We went to see a preview of Mary Poppins on Broadway tonight. About 15 minutes into Act II, the show stopped. Three actors were performing a scene in front of the scrim, during which we heard what sounded like furniture moving around behind the curtain. The scene ended with the three actors walking offstage, and then… nothing happened. Silence.
We sat there a few seconds. Then a voice came over a loudspeaker announcing a delay. We sat tight.
About ten minutes later, one of the producers, Thomas Schumacher, walked onto the stage from the wings and told us that there was a problem with the foundation and they were trying to fix it. He apologized, quite charmingly, and said he hoped to return in five or ten minutes with the news that it was fixed. Then he disappeared again.
Fifteen minutes later, he reappeared and told us they couldn’t seem to fix the problem and that we would get refunds.
Sigh.
Of course, by the time we got home, we saw that an audience member had already posted about it on All That Chat while sitting in the audience.
Theater geeks…
I hope you get to see it again. I saw it in London, and it was one of the most magical nights of theatre I’d ever experienced. In fact, it was the first show I’d seen in years that made me want to return to performing. Don’t let the technical mishaps bias you…go back. let go, and fly your kite.