeply and feels deeply for more than surface values. Everyone saw the change in Fosca but seem to ignore Georgio. I would so love to have seen and heard the Judy Kuhn performance. She can break your heart with a song.

Posted by Tom from OZ @ 11/21/2002 09:42 PM PST

OH!!! The theatre horror stories I have. Let me begin with CAMELOT.

Bob Goulet was touring in a production of CAMELOT and a very dear friend of mine got tickets for the two of us as a high school graduation gift for me. She totally surprised me with dinner and then the show. We had just about the best seats in the house and I was thoroughly enjoying the performance until we noticed that the lady three seats down from us was slightly tipsy. Then...as Lancelot comes out to sing "C'est Moi"...the lady began to sing (full voice)with the poor actor onstage as well as mimic his upper body movements. The ushers did absolutely NOTHING to stop this behaviour. It was ridiculous.

Now on to CATS. Not my favorite show in the world...but it was my first time seeing it and I wanted to get all of it that I could without interruption. Well...in the course of the evening a man stood up in front of me during the middle of a song to stretch his legs and then remove his coat. This took him over 2 minutes. Then we had the group of high school girls sitting behind us giggling over the bulges in the male cats' nether-regions. This went on all evening. And finally...twenty minutes into the second act...just before "Memory"...a large group of people were allowed back into the balcony to reclaim their seats (which were in the middle of the rows of course) and they proceeded to drip beer (yes...they were bringing cocktails into the theatre with them) all over the people that they were crawling over. It was truly a hideous experience.

And finally...the most revolting and embarassing situation of all. My family decided one year to attend the Louisville Ballet's production of "The Nutcracker." We were in the very last row of the upper mezzanine and the gentleman dancing the role of the Nutcracker stepped out of his wooden shell in all his balletic glory. My very own mother WHISTLED one of those cat-call whistles because she was impressed by the size of his package! Needless to say...the whistle echoed through the entire 2500-seat theatre. I was MORTIFIED. She became very embarassed as well and has since behaved herself quite well in any theatre-related events.

Wow...that was a long post. Who am I...Jose?!?

Posted by Jason @ 11/21/2002 09:42 PM PST

Dear Reader Jason -- you mean you took her back again?????

Posted by Laura @ 11/21/2002 10:08 PM PST

A belated Happy Birthday, Jason!

Posted by Susan Gordon @ 11/21/2002 10:19 PM PST

Susan Gordon has a scene from ATTACK OF THE PUPPET PEOPLE featured in the just released DVD ALL MONSTERS ATTACK! No audio, but great hair!

Posted by Jrand55 @ 11/22/2002 04:36 AM PST

If anyone is reading my late early-morning post:

You all absolutely must see Scary Movie--well, one scene anyway, if you cannot stomach the Wayand brothers' brand of totally tasteless humor in sustained doses.

It is a take-off of the opening scene of Scream 2. An African-American couple in a movie theatre. He goes to the men's, and she is left watching Shakespeare in Love. She calls a friend on her cell phone and begins relating the plot of the movie in a loud, obnoxious voice.

To the shhhhs from others, she replied, "Can't you see I'm on the phone here? I paid for my ticket just like you. I got a right."

All this time the serial killer in Munsch Scream mask is stalking her and keeps missing. Finally, one old man grabs the knife from the killer and stabs her, whereupon all of the theatre patrons take turns à la Murder on the Orient Express killing this blight upon the theatre.

Such exquisite revenge!

Posted by William F. Orr @ 11/22/2002 06:09 AM PST

Dear Reader Jason -- how did the audition go?

Dear Reader Kerry -- did you break your leg? Or any other body part?

We must know these things!

Posted by Laura @ 11/22/2002 06:39 AM PST