Congratulations to the NoHo Senior Arts Colony Readers Theatre company in North Hollywood, CA! They presented their performance of “Theatrical Disasters and Actors Flubs and Mishaps” to a delighted full house on June 16th in the Lounge. This was the 4th project of the group since its inception last August.
The readers were: Eleanor Anasar, Gretchen Hailer, Martin Greene, Judy Grimes, Vicki Finn, Barbara Howard, Susan Taylor, and Naomi Monroe, resident leader of the group.
Here’s a wonderful excerpt from the performance that Naomi sent along. It’s a perfect example of how “the show must go on:”
Shoshana Bean was starring in Wicked on Broadway and got to the big number at the end of act one, “Defying Gravity.” As most people know, Elphaba rises up during the whole last section and “flies.” In actuality, she’s on a cherry picker that lifts her while an enormous dress blows around her. The cast then runs onstage and points upward while she belts out the ending. Well, one night she got to the part where she rises and sings, “It’s me-e-e-e-e-e,” and she didn’t rise. The cherry picker didn’t work, but she had to finish the song. So, she just walked off the cherry picker and kept singing to the end of the song. But what about the ensemble? They’re supposed to run out and point up at her, flying above them. They decided the only way they could point up at her is if they ran out…and laid on the floor. So, the entire end of the number was Shoshana belting how she was “defying gravity” while standing 5’2″ off the ground, and the whole ensemble singing, “Look at her! She’s wicked!” while laying on the floor. And that’s theater!
Naomi Monroe, resident leader of the group, celebrates with flowers; with Nancy Goodhart, EngAGE CAO; and Tim Carpenter, CEO/Founder of EngAGE
~ Sara Debevic, Program Director
This event is supported, in part, by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors through the Los Angeles County Arts Commission.
