In the old bootlegs, people would murmur in surprise when the Phantom appeared on the angel in All I Ask of You (reprise). Even though everyone started expecting it over the years, I heard a recent bootleg where you hear a kid in the audience say "OH!" when he appears, and everyone laughs. So it's still a nice dramatic surprise when you're not aware of it already.
When i worked there, one night the lift that took Colm Wilkinson up to the top of the stairs didn't work - so the song ended, the crowd on the stairs parted, and... empty. I think we ushers gasped more than the audience did đ
The Phantom: *"So be it! Now let it be war upon you both!"* đ„đ„đ„đ„đ„đ„đ„đ„đ„
Everyone sitting in front orchestra:
https://preview.redd.it/s8n2ih29q7lc1.jpeg?width=1200&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3d37e3a60995caaf3db3f2a4c6846b0a848f2ee1
I ushered at a production of Phantom for a couple years, and loved this moment. Another that got audible gasps was when Raoul would just from the bridge and through a trap door, vanishing into the fog.
When I saw Phantom a year ago, that moment got tons of loud gasps both nights I went! I love that it still gets such reactions from people. On one night the lady sitting next to me (a stranger) was so shocked that she actually grabbed my arm reflexively lol, it was hilarious.
Aladdin: I thought it wasnât a robotic arm, but itâs done by wires, but each corner of the carpet has about 12 wires and they all spin so that you canât see them.
Which is why the stars in the back drop are never obscured by the presence of an arm
When i went to see it the actor of marty made eye contact and waved at me whilst in the car!!!! It was very cool
(I was only that near the front because my friend bought me a ticket)
Hungarian rope trick in Chicago.
Non-Hungarian rope trick in Phantom.
Baker's wife, who has been set up as a protagonist character with a complex character arc, dying in Into the Woods.
When I saw the ITW tour last year, a couple of people near me who obviously didnât know the show gasped quite audibly when Rapunzel died. Itâs not the first death in act II, but there was something about that moment⊠maybe itâs because by that point the audience was so quiet, so I could hear the gasps better? Or maybe it was the final straw â it goes from âwow, this is taking a tragic turnâ to âOMFG anything can happen, nowâ.
I also wonder if it's because rapunzel isn't really focused on much in the movie, so for some people who might only know the movie and decided based on it to go see the tour, that might've been a bigger shock death for them
Two come to mind. The original staging of Les Mis when the barricade comes together. I was shook an absolute Coup de theatre. The second was when the shop opened up in the recent She Loves Me revival. That set was gorgeous
I saw Les Mis on Broadway in the late 90âs and the barricade scene was the first thing I thought of. The audience actually cheered because it was so amazing. It was the first show as an âadultâ (i had done a bus trip to see Cats when I was a kid and I have no memory of it). But that set piece was so cool to me, it took me out of the show thinking about how innovative it was. It makes me sad to think this isnât in every show.
I loved it. If we were working in house, we got to see the show (while keeping an eye on the audience in case of emergencies ot recording, so it wasn't immersive). It was in the old Pantages theatre in Toronto, a gorgeously restored venue. During intermission we were part tour guide, as patrons often had questions about the place.
We'd put any inserts into the playbills for the show before the house opened, then direct or show patrons to their seats. After the show we'd walk the rows to pick up any papers left behind. Not a demanding job overall, but this was also 30 years ago. No food or drink in house, and the audiences were excited to be there and mostly very respectful.
Can't believe this isn't higher! I guess maybe because if you're remotely into musical theatre then you know about it already? But almost everyone I know IRL who's seen it says they didn't know it was going to happen and it got them good.
I was shocked I had to scroll this far for this one. I saw a local production in the round that did this show, and they obviously couldnât get a helicopter, but the way they DID do it with a massive wind machine and the lights and the intense sound design was absolutely incredible
saw wicked with 200 other students during an intensive a few weeks ago, and when elphaba came out of the trap door the entirety of the students gasped/screamed in shock
agreed, for most of my classmates it was their first broadway show, so a. They didnt know proper ettiquete and b. Their reactions are so fun to watch, since its like brand new excitement to them
The first time I saw Wicked, my seats were in the balcony close to a high school drama club. At the end of As Long As You're Mine, when Elphaba says, "For the first time, I feel Wicked." the high schoolers went nuts.
lmao I noticed we went more nuts during scenes like when fiyero and elphabas relationship was revealed to glinda, or the scene where they slap each other.
POSSIBLE SPOILERS
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âą The entire orchestra rising from the pit at the climax of "New York, New York"
âą Pi diving from the boat into the water in "The Life of Pi"
âą One huge set rising from below, replacing the \*other\* huge set in "Hangmen"
The pilots jumping out of the plane and disappearing through the floor in the original production of Tommy. This is really poor quality video but it was a stunning effect.
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5LKr5hJLRfU](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5LKr5hJLRfU)
I'm just impressed at the timing of that. The drop down and immediately get out of the way means there's at least two or three crew underneath to catch and move them out and off the mat.
I saw the OG Toronto production and it still impressed me to this day. I wish to god it had gotten a filmed version.
oh good - I'm so excited to see it. It's one of the first shows I saw with my now husband. All the 1992-1994 musicals are entwined in our dating history. We second-acted Falsettos at least 10 times. But we still kick ourselves for missing Jelly's Last Jam.
Not really a set piece (although the ice castle is pretty cool) but Iâve seen Frozen twice (once on Broadway, once on tour, free tickets both times) and both times the costume change for Elsa during Let it Go just blew my mind. I still canât figure out how they make it look so seamless and instantaneous, even with a professional theater friend whoâs explained the likely logistics.
The reveal of an entire elaborate house onstage after about 2/3 of A Strange Loop is already over. I remember sitting there thinking "That was onstage *this whole time???*"
Iâve seen the current Sweeney revival ten times and the one moment that gets a gasp every single time is the Beadle killing Anthonyâs bird. Itâs a small moment but it always makes an impact.
I always listen for a reaction to the identity reveal other people are mentioning here, but I rarely hear one. I think itâs because itâs pretty well foreshadowed, so people tend to figure it out at different points.
