Characters in Lobby during Intermission?

[Oak2]

Posted: 9/19/16 at 12:13pm

Have any of you been in a show where during intermission the actors are there still in-character? I'm asking because I saw it happen for the first time last night in a local production of URINETOWN - Officer Lockstock was standing in the middle of the lobby and questioning/inspecting everyone as they lined up for bathrooms and drinks, and he was then also in the stands as people were retaking their seats. I'm not sure if this was something they made up for the regional production or if it was done in the original runs. On one hand it's kind of fun and got a few laughs, but on the other it also did not help traffic during intermission either, with people recognizing the actor's face and voice and trying to get a view of what was going on while others were just trying to go to the bathroom or get their drink/snack before Act 2, and especially when he was blocking people trying to get to their seats. 

Is this commonly done at other theaters or shows? If so, when have you ever seen it done, and was it done well/did it enhance the experience, or did it cause traffic problems or some other kind of inconvenience?

[Jshan05]

Posted: 9/19/16 at 12:24pm

I have never seen that done, but it makes sense for Urinetown. What a clever idea...

 

[BroadwayConcierge]

Posted: 9/19/16 at 12:28pm

Was this a production of Urinetown at Disneyworld or something?

[LizzieCurry]

Posted: 9/19/16 at 12:34pm

Is this the production of Urinetown at Constellation Theatre in DC?

 

Shear Madness here does it, but I think that's a Shear Madness requirement.

[sbflyfan]

Posted: 9/19/16 at 12:35pm

I know you're talking about actors actually in-character, but when the "Chicago" tour played my little town for 3 nights in 2007, Tom Wopat stood at the merchandise display in the lobby hawking copies of his CD during intermission, dressed as Billy Flynn.  That memory has always stayed with me as being a bit strange.  I've never seen that happen with any other performer on a tour.

[Oak2]

Posted: 9/19/16 at 12:41pm

LizzieCurrie is correct. This was Constellation Theatre Group at the Source. I had never seen the show before and it was my first time seeing this particular group or theater.

[darquegk]

Posted: 9/19/16 at 2:10pm

It never came to be, but I believe the original American script for "Dance of the Vampires" during its developmental phases indicated that the show would spill over into the lobby during intermission.

[Wee Thomas2]

Posted: 9/19/16 at 2:32pm

I've seen similar things for Urinetown at community productions, where cast members in costume wander about before the show.

[sarahb22]

Posted: 9/19/16 at 3:15pm

This was many years ago, but all of the productions of 'Nicholas Nickleby' I saw involved the actors coming out in costume before the show and right before the second act to mingle with the audience.  The ones I chatted with weren't in character, but I suppose some of them might have been.

[nasty_khakis]

Posted: 9/19/16 at 4:02pm

During The Mystery of Edwin Drood actors mingled with the audience before the show. Will Chase used to even open car/taxi doors and escort ladies into the theatre.

[adamgreer]

Posted: 9/19/16 at 4:45pm

I saw a non-professional production of Grease years ago where the actress playing Miss Lynch was present both before the show and during intermission. She was getting people in their seats for the "assembly" admonishing those talking too loud and asking them to "see me [sic] later." It was actually pretty clever, and the actress (my dental hygienist!) was very good at small talk and ad-libbing. 

[TheGingerBreadMan]

Posted: 9/19/16 at 5:02pm

I saw an amateur production of Sweeney Todd a couple of years ago where the ensemble wandered around the theatre and the lobby of the building before the show. They talked to people and the intended effect was to make you feel as though you were entering London in the period that the show takes place. 

[HenryTDobson]

Posted: 9/19/16 at 5:04pm

I saw a college production of Beauty and the Beast where the townspeople were in the lobby "selling" their various items (eggs, milk, etc.). I found it a little grating especially since the show opens with the prologue which is pretty intense.

I think character interaction could be fun if done correctly and for the appropriate shows.

[trpguyy]

Posted: 9/19/16 at 5:28pm

I hate all of this. 

[BroadwayBeebe]

Posted: 9/19/16 at 5:39pm

I've seen quite a few productions of Spelling Bee where the characters roamed the lobby before the show and during intermission (When making the choice to take one).

[BroadwayConcierge]

Posted: 9/19/16 at 5:41pm

I personally think this is all pretty hokey. Scripts exist for a reason. The theater isn't an amusement park.

[Oak2]

Posted: 9/19/16 at 7:21pm

@BroadwayConcierge - I can definitely see how you and others would feel that way, and I respect that. I personally feel it's definitely a bit on the tacky side, but then again I actually like tacky a lot of times, and I think it still can work depending on the show. Mostly I feel it really only fits in shows that are already in that kind of tone in the first place - Urinetown and Spelling Bee, for example, or anything that's both already lighthearted and especially any work that already involves audience participation or being "meta" in the show itself. It feels a lot more out of place in more serious works like Sweeney Todd though, but I guess I can understand if they're doing it to try to keep the audience's minds fully in the setting, and especially if it's more before the show starts rather than during intermission.

It does seem like for the most part it's only local/regional theaters that decide to do this, which I kind of expected. Unless the person who cited Edwin Drood was talking about a Broadway production - I know that musical is another one that's heavy on audience interaction, so I can see it fitting for that too.

[Observation]

Posted: 9/19/16 at 7:38pm

I agree with BroadwayConcierge...

I want a definitive beginning middle and ending to a play. I don't want actors coming up to me pre-show and I don't want them doing the same during intermission. Plus, I don't know very many actors (myself included) that enjoy doing this type of thing. 

 

Even in shows where they break the fourth wall and speak directly to the audience, let me look over the playbill pre-show. Let me digest what I've seen in the first act during intermission.  When actors are in character during pre-show and intermission, it changes the whole vibe of the audience. Shows I've seen in this instance, it's almost like the audience is afraid to talk to each other because they are supposed to be paying attention to the actor on stage.

Summed up: pre-show and intermission is my time. 

[Islander_fan]

Posted: 9/19/16 at 8:16pm

The only show where it made any sense whatsoever, and where I liked it was at Roundabout's recent Broadway revival Edwin Drood. Worked perfectly for that, but not sure how I'd feel about it in other cases. And, yes, the production mentioned of Drood earlier is the same one I'm talking about. The recent Broadway revival. 

[icecreambenjamin]

Posted: 9/19/16 at 8:26pm

I usually hate this kind of thing, but when I was in Spelling Bee last year, we entered with the audience and we went to a "green room" offstage before the Bee.  We then proceeded to buy concessions during intermission and what not.  I thought it was fun and it allowed for the audience to mingle with their favorite characters and wish them luck.

[Kev]

Posted: 9/20/16 at 2:55pm

I'm not certain if this happened in every city but, the cast of the GODSPELL 2001 National Tour mingled/ posed for photos in the lobby during Intermission.  

[newintown]

Posted: 9/20/16 at 3:08pm

When Spelling Bee was in previews at Second Stage, Jose Llana would sell candy in the lobby during intermission in character as Chip. He would get more and more upset, because he had been cut and forced to sell candy. It was a good set up for "My Unfortunate Erection" in Act II. But then they cut the intermission completely before the show opened.

Someone earlier in this thread wrote about intermission for their production of Spelling Bee; but the show has none - are people adding one in amateur productions?

[trpguyy]

Posted: 9/20/16 at 4:46pm

newintown said: "Someone earlier in this thread wrote about intermission for their production of Spelling Bee; but the show has none - are people adding one in amateur productions?"

Of course. See also: Man of LaMancha, Once on this Island, 1776, and The Drowsy Chaperone.