Elphaba's broom

[Taylor Welch]

So I recently watched my first ever show!!  My mother picked a good show too, Wicked! After acting in plays for a while it was nice to switch places. It was such a phenomenal show! Everything was flawless! So, i would like to know some of the backstage secrets. How did elphaba's broom "levitate?" How did the benches move by themselves? Are there any other secrets you know of?

[trpguyy]

Witchcraft.

[BrodyFosse123]

It was revealed shortly after the show opened at the Gershwin Theatre that there are ghosts that haunt the theatre.  Seems they were either actors or stagehands who miss performing so they perform those effects at each perfrormance now.  When WICKED first opened on Broadway they originally did the effects using a thin wiring system with a magnet for the broom and a magnetic system underneath the stage for the benches.  They soon stopped using these when they noticed the effects were happening on their own. Security cameras backstage and on stage revealed how the effects were suddenly being done on their own.  The US tour and other productions still do the effects the original way.  

[ethan231h]

You've been acting for a while but you have never seen a show just like in general? Oh geez. 

[Justin D]

snarky y'all are, lol

 

anyways, I'll bite.

The broom is very low tech, in the straw section there is a tupe and they just shove a stick up it and wiggle the broom up the trap door and she grabs it. On tour it looks nicer because it 'floats' in from the wings on a wire.

The benches and beds and all other scenery is driven/pulled on by wenches in the stage deck with cables and motors and all that stuff

[Taylor Welch]

Im a high school student i have  little to no free time :/ I'm always in to community plays so i cant really go see them. Our family's trying to save money too. I know it's insane ive never seen a show before. 

[Taylor Welch]

I figured thats how the bigger set pieces worked, the broom just really confused me. I saw it on tour and it was really cool cause the broom just floated on out.

[Liza's Headband]

This is fake.  You've all been warned.

[Taylor Welch]

What's fake?

[BrodyFosse123]

Lea Michele's stagnant career.

[Taylor Welch]

If your talking about me or my wicked experience its not, i could even give you my facebook if you really wanted me to prove it

[whizzerwhizzer]

man somebody asks a simple question and people are so snarky. we aren't all theatre experts yet. 

[SonofMammaMiaSam]

Liza knows a fake.  Trust the headband.

[dramamama611]

And I'm assuming the OP means his/her first professional production?

[Lot666]

whizzerwhizzer said: "man somebody asks a simple question and people are so snarky. we aren't all theatre experts yet."

Nasty Ben Brantley wannabees.

[EvanK]

In the tour the benches are pushed on by the cast... 

[Taylor Welch]

Yes its my first professional production, those were the words i was looking for

[Taylor Welch]

Not that i saw, maybe i missed it but they definitely went off by themselves 

[EvanK]

Yeah on tour they get pushed on, then pulled off by the crew. The only automatic scenic movement is the centre track, which the bed and wizard head come on with. And obviously the tall towers. The shorter towers for defying gravity get brought on by crew hiding behind I believe. 

[BWWMatt]

Elphaba's Broom isn't a bad band name. 

[Tag]

And obviously the tall towers. The shorter towers for defying gravity get brought on by crew hiding behind I believe. 

I seem to remember there being only one set of towers on the current tour?  Maybe not?
The 1st National also had little rolling platforms that came on from each side (in place of the proscenium sides at the Gershwin), but those aren't in the current 2nd National (ie. Morrible doesn't appear on one for Defying Gravity, it's a voiceover).

[Valentina3]

MattTamanini said: "Elphaba's Broom isn't a bad band name. "

Agreed. I'd pay to see them.