Actors Breaking Character- Page 4

[haterobics]

Posted: 10/13/14 at 11:40pm

Sometimes breaking is the quickest way to get the scene back on track. When I saw If/Then, and Idina didn't have the phone she needed as part of the plot in her jacket, she said "Oh, I forgot my phone" and then said to LaChanze's character, "Can I use yours?" But since LaChanze's character doesn't need a phone in the scene, she didn't just have an unnecessary phone in her fake purse, so she looked, but one wasn't there. So, at that point, it was going sort of off the rails, since he has to give her his phone number, or vice versa.

So, she they basically handed her a phone, and she acknowledged that things went a bit off there, and they jumped back into the scene.

I'm not sure what you think should happen in these cases, but it's not like they are screwing up just because the audiences like it. And, even Anthony Rapp, at the end of the show (since it was the BC/EFA season) said we witnessed a rare thing, since Idina rarely messes up (despite the 4 or so times it has been referenced here over hundreds of shows).

I guess it is easy to have a strong stance on something without acknowledging that these things are unintentional. And, this doesn't take into account all of the little moments that get screwed up and twisted around that they cover up all the time with no one realizing...

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 10/14/14 at 12:16am

Is there any explanation to how she got onstage without a phone?

[Essie4]

Posted: 10/14/14 at 12:32am

Bwaydide92, I couldn't have said it better myself. Speaking from the point-of-view of someone who rarely has enough money to watch a show, much less one on Broadway, I would feel extremely cheated if the actors on the stage started to have a giggle fit and brushed it off as if it's the cutest thing ever. Of course they're human, and of course there will be mishaps, but they should be able to handle the situation with as much professionalism as possible.

A lot of people have already said this, but I think whether someone views the break-in-character positively or negatively has to do with whether they went to see the show because of its content or the performer. Just because the performer is a "star" doesn't make their behavior excusable. Perhaps I'm in the minority, but when I go to a show, I expect the material to be treated with respect.

[haterobics]

Posted: 10/14/14 at 12:46am

"Is there any explanation to how she got onstage without a phone?"

She reached into the pocket on her jacket, expecting it to be there and it wasn't, so I'm guessing the prop person didn't put it there?

[Pootie2]

Posted: 10/14/14 at 1:19am

Wow, all this nerd rage over a very rare event... Mmkay.

[Alex M]

Posted: 5/26/15 at 9:26pm

(Brining this thread back) When i saw Book of mormon on sunday there must have been something really funny either in the audience or on stage because the cast kept  looking like they where about to laugh at something and during one of the last scenes one of the cast members (not gonna name names) started laughing. It was pretty funny to be honest. When i saw Peter and the starchatcher there was a big laughing fest on stage when black stash (spoiler) cut off his hand. Also when i saw Hedwig over the summer Niel said something to Lena that made her crack up on stage.... i cant remember what he said but the audience started clapping for her.

Updated On: 5/26/15 at 09:26 PM

[RingOfKeys2]

Posted: 5/26/15 at 9:35pm

The actor playing Uncle Ben went up on his line and broke character when I saw the musical sensation that was Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark. Only other person I've seen completely break character was Idina Menzel when I saw If/Then. THAT was pretty bad. 

[Jane2]

Posted: 5/26/15 at 9:43pm

I once saw a play where the lead character was hardly ever IN character.

[imeldasturn]

Posted: 5/27/15 at 9:12am

LuPone, Foster, Karimloo, Richard Griffiths and others stopped the show in different ways to "scold" the audience for their misbehaviour.

[Wee Thomas2]

Posted: 5/27/15 at 9:16am

"I once saw a play where the lead character was hardly ever IN character."

 
Darn that unprofessional Mike Tyson, amirite?

[dramamama611]

Posted: 5/27/15 at 9:51am

Well, since he WAS the character, he'd have to be "him" no matter what -- yes?

[Kevinoes]

Posted: 5/27/15 at 10:45am

Idina, even in her "Rent" days would break character, but only when getting giggly. I remember reading an OLD story about Fredi Walker's head-mic blowing during the show, and when that happens, the sound guy would hand them a hand-mic. Gosh, I forgot about that. So she carried through during act 2, Maureen and Joanne make up in "Goodbye Love", and on their way off Idina says, "What is thing anyway?" which got a HUGE laugh from the audience. It's the kind of performer she's always been. She said she get giggly with stuff Kristin would do in "Popular" but would allow herself especially cuz that seemed appropriate. It depends on the moment. Stephen Oremus once said she took a sledge-hammer to the fourth wall when she turned to the sound guy at the back of the room at "Wild Party" and yelled 'Thank you!' when he got the cue in late. That being said, when I saw "If/Then" in November, she was fantastic and never once broke. And no, I don't get a diva sense from here.

I also remember a Ruthie Henshall interview in a book called "Making it On Broadway" and she said once in "Side by Side By Sondheim" she went up on the words and told the audience something like, "you know I'm just talking rubish" which got a huge laugh. Sondheim went backstage, said "That was a great cover. That was very good. Now, never do that again" and recounted how an unmentioned actress had worked a bit into the show.

Yes, I agree that breaking during a blooper is totally different than when, say, Al Jolsen would get bored or self conscious in a show and say, "Look folks! I'm just gonna sing my songs!"

It wasn't on Broadway, but I remember seeing a play where something happened on stage that made the audience laugh, which made the scene stop, which made us laugh harder, which made an actor grin, which made an actor turn upstage to hide the laughing, which tore the rest of the scene to pieces. It was a total blunder and one that audience ate up rapturously.

[Jane2]

Posted: 5/27/15 at 10:56am

"Darn that unprofessional Mike Tyson, amirite?"

Nope!

[ThorouglyModern2]

Posted: 5/28/15 at 1:26am

"LuPone, Foster, Karimloo, Richard Griffiths and others stopped the show in different ways to "scold" the audience for their misbehaviour."

 

Which Foster - Sutton or Hunter? I can't imagine Sutton Foster ever scolding an audience.