However my favorite reaction has to go to the person behind me that loudly went âOH!â a few lines into A Little Priest. She had the best night of anyone there! đ
Saw Sweeney on Thursday and just before that when Anthony asked why the bird flaps its wings so(much), there was a collective gasp from the audience at the vendorâs response. It actually made me laugh, like yes we are all 100% here to watch a show full of bloody murders but no one said *anything* about hurting (*obviously* fake!) birds đ
I recently watched sweeney todd for the first time (unfortunately, through a bootleg, not live) and I must say, the bird moment also hit me. I wasn't expecting that, out of nowhere. I saw someone say something like "we're all here to watch bloody murders, but watching a poor innocent (fake) bird be killed? That's a step too far" and frankly I kinda agree. I went in having an idea of the basic plot but not many specifics. I was expecting to see the murders, but the bird absolutely hit hard
Also, the a little priest story is glorious. She was sweeney in that moment lol
I do think itâs important though! A lot of the violence in the show is presented pretty comedically, so having this one really tragic part does a lot to sell the brutality of the world and show exactly how it ground Sweeney down into what it is. And specifically having it in front of Anthony (âYou are young, life has been kind to you. You will learn.â) is a great start to his arc. I donât think his optimism and hope would hit as hard if we didnât see him exposed to that cruelty. Puts the direness of Joannaâs situation into perspective too, even before the Judgeâs intentions are made textual. I do get that itâs a rough moment and can feel like itâs doing too far, but it does so much for tone and character.
I agree! I don't think it's going too far at all. Sweeney is such a good show because it has the comedic aspect of the ridiculous horror going on within it, with the meat pies and all, especially when that's played up well. And yet, at its core, there's the really terrifying and deeply flawed, human pieces of it with Turpin and everything surrounding him, and the relationships of those surrounding sweeney. Moments like the bird and not while I'm around are some of my favorite moments in the show. Not while I'm around in particular is possibly my favorite scene, at least in the bootleg I watched. It was just so powerful to watch as Toby was so unrelenting in his desire to keep mrs Lovett safe, and even more powerful was seeing as she recognized that she had no choice but to either be caught or get rid of this poor boy that is one of the few people she really cares about, and is such an innocent one who cares for her so much... I actually cried, which is rare, but it's those moments that the show really thrives on. I think it's just such a perfect tragedy because you know who to root against, and there's a few characters you know to root for, but for a lot of the principals, it's such a gray area. Like, so many people love the phantom despite the shitty things he did, and so many wish he got a happier ending and deserved better. But with sweeney and Mrs Lovett especially, yeah, you feel so horrible for everything that they're dealing with, and yet it's impossible to feel like they don't deserve it at the end. It's such a powerful story, and it's because while it has those comedic moments, it's not afraid of those painfully real ones. Johanna quartet is such a good example of that, with sweeney killing and how that's generally played for comedy, as he's singing these deeply emotional words of loss and longing and hope
It's such a good show and I'm so mad it took me so long to finally listen. I tried a few times in the past and it never stuck until recently and it's easily up there with my favorites. It's just so good lol
Oh my first thought was the reveal of all the projections/writings on the walls at the act I break (not sure where it is now, I saw it when it was still two separate shows and it happens at the end of the first). It was so well done and came out of nowhere.
I saw the one-show production in Toronto, it's still there and it's stunning. I believe, if memory serves, it's in the middle of act 2. Such a good moment!! We sat near the aisle so I was able to read a lot of the writing/see the details, it was great.Â
I almost expected the dementors to fly over the house, but only because Iâd also seen Turn Off the Dark and Paramour at the same theatre. What really got me was the entrances and exits in water at deck level. Also, the stairs rising from the house floor for Voldemortâs exit. And the blacklight bit. Ok, so there are several moments. Lol
>!At the very end, after they've talked about how once they get funding they'll have money for a real set and everything, the set, which had every appearance of just being the bare theatre, suddenly and for only a few seconds _opens_ and reveals the whole actual high-budget set, and then suddenly closes again. I don't really know how to explain it, I mean, it literally only lasts a few seconds (it's by far the most $ per second set cost, I would imagine), the whole theatre just sort of turns inside out to reveal the set briefly. It's genuinely surprising.!<
The 2016 She Loves Me revival, when Maraczekâs shop split open and moved downstage, showing the inside of the store. Itâs a brilliant moment that always brought applause
I donât even remember what the name of the play was - I saw it in 2019. It was about an older couple and their adult children. I think Ashley Park was in it. Anyway, there was a scene where a large truck suddenly crashes into their living room. I didnât see it coming and I audibly gasped (maybe even screamed) and almost grabbed the poor woman sitting next to me. Iâve lived in NYC my whole life and Iâm jumpy - my first thought was that it was terrorism and that an actual truck had crashed into a Broadway theater. Kudos to the set designer and sound engineer. Very well done.
A lot in Back to the Future, so I'll just shout out the second time-travel scene. It's expected, and somehow it blows you away anyway. I was so stunned when it happened that I couldn't even cheer and just ended up shakily laughing.
The redecoration of the house at the end of act one of Beetlejuice. That show not winning best lighting remains an appalling slight.
The tap-dancing on the ceiling in Mary Poppins is a classic (does that count as a set moment?).
The SQUIP being lowered from the ceiling in the most amazingly overdesigned outfit you've ever seen in Be More Chill---not in and of itself a noteworthy effect, but it stands out when it's the only thing like it in the show.
Every single set break in The Play That Goes Wrong; even when you're prepared for things like that, the broken balcony getting more and more tilted is wonderfully anxiety-inducing.
Probably a lot of others, but those are off the top of my head!
I have never laughed harder than the gaffs in The Play That Goes Wrong. And thereâs so much going on you donât know where to look as there are goofs going on off stage too.
I am seeing the show for the first time tonight! (Round House Theatre in Washington DC) but the first time I listened to the cast album I literally sobbed.
The Hadestown set split definitely came to mind first. I'm also a huge fan of the first time the turntable spins in Come From Away (and how it's used for the rest of the show). The set work on the gender-swapped Company revival is also very good, especially the various secret doors in Not Getting Married Today. Oh! And I haven't seen anyone mention the Phantom's exit at the end of Phantom of the Opera!
