In Which I Share My Favorite Onstage (and Offstage) Moments and Mishaps from 6 Theatrical Productions

Ah, live theatre. Part of what makes a live show so exciting is that anything could happen at any time and the actors will be forced to find a way to carry on. There isn't any way to cut and start over; you have to be quick on your feet. I have many wild tales to tell about the past two plays and four musicals I've been a part of in the past couple of years (as well as some of my favorite pictures to share!).

Beauty and the Beast Jr.

This show was extra special because it was my first true musical and the entire cast was so supportive. Every single person felt so special, from the leads to the ensemble. A lot of my initial nerves about singing and dancing onstage vanished (not completely, but mostly) after we took our final curtain call.

Favorite onstage moment: I always looked forward to "Gaston." The song is funny and lively and we got to bang old-timey mugs together throughout the dance break. It was a crowd favorite, for sure.

Favorite offstage moment: Helping with the transition from "Human Again" to "Beauty and the Beast." Belle and the Beast only had a minute to change out of their older costumes into the iconic ones worn in "Beauty and the Beast," so while the castle servants were singing the end of "Human Again," the rest of us backstage were frantically helping Belle to change into her gown and the Beast into his coat. He had these massive paw-like gloves on, so it was up to us to untie his cape and get his coat on and give him the magic mirror to hide away so he could present it to Belle later. It was all kinds of stressful during that time crunch, but there was something exhilarating about getting it done with seconds to spare. The rest of us backstage would always high-five each other for a job well done once "Beauty and the Beast" started.


Favorite mishap: I can't remember any mishaps at the moment, but I was definitely scared of knocking all the books off my shelf in my little bookshop during "Belle." To give myself some stage business, I kept rearranging the books or dusting them, but knowing my klutzy self, I had to focus on carefully placing them back on the shelf instead of dropping them on the stage.


A Christmas Carol

My first show at the Hershey Area Playhouse! I love the intimate staging and the general vibe of the whole place. Every show there is an absolute joy. This was especially exciting because it was Max's first show where he was onstage instead of behind-the-scenes, and both of us got a considerable number of lines.


Favorite onstage moment: It's hard to choose, but I looked forward to Fred's party each night because I got to wear a pretty dress where I wasn't drowning in layers and it was one of the more joyous scenes. I ran around the stage and giggled with the other girls as we played games and laughed at each other's jokes. But I also enjoyed any time when I sang carols in other scenes.


Favorite offstage moment: During intermission, I would go to the dressing room with the other teen girls and we'd practice our harmony while singing "Milkshake" (the "Riverdale" version). It became a nightly ritual.


Favorite mishap: There were a small handful of dropped lines or missed cues, but the one that amused me the most was during the Fezziwig party scene where all the guests danced to my violin playing of "Roger de Coverly." Since it was only me on the violin, I would start playing and the dancers would clap along to add an extra bounce to the song and scene. It was tons of fun. But as they got more comfortable with the song and dance steps, each night they began clapping faster and faster, which forced me to play even faster to keep up with them. By closing night, my fingers were sore and had blisters and rosin flew up in clouds of dust from my bow scraping against the strings so quickly.

Peter Pan Jr.

This show continues to be my favorite theatre experience. Not only was it my first time playing the lead, but it was my first time playing a villainous, comedic role. My entire pirate crew was a rowdy, fun-loving bunch, making each scene a joy to play out.

Favorite onstage moment: Easily "Hook's Waltz." As I mentioned in my end-of-the-year wrap-up, this was my favorite song to sing every night, because it was the best one for my vocal range, the most fun when it came to choreography, and it came at the climax of the show when I was running on pure adrenaline. At that point in the show, I was completely settled into my character and no longer nervous about the audience in front of me. From that song all the way to the end of the final battle with Peter, I was having the time of my life.


Favorite offstage moment: Any time I wasn't onstage, I was usually guzzling water and trying to mitigate the amount of sweat dripping from my face, so I didn't have a lot of time to do anything but prep for the next scene. But, during "I Won't Grow Up," the pirates all sang along backstage to provide extra volume, and, of course, we made up our own obnoxious choreography. It made us laugh each night.


