So, another story from The Music Man. That was one eventful show. I told you about the Wet Tech, and I told you about how my brush with death. Now, for one of the funnier moments.
On the last night of the show, we would generally figure out some pranks. As I alluded to, but never actually outright mentioned, in The Great Mountain Dew Caper, we usually would try to hide it from the audience, because Chief, the head of the program, frowned on "changing things" on the last show. In fact, he would usually gather everyone in the "green room" (which was actually only our makeup room) to give a standard closing night lecture about this.
Well, one of the stage crews pranks (there were a few) was to put Simple Green in the town fountain in the opening scenes. Simple Green is a cleaning agent.
Only problem was, nobody coordinated or communicated on this.
So, show starts. I have a really great vantage point from up in the fly gallery. My assistant flyman and I look down, anticipating the small frothy show that was only for the actors. After a few seconds, we look at each other, because we both realize something is very, very wrong. Because it looks like a washing machine spilling over already. We stifle giggles, and right as I'm about to turn to my assistant to ask him what he thinks Joy, our stage manager, is gonna do, Joy's voice comes crackling over the headsets. And pardon my french here.
"What the HELL? What is coming out of the fountain? Who the fuck did that??"
Therein was the problem. Almost everyone did. At least five people surreptitiously added Simple Green to the fountain, thinking that no one else had. Miiiiiiiiiiistaaaaaaaaaake!
Luckily, most of the cast were in front of the fountain, singing the mainstay "Oh We Got Trouble," and blocked it from the audience, but Joy had a slightly higher angle from the control booth. Also, most of the bubbling over went behind the fountain.
However, this didn't stop the actors from noticing, and according to my sources down on the deck, many of them came off from the scene laughing and singing "Oh We Got Bubbles, Right Here in River City!"
oh that is just awesome.
ReplyDeleteMy two memories of the event were Mayor Shin's wife's eyes growing bigger and bigger and bigger as the suds climbed higher and higher and that of being barefoot with my pants rolled up bailing water out of the fountain so that when it went out for the second time, there would be no eruption :)
ReplyDeleteAh, what a fun show that was. That show was the reason I kept coming back, for the most part.
ReplyDeleteI don't know if you remember this or not Bart, but that was also the show during which you tried to kill me. I might have mentioned it before. Not sure though.
You hadn't mentioned it today, no.
ReplyDelete