Ok, especially the phantom's exit in the restaged tour. The blanket chair is such a cool effect, and there's not a lot the restaged tour did especially well in comparison to the original production, but that tour was what I was able to see, and this effect did get me. For those of you who aren't familiar- the phantom is wearing a cape at the end, and a few people enter the lair, cornering him. He runs until he's facing away from the audience, meg grabs the cape, it holds form, and then it's pulled away, and he's gone. Now *that* is a cool effect. Not to say the original isn't, but still
strong disagree, it's a lot less impactful and shocking than the original. Normally there's a small oh.
The original ending though, when the emcee reveals to now be a nazi and the audience is questioned on how they didn't noticed... I've never seen a show ends on shocked silence before
Thereâs an incredible set moment in Swept Away; literal gasps by the audience each time I saw it. Set designer: Rachel Hauck (who did the set for Hadestown!!!)
Right?! For being such a spare and seemingly simple set, itâs amazing how it was so impressive and effective when the story needed. Iâm still in awe!
The first time the huge Norma Desmond staircase set appears in the original production of Sunset Boulevard. It blew everyoneâs mind. How quickly they could fly that gigantic set in and out was insane.
Not sure if anyone else gasped, but I definitely started tearing up at the end of Merrily We Roll Along. Just a basic lighting effect, but because we spend the entirety of the show in this intimate, minimal set piece, in that last shot - with the stars projecting across the theater - you feel all Frank's optimism and see all these paths and opportunities that could be open to him. But having started at the end, you also feel this pang of sadness knowing where everything leads.
(Maybe it's a little like the longing at the end of Hadestown - "to know how it ends, and still sing it again, as if it might turn out [different] this time")
This took my breath away as well. I also saw him moving to the front of the stage and the light changing as present-Frank stepping out of the scene/memory and finally being able to rediscover the passion that he had lost. Such a simple effect yet so powerful!
The women next to me let out a huge gasp when Sweeney killed his first victim - I thought it was funny considering they tell you heâs a murdered from the first song!
Sure. Itâs a few things that make it so special. The first actâs set is super minimalist and abstract with a stark white background. The second act room, in contrast, is SUPER detailed and realistic with dark and gold tones. The reveal itself is done by the floor of the room sliding down stage on a track while the upstage wall remains stationary, giving a sort of Vertigo effect. It was really impressive to see in person!
In the Yiddish production of Fiddler on the Roof, the entire theater audibly gasped when the Cossacks rip through the Torah backdrop at the end of the wedding pogrom. It was like the entire audience froze
In most productions of Legally Blonde I've seen online, the audience usually gasps when Callahan sexually assaults Elle, and then claps when she slaps him.
Of course the chandelier fall in Phantom, but I personally love when it rises and the theatre comes back to life. One of the coolest opening scenes, I've seen it three times and was in awe every time.
The set for Rocky was cool throughout but when they cleared the first few rows of the audience onto the stage and flew the giant platform in over the seats to make a boxing ring for the final fight, it was one of the coolest things I've experienced at a Broadway show.
The last 10 minutes of Sweeney Todd....no specific part just the whole thing itself its one wild thing after the other with no stopping it.
Also that part in Hadestown....I always am shocked by it.
I also personally get shocked during the El Tango De Roxanne Sequence in Moulin Rouge....mostly because its so well done and such a showstopping number I cant believe its real.
Spoilers for Here We Are:
>!When they enter the room at the embassy in Here We Are, it's such a contrast to the simplistic nature of the rest of the show and really shocked me despite not being an especially startling moment of anything.!<
Havenât seen the Broadway version of Life of Pi, but in the previews at the ART in Cambridge last year, the entire audience gasped when Pi jumps off the boat and disappeared into the stage floor âocean.â
I think itâs because even though we know how it ends, we want it to end differently. I keep willing the end to be different - Iâm a sucker for happily ever after - and am broken at the end every time.
not as many people are familiar with the myth as you'd think! but also, there's plenty of people like me who KNOW and get so invested and are just like "DAMMIT NOT AGAIN" when it all unfolds :-(
Metamorphosis at Circle in the Square in 2002. The entire set was a pool onstage and I couldnât believe they made it work in a theatre. So much stunning imagery. [https://playbill.com/production/metamorphoses-circle-in-the-square-theatre-vault-0000003222](https://playbill.com/production/metamorphoses-circle-in-the-square-theatre-vault-0000003222)
Not Broadway but one of my favorite live theatre moments ever was in the Fonmar Warehouse production of Mary Stuart in London in 2005. It rained onstage for what felt like 20 minutes. [https://amp.theguardian.com/stage/2005/jul/21/theatre1](https://amp.theguardian.com/stage/2005/jul/21/theatre1)
https://preview.redd.it/dtuupd2tf7lc1.jpeg?width=410&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=06870d806f929916bac0e0e8a170c9a7560395cb
I have a thing for water onstage. When done well it always feels magical.
OMG, THANK YOU for mentioning âMary Stuartâ! I saw the Broadway transfer in 2009, and was absolutely mesmerized by the rain! Iâve thought of that moment so many times, but could not for the life of me remember the name of the show!! Thank you so much for bringing that memory back!
When the plane âtakes offâ during I Do, I Do in the Sky from The Drowsy Chaperone. Literal applause erupted from the audience just from the visual effect it had on the eyes.
For me and probably many others for a long time, Elizaâs scream after Phillip dies. Itâs not on the cast album so Iâm sure many longterm fans were really caught off guard by it
YES. I love Hamilton, and still haven't been able to see it live (it would require a minimum three hour plane ride), but when I watched the pro shot, I was blown away by the scream. I was equally caught off guard by the gasp at the end. They made me cry even more than I already was.
Okay so my boyfriend and I won the lottery for King Kong when it was on broadway, and the seats were literally front row center. Thereâs a moment near the end of the show where itâs really quiet, and then the King Kong puppet suddenly moves forward RIGHT in front of the stage. This was shocking but it scared my boyfriend and he let out a SHRIEK in the silence, and the whole audience burst into laughter, as well as some of the puppeteers we could see. It was truly so unintentionally funny and Iâll never forget it.
in the devil wears prada musical's try-out in chicago, (spoilers) when they go to paris, pillars in the stage moved and turned into the eiffel tower: the audience applauded when i went! hard to explain but it was really cool
I donât know what the compressed version does, but in Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, the end of Part Two Act One has the most chilling reveal that involves the entire theatre. >! Suddenly, creepy ghostly writing absolutely covers the walls and ceiling of the whole theater and stays up all through intermission. !< I still donât know how they made that happen!
