Why Live Theatre Is Incredible

Opening night of our 1960s adaptation of 12th Night, and it went outstandingly well. Small crowd, but a very engaged one, and it fed the energy of the show.

One of the most exciting moments of the night actually was an accident. At one point, Sir Toby Belch (played excellently by our good man Robert) hits a button on an eight track player, and "Get Off Of My Cloud" is supposed to be cued and a wild dance number ensues. Tonight, he hit the button, and nothing happened. As the silence grew longer, the uneasy feeling that something had gone wrong sank into those in the pit.

Toby Belch (Robert) looks over at us and asks us "You guys got anything?" I tentatively hit a quick note and stop, unsure of what to do. Our bassist and bandleader Greg, sitting behind drums for a bit while our drummer had a percussion ensemble commitment, starts a rough, raw, fast beat much like the one of the planned sound cue. I come in, trying my damndest to play the chords of "Get Offa My Cloud". BJ stars playing lead on his acoustic. Our director, Lloyd, sitting at the piano, flips through his charts trying to find out what sheet music we're playing. A few seconds later, the cast starts dancing as planned. Robert climbs on a table and belts "Louie Louie" over the groove. All is well with the world.

Our stage manager, Marci, gives us an exaggerated Buddhist "bow of honor" and a huge thank you. We play out the first half of the show...and when we walk off into the green room, the cast is waiting to give us a round of applause and thank us for "pulling something amazing out of our asses." The warm feeling of success, creation, musicality, and improvised well-execution rushes over me.

I remember in high school we did a production of Anything Goes (the first show where I played guitar in the pit) and one character played by my good man John H had a machine gun that he first refers to as "Putt Putt Putt". One night, another character knocked the gun onto the floor and it fell apart. John H, without missing a beat, yells "You broke Putt Putt!" The audience was in stitches, and so was the cast- it was easily one of the most memorable moments of the whole run.

It is this delicate, fluid quality of live theatre that is so incredible. And it's not just the possibility that something doesn't go as planned- it's the possibility that something unplanned can actually work out better, having the desired effect on the audience, and also bringing an indescribable rush of joy to those who know, and appreciate, the contrast between what sucessfully happened and what was supposed to happen.

Peace and God bless,
Nick