"Wicked" rocked until the second act.
Apr. 4th, 2010 11:27 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
nolawitch58Everything about the production was excellent: script, actors, set design, costumes and music. The cast and crew should rightfully be proud of the job they were doing. Everything was smooth until the fourth song of the second act. In the final stanzas of "Wonderful," the power suddenly went out. We didn't know immediately that it was due to a fire several blocks away.
We sat in the partial darkness, lit by many cell phones, for perhaps half an hour until the theater manager returned for a final update: Entergy wouldn't get the power restored until 2:00 AM at the earliest. Stage hands rolled a piano onto the stage and the actresses playing Elphaba and Glinda sang their final duet "For Good" sans technology. They have lovely voices. Too bad they need the amplification.
The first Broadway musical I ever saw was "On The Twentieth Century" at the Wintergarden with Madeline Kahn. I had the cheapest nosebleed seats in a corner by the wall near the rafters. It was during the late '70s after the Son of Sam killer had been arrested. I don't remember the actors having microphones then and the technology certainly didn't exist for anything besides hand-held mics with cords. The actors had to hit the back of the house with nothing more than talent and determination. Unfortunately, the requirement of projection is only enforced in opera these days. Everyone else is augmented.
It was fun while it lasted though.
We sat in the partial darkness, lit by many cell phones, for perhaps half an hour until the theater manager returned for a final update: Entergy wouldn't get the power restored until 2:00 AM at the earliest. Stage hands rolled a piano onto the stage and the actresses playing Elphaba and Glinda sang their final duet "For Good" sans technology. They have lovely voices. Too bad they need the amplification.
The first Broadway musical I ever saw was "On The Twentieth Century" at the Wintergarden with Madeline Kahn. I had the cheapest nosebleed seats in a corner by the wall near the rafters. It was during the late '70s after the Son of Sam killer had been arrested. I don't remember the actors having microphones then and the technology certainly didn't exist for anything besides hand-held mics with cords. The actors had to hit the back of the house with nothing more than talent and determination. Unfortunately, the requirement of projection is only enforced in opera these days. Everyone else is augmented.
It was fun while it lasted though.
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no subject
Date: 2010-04-04 05:21 pm (UTC)Will you get another performance for your money...?
To be fair to these actors: Back in the days, theaters were also built around the fact that there wasn't any technology. One can still do it, but it's expensive...
I've learned some about this while they were building the KKL in Lucerne. Awfully ugly on the outside, but it's a musical instrument in itself. Wall panels can be moved to either have a whisper on stage transport all over or else make a symphonic orchestra bearable from the first row on.
no subject
Date: 2010-04-04 08:12 pm (UTC)Acoustics used to be more important years ago. The Mahalia Jackson Theater opened in 1973 so the architects may have anticipated great strides in technology.
no subject
Date: 2010-04-04 06:27 pm (UTC)But I agree with you.
this reminded me of a past memory
Date: 2010-04-05 04:02 pm (UTC)