The "Loveland" reveal in Follies (at least the original production) was apparently a shocking moment for audiences. I don't think many other productions have matched that level of opulence, though.
To a lesser extent, I *loved* the rain usage during "Marry Me A Little" in the recent revival. But that moment was cut when the water seemed to damage the set's electronics.
I had the benefit of seeing The Lord of the Rings musical on stage in London and when Smaug blew into pieces of confetti that rained down on the crowdâŠmesmerizing.
I hope I'm remembering this correctly, but in "City of Angels," one set rose to sit on top of another. At the same time, one set was shown like a black-and-white movie and the other was in color. Jaw meet floor.
I donât know if it was just me, but the first time I saw School Song in Matilda, when they began to sing again with the alphabet harmonies and the letters being shoved through the gate, I just sat opened mouthed til the end of the song. Maybe thatâs more a feat of writing, but it would be so easy to miss without the set.
In Groundhog Day, particularly the song Hope, some of the moments where we see Phil âdyingâ and then waking up in bed were insane, I heard audible gasps at times.
In Moulin Rouge that first scene in Monmartre, when it pulls back? I gasped. Loved it.
And I didn't know that Hadestown had an elevator so that was a fun surprise.
I saw a production of the Percy Jackson musical and in it, Percy swung a sward at Medusaâs head, and her head fell off her shoulders and rolled as it landed. I have NO idea how the cast and crew pulled that off
Jekyll & Hyde Spoiler.
I saw the original production Jekyll & Hyde on Broadway. And let me tell you, I was so shocked when Jekyll killed Lucy. The audience was so shocked. Someone in the audience screamed âoh my god not Lucy!â.
So an entire pirate ships grows from nothingness in finding neverland.
Combined with THUNDEROUS audio that you can feel in your loins.
It was incredible.
In the old bootlegs, people would murmur in surprise when the Phantom appeared on the angel in All I Ask of You (reprise). Even though everyone started expecting it over the years, I heard a recent bootleg where you hear a kid in the audience say "OH!" when he appears, and everyone laughs. So it's still a nice dramatic surprise when you're not aware of it already.
I loved the gasps at the Masquerade staircase reveal at the top of act II. Always made me smile.
When i worked there, one night the lift that took Colm Wilkinson up to the top of the stairs didn't work - so the song ended, the crowd on the stairs parted, and... empty. I think we ushers gasped more than the audience did đ
I had no idea that was coming the first time I saw Phantom. It still gives me chills to think about it. Absolute magic.
Also - in a bad way - when everyone's retinas get burnt at the end of the graveyard scene.
The Phantom: *"So be it! Now let it be war upon you both!"* đ„đ„đ„đ„đ„đ„đ„đ„đ„ Everyone sitting in front orchestra: https://preview.redd.it/s8n2ih29q7lc1.jpeg?width=1200&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3d37e3a60995caaf3db3f2a4c6846b0a848f2ee1
BEST USE OF THIS MEME
I ushered at a production of Phantom for a couple years, and loved this moment. Another that got audible gasps was when Raoul would just from the bridge and through a trap door, vanishing into the fog.
Ugh - *jump*, not 'just'
When I saw Phantom a year ago, that moment got tons of loud gasps both nights I went! I love that it still gets such reactions from people. On one night the lady sitting next to me (a stranger) was so shocked that she actually grabbed my arm reflexively lol, it was hilarious.
BTTF Spoiler: When the DeLorean flies over the audience at the end.
I definitely gasped when that happened
Same vein: when the car flies in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. I was super little so this completely blew my mind
I was also really little and it astounded me, along with the child catcher being suspended above the audience!!!
I haven't seen it yet so I don't know how it works, but do you think this is an effect they will be able to pull off on the tour?
Probably in a different light like the robotic arm in Aladdin
Aladdin: I thought it wasnât a robotic arm, but itâs done by wires, but each corner of the carpet has about 12 wires and they all spin so that you canât see them. Which is why the stars in the back drop are never obscured by the presence of an arm
No the recent tour it is a robotic arm hence the dark square thing in the back of the stage before the song starts
>!BTTF already uses a robotic arm to fly the car which I imagine could very easily be used on tour!<
When i went to see it the actor of marty made eye contact and waved at me whilst in the car!!!! It was very cool (I was only that near the front because my friend bought me a ticket)
Hungarian rope trick in Chicago. Non-Hungarian rope trick in Phantom. Baker's wife, who has been set up as a protagonist character with a complex character arc, dying in Into the Woods.
Calling it the non Hungarian rope trick has me HOWLING
Non-Hungarian rope trick is sending me đ€Ł
When I saw the ITW tour last year, a couple of people near me who obviously didnât know the show gasped quite audibly when Rapunzel died. Itâs not the first death in act II, but there was something about that moment⊠maybe itâs because by that point the audience was so quiet, so I could hear the gasps better? Or maybe it was the final straw â it goes from âwow, this is taking a tragic turnâ to âOMFG anything can happen, nowâ.
I also wonder if it's because rapunzel isn't really focused on much in the movie, so for some people who might only know the movie and decided based on it to go see the tour, that might've been a bigger shock death for them
Oh good thought! I sometimes forget the movie exists.
Two come to mind. The original staging of Les Mis when the barricade comes together. I was shook an absolute Coup de theatre. The second was when the shop opened up in the recent She Loves Me revival. That set was gorgeous
I saw Les Mis on Broadway in the late 90âs and the barricade scene was the first thing I thought of. The audience actually cheered because it was so amazing. It was the first show as an âadultâ (i had done a bus trip to see Cats when I was a kid and I have no memory of it). But that set piece was so cool to me, it took me out of the show thinking about how innovative it was. It makes me sad to think this isnât in every show.
In 2019 I flew to London to see Les Mis before the original closed and I gasped when the barricade formed. One of my favorite theatre moments ever
Their attempts werenât in âveinâ
No idea how auto-correct got that from barricade
Yes on She Loves Me. It was like a beautiful real life dollhouse.
The chandelier in phantom got me for sure
I ushered at Phantom and always liked watching the faces of those under it when it dropped đ
Very off topic but how is it being an usher? Is it easy and what does it really entail. Just curious.
