The Hazards of Musical Theater in the 21st Century
By Andy Hertz
Saturday night, as I was music directing the opening night production of The Fully Monty for ReVision Theater in Asbury Park, I (along with everyone in the theater) was reminded about the dangers of live performance: not a flubbed line, not a missed lyric, not a wrong note. The power went out.
It occurred in the midst of a song. The band has two guitars, one keyboard, a drummer, two horns and two reeds. Naturally, when we lost power, the non-electric instruments kept playing. And they, in fact, finished the song quite well despite losing the bottom half of the orchestra and nearly all of the rhythm section.
At first it seemed like it was just the band that lost power. Then the stage microphones went out and the lights went last (theater lights contain residual power that can keep them going for a little longer before they shut off). After emergency crews tried unsuccessfully to remedy the situation, we assumed the show was done for the evening. Fortunately, someone ultimately found a box with a switch (yes, one switch) that restored all power to the theater.
A remarkable thing occurred as the show continued: It was better than it ever had been.
Why? I believe that everyone realized that the worst thing that could possibly happen in live theater (save injury) had happened and that somehow we all lived through it. So it took the pressure off all of us, including myself, to move forward with a freedom and confidence we hadn’t had before.
So, what could have been a financial and artistic disaster—the need to refund thousands of dollars, to sooth bruised egos, apologize to patrons, etc.—turned into a positive and artistically affirming experience for all.