NYC Blackout

[Lavieboheme3090]

Posted: 5/29/15 at 3:22pm

I was just listening to a podcast that talked about the NYC blackout on July 13th, 1977. Legend has it that the cast of "Oh Calcutta" had to grab clothes from audience members because they couldn't get back to their dressing rooms. Anyone else here have any stories from NYC blackouts or know any theater urban legends? 

[Call_me_jorge]

Posted: 5/29/15 at 6:04pm

Bump. I want to hear some stories!

[Melissa25]

Posted: 5/30/15 at 10:24am

I was listening to Donna Summer's A Night to Remember Album in 1977 when the lights went out.  That blackout was scary because there was looting and rioting going on.

The blackout in 2003 felt very different.  Compared to living through the nightmare of NYC 9/11, a blackout was a piece of cake.  I remember people being helpful and calm.  At one point I helped direct traffic because the street lights were out.  The power went out in the late afternoon just before rush hour.  I chuckled when my neighbor asked me if I had ever taken Civics in school because I hadn't heard that term in who knows how many years.

 

[GavestonPS]

Posted: 5/30/15 at 2:38pm

I saw it; I know it was a low-budget show. But are we really to believe the stage manager of OH! CALCUTTA! didn't have a flashlight? How did the cast get clothing from the audience in a house so black they were prevented from returning to their dressing rooms?

That was my last summer living in Florida, but I was on the phone with a friend on 70th at Broadway (across from the Ansonia). He and his friends were having cocktails on the balcony and gave me a play-by-play of the looting below.

(ETA Oddly enough, when I tried to post this message, I got an error message telling me that Los Angeles was in the midst of a "Cloud flare", whatever that is.)

Updated On: 5/30/15 at 02:38 PM

[luvcaroline]

Posted: 5/30/15 at 3:02pm

I had finished my first year of college and my parents and I went to NYC for a quick trip. We went to see the King and I with Yul Brynner. It was 5 minutes or so into intermission when everything went black. We thought that was strange, but about 10-15 minutes later they announced that there was a blackout. They asked everyone to wait in hopes that power would come on. After what seemed like an eternity they finally let people go, filing out slowly with ushers' assistance (we were way up in the balcony).

I remember my parents practically running through Times Square to get back to the hotel, but I wanted to slow down to take it all in, because I knew we'd likely never see anything like that again. To say it was surreal is an understatement. 

Made it back to the hotel and then climbed about 8 flights of stairs to our room. Some guy in the lobby had a flashlight and there were about 10-12 people going up together.  It seems like this kind of thing brings out the best in people, because everyone seemed to be working together. Somehow we made our flight the next day. From then on my dad never went on a trip without his flashlight. 

 

 

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 5/30/15 at 3:04pm

Look for Liz Swados's song "Enterprise" from the original cast recording of "Runaways".

[GavestonPS]

Posted: 5/30/15 at 3:21pm

Thanks, Namo. I am so impressed that you can tell one Elizabeth Swados song from another.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KFpWVS3i7OA

 

 

 

Updated On: 5/30/15 at 03:21 PM

[South Fl Marc]

Posted: 5/30/15 at 5:18pm

The blackout gave me the most memorable night at the Theatre I've ever had.

 

I was an apprentice technician for Lake George Opera. For one of the operas we had to drive down to NYC to get a much needed prop. I had seen Andre Serbans production of "The Cherry Orchard" the past spring and it was amazing, so I persuaded the person I was travelling with to get tickets to it. This production starred Irene Worth and Raul Julia. They had finished the run in May but I was thrilled to find out they were having a return engagement for a month and a half and that it would be running when we made our trip south.

The play was going on and it was as amazing as I had recalled it when all of a sudden the lights went out during act 1. At first everyone thought it was a mistake until somebody announced that there was a full city blackout. Some people left, but not having anywhere to go, we stayed. Finally they announced that they would continue the performance.  Stagehands gathered all of the candelabras that had been a part of the set and any other candle they could find and circled the stage. Stagehands and actors who weren't in scenes manned flashlights and they finished the play. It was, simply put, MAGICAL.

Usually in most productions at the end of the play when Madame Ranevskaya makes her exit she slowly walks out. Serban, the director, had Irene Worth literally run  full speed around the thrust of the Vivian Beaumont stage, pause, run around again, pause again, run around a third time and then leave. When I first saw the production that moment was heartbreaking. The night of the blackout it became spellbinding. Every time she ran around the stage, the wind from her dress caused more and more candles to go out. By the time she finished her third time around the stage there was only one candle left burning. They couldn't have planned that effect if they tried. It will be a performance I will never forget.

[GavestonPS]

Posted: 5/30/15 at 5:57pm

^^^^

Sorry. I was having trouble with the board earlier. (Must have been that "cloud flare" in LA!)

I too was just posting to say, "What a wonderful account!"

Updated On: 5/30/15 at 05:57 PM

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 5/30/15 at 6:39pm

Like button!

[sing_dance_love]

Posted: 5/30/15 at 10:40pm

What a wonderful story. Thanks so much for sharing that, you got to be a part of something that was truly once in a lifetime.

[Lavieboheme3090]

Posted: 5/31/15 at 10:02am

Wow, those are some great stories. Thanks for sharing. 

[geaj]

Posted: 7/13/17 at 6:57pm

I was wondering about this after watching the news this evening.  These stories are great.  Does anyone have any other stories to add on this 40th Anniversary?

[trpguyy]

Posted: 7/13/17 at 7:39pm

We may get some stories to add tonight. 44th and 45th Streets are currently sharing a transformer, fingers crossed that there's enough juice to power all those shows (and everything else) simultaneously.

[JustAnotherNewYorker]

Posted: 7/13/17 at 9:41pm

Great story South Fl Marc. Thanks for sharing.

[Emmaloucbway]

Posted: 7/13/17 at 11:51pm

trpguyy said: "We may get some stories to add tonight. 44th and 45th Streets are currently sharing a transformer, fingers crossed that there's enough juice to power all those shows (and everything else) simultaneously.

 

"

Bumping this thread because I am curious about this as well. I saw "A Doll's House Part 2" tonight, and I didn't even realize that there was a power issue (everything seemed perfectly normal inside during the performance), but when I left the theatre all the marquees of 45th were dark. Strange. Does anyone know what happened? Did other shows run as usual?

[KathyNYC2]

Posted: 7/14/17 at 1:24am

I heard that many shows on 45th were affected but for some reason, KINKY BOOTS was not.

My own story from the original blackout in 1977 was movie not theater related. But I live on the east side of Manhattan near 42nd Street.  The night of the blackout, everything was dark... except 42nd Street - because they were filming the original Superman movie and there were generators all over. The old Daily News Bldg was being used as the Daily Planet and the helicopter where Superman rescues Lois Lane was tied atop the bldg. We walked over with our 7 month old baby in her stroller to see what was going on (and enjoy some light).. and a totally nice Christopher Reeve dressed as Clark Kent came over to talk to us and talked to my baby daughter and admired her dress. She was being all flirty and smiling (her first crush obviously)..and today 40 years later, she is still a huge Superman fan. I blame the blackout.

Updated On: 7/14/17 at 01:24 AM