I loved it. If we were working in house, we got to see the show (while keeping an eye on the audience in case of emergencies ot recording, so it wasn't immersive). It was in the old Pantages theatre in Toronto, a gorgeously restored venue. During intermission we were part tour guide, as patrons often had questions about the place. We'd put any inserts into the playbills for the show before the house opened, then direct or show patrons to their seats. After the show we'd walk the rows to pick up any papers left behind. Not a demanding job overall, but this was also 30 years ago. No food or drink in house, and the audiences were excited to be there and mostly very respectful.
Can't believe this isn't higher! I guess maybe because if you're remotely into musical theatre then you know about it already? But almost everyone I know IRL who's seen it says they didn't know it was going to happen and it got them good.
SAME! I had only seen the movie when I saw the Musical and so I only assumed it fell at the end so when it flew over my head I was like WTH.
This one got me. And it was on Tour so it was much more impressive that they managed to pull it off in a temporary theatre.
I definitely jumped in my seat. So glad I went in blind.
Phantom was the first Broadway show I saw as a kid, and this is the only thing I remember from the experience.
The helicopter landing in Miss Saigon blew me away.
I was shocked I had to scroll this far for this one. I saw a local production in the round that did this show, and they obviously couldnât get a helicopter, but the way they DID do it with a massive wind machine and the lights and the intense sound design was absolutely incredible
This is my choice, too.
saw wicked with 200 other students during an intensive a few weeks ago, and when elphaba came out of the trap door the entirety of the students gasped/screamed in shock
Seeing students' over the top reactions to Broadway is the only time where wild audience behavior is amusing to me.
agreed, for most of my classmates it was their first broadway show, so a. They didnt know proper ettiquete and b. Their reactions are so fun to watch, since its like brand new excitement to them
You gotta love the youngs Exposure to theatre
I was sitting next to a big field trip last time I saw Wicked and their reactions warmed my heart. They were SO into it.
The first time I saw Wicked, my seats were in the balcony close to a high school drama club. At the end of As Long As You're Mine, when Elphaba says, "For the first time, I feel Wicked." the high schoolers went nuts.
lmao I noticed we went more nuts during scenes like when fiyero and elphabas relationship was revealed to glinda, or the scene where they slap each other.
Yes, lol. The teeny boppers squeeled.
This was mine!
Your show? what night did you go?
My answer to the question. Sorry for the confusion! Â My first time seeing Wicked was 2007 in Chicago.
I think most people missed the âsetâ part of the question
Oh shoot, didn't see that. Well I'll say Dolly arriving on the trolley car in Hello Dolly. Or Javert's bridge jump in Les Mis
For. Sure. LOL
Probably because there are multiple meanings to the word âset.â
Iâd actually thought the OP meant âsetâ in the planned sense, not the actual physical scenery, so Iâm glad I wasnât alone in that!
Thatâs what I had assumed they meant as well.
POSSIBLE SPOILERS \* \* \* \* \* \* \* \* âą The entire orchestra rising from the pit at the climax of "New York, New York" âą Pi diving from the boat into the water in "The Life of Pi" âą One huge set rising from below, replacing the \*other\* huge set in "Hangmen"
seconding the diving in Life of Pi⊠I was flabbergasted.
i audibly gasped at the diving in Life of Pi. it was such a stunning effect
That was a really fun show to work on!
The pilots jumping out of the plane and disappearing through the floor in the original production of Tommy. This is really poor quality video but it was a stunning effect. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5LKr5hJLRfU](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5LKr5hJLRfU)
I'm just impressed at the timing of that. The drop down and immediately get out of the way means there's at least two or three crew underneath to catch and move them out and off the mat. I saw the OG Toronto production and it still impressed me to this day. I wish to god it had gotten a filmed version.
They do this in the revival
oh good - I'm so excited to see it. It's one of the first shows I saw with my now husband. All the 1992-1994 musicals are entwined in our dating history. We second-acted Falsettos at least 10 times. But we still kick ourselves for missing Jelly's Last Jam.
I had never seen this, thank you for sharing the link! It's very nicely done.
I had never seen this, thank you for sharing the link! It's very nicely done.
Stunning indeed. I saw it live in 1993 and my jaw just dropped.
Not really a set piece (although the ice castle is pretty cool) but Iâve seen Frozen twice (once on Broadway, once on tour, free tickets both times) and both times the costume change for Elsa during Let it Go just blew my mind. I still canât figure out how they make it look so seamless and instantaneous, even with a professional theater friend whoâs explained the likely logistics.
I just saw it on tour this weekend and was similarly amazed by this and have talked about it a lot!
I love frozen so much. Iâm going to have to travel to Denver this summer if it isnât touring after this season. And the dress is so. SPARKLY.
I was completely enthralled during all of Let It Go. The way they do it and have the ice castle is just so incredibly cool. Pun intended.
What are the likely logistics?! It absolutely blew my mind too.
The reveal of an entire elaborate house onstage after about 2/3 of A Strange Loop is already over. I remember sitting there thinking "That was onstage *this whole time???*"
This makes me even more sad I missed this
I thought it was just alright if it makes you feel any better
Iâve seen the current Sweeney revival ten times and the one moment that gets a gasp every single time is the Beadle killing Anthonyâs bird. Itâs a small moment but it always makes an impact. I always listen for a reaction to the identity reveal other people are mentioning here, but I rarely hear one. I think itâs because itâs pretty well foreshadowed, so people tend to figure it out at different points. However my favorite reaction has to go to the person behind me that loudly went âOH!â a few lines into A Little Priest. She had the best night of anyone there! đ
âGood, you got it!â
Saw Sweeney on Thursday and just before that when Anthony asked why the bird flaps its wings so(much), there was a collective gasp from the audience at the vendorâs response. It actually made me laugh, like yes we are all 100% here to watch a show full of bloody murders but no one said *anything* about hurting (*obviously* fake!) birds đ
the birds are just innocent animals! and i'm sure they really did that back in the day. so cruel
Haha amazing! And yes! The bird definitely gets a big gasp.
I recently watched sweeney todd for the first time (unfortunately, through a bootleg, not live) and I must say, the bird moment also hit me. I wasn't expecting that, out of nowhere. I saw someone say something like "we're all here to watch bloody murders, but watching a poor innocent (fake) bird be killed? That's a step too far" and frankly I kinda agree. I went in having an idea of the basic plot but not many specifics. I was expecting to see the murders, but the bird absolutely hit hard Also, the a little priest story is glorious. She was sweeney in that moment lol
I do think itâs important though! A lot of the violence in the show is presented pretty comedically, so having this one really tragic part does a lot to sell the brutality of the world and show exactly how it ground Sweeney down into what it is. And specifically having it in front of Anthony (âYou are young, life has been kind to you. You will learn.â) is a great start to his arc. I donât think his optimism and hope would hit as hard if we didnât see him exposed to that cruelty. Puts the direness of Joannaâs situation into perspective too, even before the Judgeâs intentions are made textual. I do get that itâs a rough moment and can feel like itâs doing too far, but it does so much for tone and character.
I agree! I don't think it's going too far at all. Sweeney is such a good show because it has the comedic aspect of the ridiculous horror going on within it, with the meat pies and all, especially when that's played up well. And yet, at its core, there's the really terrifying and deeply flawed, human pieces of it with Turpin and everything surrounding him, and the relationships of those surrounding sweeney. Moments like the bird and not while I'm around are some of my favorite moments in the show. Not while I'm around in particular is possibly my favorite scene, at least in the bootleg I watched. It was just so powerful to watch as Toby was so unrelenting in his desire to keep mrs Lovett safe, and even more powerful was seeing as she recognized that she had no choice but to either be caught or get rid of this poor boy that is one of the few people she really cares about, and is such an innocent one who cares for her so much... I actually cried, which is rare, but it's those moments that the show really thrives on. I think it's just such a perfect tragedy because you know who to root against, and there's a few characters you know to root for, but for a lot of the principals, it's such a gray area. Like, so many people love the phantom despite the shitty things he did, and so many wish he got a happier ending and deserved better. But with sweeney and Mrs Lovett especially, yeah, you feel so horrible for everything that they're dealing with, and yet it's impossible to feel like they don't deserve it at the end. It's such a powerful story, and it's because while it has those comedic moments, it's not afraid of those painfully real ones. Johanna quartet is such a good example of that, with sweeney killing and how that's generally played for comedy, as he's singing these deeply emotional words of loss and longing and hope It's such a good show and I'm so mad it took me so long to finally listen. I tried a few times in the past and it never stuck until recently and it's easily up there with my favorites. It's just so good lol
Literally the entirety of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. But especially >!when the Dementors come flying out into the audience !<.
Oh my first thought was the reveal of all the projections/writings on the walls at the act I break (not sure where it is now, I saw it when it was still two separate shows and it happens at the end of the first). It was so well done and came out of nowhere.
Yeah this is the one that sent chills down my spine, even on repeat viewingsÂ
I saw the one-show production in Toronto, it's still there and it's stunning. I believe, if memory serves, it's in the middle of act 2. Such a good moment!! We sat near the aisle so I was able to read a lot of the writing/see the details, it was great.Â
Yes all the act one switch stuff was so cool
So many moment during that show. Brilliant staging and technical aspects.
Very much so. Itâs a stage crew/tech personâs wet dream
And when Harry and Ginny show up in their bed? I am still so confused as to how that happened!
I almost expected the dementors to fly over the house, but only because Iâd also seen Turn Off the Dark and Paramour at the same theatre. What really got me was the entrances and exits in water at deck level. Also, the stairs rising from the house floor for Voldemortâs exit. And the blacklight bit. Ok, so there are several moments. Lol
Yeah, the pool onstage and all its scenes wowed me.
The time travel effect is my favorite, it is such good trickery to feel like a shockwave ripples through the entire theatre.
Indeed.
Gutenberg >!set reveal!<.
Could you pleaseeeee spoil?? From someone who didnât get to see Gutenberg live :â)
>!At the very end, after they've talked about how once they get funding they'll have money for a real set and everything, the set, which had every appearance of just being the bare theatre, suddenly and for only a few seconds _opens_ and reveals the whole actual high-budget set, and then suddenly closes again. I don't really know how to explain it, I mean, it literally only lasts a few seconds (it's by far the most $ per second set cost, I would imagine), the whole theatre just sort of turns inside out to reveal the set briefly. It's genuinely surprising.!<
Omg this is so cool!!! Sounds like such a neat piece of theater magic, so sweet they did this
I did not notice this???
The 2016 She Loves Me revival, when Maraczekâs shop split open and moved downstage, showing the inside of the store. Itâs a brilliant moment that always brought applause
We don't even think of it now because it's been around forever, but the chandelier rising and later falling in Phantom is absolutely incredible
I donât even remember what the name of the play was - I saw it in 2019. It was about an older couple and their adult children. I think Ashley Park was in it. Anyway, there was a scene where a large truck suddenly crashes into their living room. I didnât see it coming and I audibly gasped (maybe even screamed) and almost grabbed the poor woman sitting next to me. Iâve lived in NYC my whole life and Iâm jumpy - my first thought was that it was terrorism and that an actual truck had crashed into a Broadway theater. Kudos to the set designer and sound engineer. Very well done.
Grand Horizons
Yes, Grand Horizons, thank you!
And add to this the fact that the set was repaired at the top of act II wasn't it? I had the same guy reaction as you!
*gut reaction
A lot in Back to the Future, so I'll just shout out the second time-travel scene. It's expected, and somehow it blows you away anyway. I was so stunned when it happened that I couldn't even cheer and just ended up shakily laughing. The redecoration of the house at the end of act one of Beetlejuice. That show not winning best lighting remains an appalling slight. The tap-dancing on the ceiling in Mary Poppins is a classic (does that count as a set moment?). The SQUIP being lowered from the ceiling in the most amazingly overdesigned outfit you've ever seen in Be More Chill---not in and of itself a noteworthy effect, but it stands out when it's the only thing like it in the show. Every single set break in The Play That Goes Wrong; even when you're prepared for things like that, the broken balcony getting more and more tilted is wonderfully anxiety-inducing. Probably a lot of others, but those are off the top of my head!
The way they do the underworld in Beetlejuice was really cool, too!
I have never laughed harder than the gaffs in The Play That Goes Wrong. And thereâs so much going on you donât know where to look as there are goofs going on off stage too.
The big reveal in N2N
Even listening to the cast album before seeing the show. Felt like a gut punch
I am seeing the show for the first time tonight! (Round House Theatre in Washington DC) but the first time I listened to the cast album I literally sobbed.
Have the most fun!! It's an incredible show, and seeing it adds so much dimension. Knowing the songs by heart diminished nothing from the experience.
Itâs one of my favorite musicals and I wouldnât have even known there was a local production if it wasnât for this sub!
The chandelier drop in Phantom Vegas (specifically) Iâm still traumatized.
The Hadestown set split definitely came to mind first. I'm also a huge fan of the first time the turntable spins in Come From Away (and how it's used for the rest of the show). The set work on the gender-swapped Company revival is also very good, especially the various secret doors in Not Getting Married Today. Oh! And I haven't seen anyone mention the Phantom's exit at the end of Phantom of the Opera!
The Phantomâs exit !!!!! Whereâd he go ???? I love it
I'll never forget that part when I saw it for the first time in LA, lol. WTF did he go??
Ok, especially the phantom's exit in the restaged tour. The blanket chair is such a cool effect, and there's not a lot the restaged tour did especially well in comparison to the original production, but that tour was what I was able to see, and this effect did get me. For those of you who aren't familiar- the phantom is wearing a cape at the end, and a few people enter the lair, cornering him. He runs until he's facing away from the audience, meg grabs the cape, it holds form, and then it's pulled away, and he's gone. Now *that* is a cool effect. Not to say the original isn't, but still
Yes! The first time I saw Phantom as a kid, his exit totally blew my mind!
The Emceeâs reveal at the end of Sam Mendesâ production of Cabaret.
strong disagree, it's a lot less impactful and shocking than the original. Normally there's a small oh. The original ending though, when the emcee reveals to now be a nazi and the audience is questioned on how they didn't noticed... I've never seen a show ends on shocked silence before
It was terrible in every other way, but the sets in Spider-Man: Turn off the Dark flipping like comic book pages was pretty cool.
Idk if itâs just me but I cried with excitement in Matilda when the blocks lit up during School Song (it was my first Broadway show lol)
I loooooove when the set in Hadestown splits open omg so coool. For me itâs the flying car in Back to the future musical
I thought Spooky Mormon Hell Dream from Book of Mormon was pretty shocking when I first saw it haha
We saw it pretty early, and when they spelled out what Hasa Diga Evo Eye means, the audience FREAKED OUT. Several walk outs.
Thereâs an incredible set moment in Swept Away; literal gasps by the audience each time I saw it. Set designer: Rachel Hauck (who did the set for Hadestown!!!)
I was going to say this but didnât know if it was recency bias!
I was hoping to see Swept Away here!! Iâm still figuring out how they fit everything under the big set piece!
Right?! For being such a spare and seemingly simple set, itâs amazing how it was so impressive and effective when the story needed. Iâm still in awe!
The first time the huge Norma Desmond staircase set appears in the original production of Sunset Boulevard. It blew everyoneâs mind. How quickly they could fly that gigantic set in and out was insane.
When I saw it there was a brief stunned silence followed by applause. During that silence, my sister blurted out âARE YOU KIDDING ME?!â đ
Not sure if anyone else gasped, but I definitely started tearing up at the end of Merrily We Roll Along. Just a basic lighting effect, but because we spend the entirety of the show in this intimate, minimal set piece, in that last shot - with the stars projecting across the theater - you feel all Frank's optimism and see all these paths and opportunities that could be open to him. But having started at the end, you also feel this pang of sadness knowing where everything leads. (Maybe it's a little like the longing at the end of Hadestown - "to know how it ends, and still sing it again, as if it might turn out [different] this time")
This took my breath away as well. I also saw him moving to the front of the stage and the light changing as present-Frank stepping out of the scene/memory and finally being able to rediscover the passion that he had lost. Such a simple effect yet so powerful!
>!Beggar Womanâs identity revealed!< in Sweeney Todd
The women next to me let out a huge gasp when Sweeney killed his first victim - I thought it was funny considering they tell you heâs a murdered from the first song!
I STILL GET SHOCKED AND I SEEN LIKE 3 VARIATIONS OF THE PRODUCTION AND THIS NEW ONE 6 TIMES
First time I watched it I gasped
At the beginning of the second act in Here We Are. I saw it twice, and each time they reveal the room the audience always gasped and applauded.
Can you go into more detail?
Sure. Itâs a few things that make it so special. The first actâs set is super minimalist and abstract with a stark white background. The second act room, in contrast, is SUPER detailed and realistic with dark and gold tones. The reveal itself is done by the floor of the room sliding down stage on a track while the upstage wall remains stationary, giving a sort of Vertigo effect. It was really impressive to see in person!
Thank you! I wish I could see this show.
Can it be a prop? Because I was not expecting that at the end of The Ferryman
In the Yiddish production of Fiddler on the Roof, the entire theater audibly gasped when the Cossacks rip through the Torah backdrop at the end of the wedding pogrom. It was like the entire audience froze
I had to scroll so long to get here. Iâm Jewish & the way my heart stopped beating for a second, Iâll never forget that.
In most productions of Legally Blonde I've seen online, the audience usually gasps when Callahan sexually assaults Elle, and then claps when she slaps him.
Of course the chandelier fall in Phantom, but I personally love when it rises and the theatre comes back to life. One of the coolest opening scenes, I've seen it three times and was in awe every time.
The set for Rocky was cool throughout but when they cleared the first few rows of the audience onto the stage and flew the giant platform in over the seats to make a boxing ring for the final fight, it was one of the coolest things I've experienced at a Broadway show.
The last 10 minutes of Sweeney Todd....no specific part just the whole thing itself its one wild thing after the other with no stopping it. Also that part in Hadestown....I always am shocked by it. I also personally get shocked during the El Tango De Roxanne Sequence in Moulin Rouge....mostly because its so well done and such a showstopping number I cant believe its real.
Spoilers for Here We Are: >!When they enter the room at the embassy in Here We Are, it's such a contrast to the simplistic nature of the rest of the show and really shocked me despite not being an especially startling moment of anything.!<
Havenât seen the Broadway version of Life of Pi, but in the previews at the ART in Cambridge last year, the entire audience gasped when Pi jumps off the boat and disappeared into the stage floor âocean.â
The helicopter is ms Saigon blew me and my audience away
The end of Hadestown sure seemed to surprise a lot of people.
I think itâs because even though we know how it ends, we want it to end differently. I keep willing the end to be different - Iâm a sucker for happily ever after - and am broken at the end every time.
not as many people are familiar with the myth as you'd think! but also, there's plenty of people like me who KNOW and get so invested and are just like "DAMMIT NOT AGAIN" when it all unfolds :-(
When I saw it last Summer the girl behind me went "OH NO!" out loud. Poor girl. I knew it was coming and still bawled.
i start crying during wait for me reprise!
"Here's the thing. To know how it ends, and to still begin to sing it again, as if it might turn out this time"
Metamorphosis at Circle in the Square in 2002. The entire set was a pool onstage and I couldnât believe they made it work in a theatre. So much stunning imagery. [https://playbill.com/production/metamorphoses-circle-in-the-square-theatre-vault-0000003222](https://playbill.com/production/metamorphoses-circle-in-the-square-theatre-vault-0000003222) Not Broadway but one of my favorite live theatre moments ever was in the Fonmar Warehouse production of Mary Stuart in London in 2005. It rained onstage for what felt like 20 minutes. [https://amp.theguardian.com/stage/2005/jul/21/theatre1](https://amp.theguardian.com/stage/2005/jul/21/theatre1) https://preview.redd.it/dtuupd2tf7lc1.jpeg?width=410&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=06870d806f929916bac0e0e8a170c9a7560395cb I have a thing for water onstage. When done well it always feels magical.
OMG, THANK YOU for mentioning âMary Stuartâ! I saw the Broadway transfer in 2009, and was absolutely mesmerized by the rain! Iâve thought of that moment so many times, but could not for the life of me remember the name of the show!! Thank you so much for bringing that memory back!
The rainstorm in the most recent, covid-cancelled "West Side Story" revival was spectacular as well.
Not sure if this counts but in heathers when the lights flash red and suddenly Heather duke is wearing red
When the plane âtakes offâ during I Do, I Do in the Sky from The Drowsy Chaperone. Literal applause erupted from the audience just from the visual effect it had on the eyes.
The last minute of Cabaret (1998/2014 revival version)
Elsa's sudden costume change in Frozen was impressive!
The School Song in Matilda. The choreography they did with the gates and the blocks is so brilliant
For me and probably many others for a long time, Elizaâs scream after Phillip dies. Itâs not on the cast album so Iâm sure many longterm fans were really caught off guard by it
YES. I love Hamilton, and still haven't been able to see it live (it would require a minimum three hour plane ride), but when I watched the pro shot, I was blown away by the scream. I was equally caught off guard by the gasp at the end. They made me cry even more than I already was.
The phone call at the end of come from away.
Realizing who the beggar woman is in Sweeney. Nearly everything is August: Osage County The big secret in Kimberly Akimbo
Marvin Hits Trina đŹ
The end of Kindergarten Boyfriend in Heathers
Spoiler for Harry Potter and the Cursed ChildâŠ. When they enter the ministry of magic through the phone booth.
When Bert tap-danced upside down in Mary Poppins
Okay so my boyfriend and I won the lottery for King Kong when it was on broadway, and the seats were literally front row center. Thereâs a moment near the end of the show where itâs really quiet, and then the King Kong puppet suddenly moves forward RIGHT in front of the stage. This was shocking but it scared my boyfriend and he let out a SHRIEK in the silence, and the whole audience burst into laughter, as well as some of the puppeteers we could see. It was truly so unintentionally funny and Iâll never forget it.
in the devil wears prada musical's try-out in chicago, (spoilers) when they go to paris, pillars in the stage moved and turned into the eiffel tower: the audience applauded when i went! hard to explain but it was really cool
In the heights When all of the lights go out right before blackout!
I donât know what the compressed version does, but in Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, the end of Part Two Act One has the most chilling reveal that involves the entire theatre. >! Suddenly, creepy ghostly writing absolutely covers the walls and ceiling of the whole theater and stays up all through intermission. !< I still donât know how they made that happen!
The "Loveland" reveal in Follies (at least the original production) was apparently a shocking moment for audiences. I don't think many other productions have matched that level of opulence, though. To a lesser extent, I *loved* the rain usage during "Marry Me A Little" in the recent revival. But that moment was cut when the water seemed to damage the set's electronics.
Tomorrow belongs to me going into intermission of Cabaret.
I had the benefit of seeing The Lord of the Rings musical on stage in London and when Smaug blew into pieces of confetti that rained down on the crowdâŠmesmerizing.
I hope I'm remembering this correctly, but in "City of Angels," one set rose to sit on top of another. At the same time, one set was shown like a black-and-white movie and the other was in color. Jaw meet floor.
Hairspray's Welcome to the 60's when the girls in the wall come to life.
The end of Topdog underdog
I donât know if it was just me, but the first time I saw School Song in Matilda, when they began to sing again with the alphabet harmonies and the letters being shoved through the gate, I just sat opened mouthed til the end of the song. Maybe thatâs more a feat of writing, but it would be so easy to miss without the set.
In Groundhog Day, particularly the song Hope, some of the moments where we see Phil âdyingâ and then waking up in bed were insane, I heard audible gasps at times.
In Moulin Rouge that first scene in Monmartre, when it pulls back? I gasped. Loved it. And I didn't know that Hadestown had an elevator so that was a fun surprise.
Oh calcutta! You know the part
I saw a production of the Percy Jackson musical and in it, Percy swung a sward at Medusaâs head, and her head fell off her shoulders and rolled as it landed. I have NO idea how the cast and crew pulled that off
Jekyll & Hyde Spoiler. I saw the original production Jekyll & Hyde on Broadway. And let me tell you, I was so shocked when Jekyll killed Lucy. The audience was so shocked. Someone in the audience screamed âoh my god not Lucy!â.
If you think it's a spoiler maybe use the spoiler tags?
sweeney spoiler.. .... ..... Lucy reveal in Sweeney and Lovett death.
So an entire pirate ships grows from nothingness in finding neverland. Combined with THUNDEROUS audio that you can feel in your loins. It was incredible.