Favorite mishap: I didn't find it funny at the time, but now that the show has passed, it's a great theatrical anecdote. There were two major mishaps that happened on the same night (my first night as Hook onstage):

1. My costume combined with the lights made me ridiculously sweaty, so by the time I reached the "Tarantella," I was drenched. Right at the point when I was supposed to flick my wrist in the air, my hook flew off and clattered (loudly) across the stage. Keep in mind that during dress rehearsal, I'd said, "I'll be fine so long as my hook doesn't fall off," so I'd basically cursed myself. Luckily, my double (the one who would play Hook on the nights I didn't) was there to do damage control. Throughout the night, he stuffed the inside of my hook with paper towels so I could keep a better grip on it. Future crises averted!

2. When I spun around to face Peter Pan, who had just snuck onto the ship, I noticed that Ava (the actress playing Peter) was holding her weapon in one hand and her mic pack in the other. I tried not to be distracted by the fact that she was going to have a difficult time doing our fight scene one-handed and kept going with my lines. Then, right as I drew my own weapon, the mic clipped onto my jacket fell off and dangled by my feet, making horrible noises as it dragged across the stage. Seconds later, the guy in the sound booth turned my mic off, so not only did I have to focus on not stepping on it as I fought Ava, but I also had to shout every one of my lines so the audience could hear me. It was a whirlwind of a scene.


Once Upon a Mattress

This show was pure fun. I loved each song I was in and our entire cast was so talented. It's the perfect example of a situation where being in the ensemble is just as enjoyable as being a named character. We all had a blast.

Favorite onstage moment: It's a tie between "Opening for a Princess" and "Spanish Panic" which leads right into "Song of Love." "Opening" is the perfect opening number to get an audience excited about the story to come. It took us a long time to get the timing of the lyrics down along with our complicated footwork, but once it came together, it looked fantastic. And "Spanish Panic" is a relentlessly tiring dance number that causes everyone to collapse on the ground (literally - it's in the script) and drip with sweat for a few seconds before getting right back up to sing "Song of Love," which is the showstopping number that ends the first act. Those two songs got great audience reactions, and it was one of the few times almost the entire cast is onstage at once.

Favorite offstage moment: Several nights, during a duet between Lady Larken and Sir Harry ("Yesterday I Loved You"), the actor who played Prince Dauntless would come down to the green room to entertain us all (mostly me) by miming the entirety of the song (both parts!). It never failed to make us giggle and became a running joke. Here's a clip of the final night he did it:

Favorite mishap: I remember all of us trying not to audibly snicker onstage when the queen accidentally said to Prince Dauntless something along the lines of, "I went through this whole heartbreaking process to find you a suitable prince" instead of "a suitable princess" because the actor playing Dauntless was gay and he seemed to be holding back laughter himself. We joked about it endlessly after the show.

Lion King Jr.

This was a beautiful musical! I was really impressed with everyone's hard work, cast and crew, to turn this junior show into something that seemed really professional. Several people who watched it said that they cried or even liked it better than what they saw on Broadway. I loved being a part of it.

Favorite onstage moment: The very first scene where the hyenas come on was my favorite one to do. I got to cackle along with the other two, be generally creepy, and taunt Zazu, who happened to be played by my brother.

Favorite offstage moment: I got a big ol' break in Act Two, so Mufasa, Serafina, and I usually hung out backstage and lip synced to "Can You Feel the Love Tonight." It was a challenge not to make any noise since we were usually holding back laughter at our ridiculously dramatic (and silent) rendition of the song.


Favorite mishap: Seconds before Scar had to be onstage, he realized his fake mouse prop was missing, which was essential to his scene. Everyone else was involved in the "Circle of Life," so there was only the two of us who could try to remedy the situation. Once we realized it wasn't turning up anytime soon, I tossed him one of my furry gloves I used for my costumes and said, "Use this!" He balled it up in his hand so only the fur showed and it wouldn't be obvious that it was a glove and not a small animal, then went on right as the lights were coming up. We did find the mouse later, but there was some definite panic. It was one of the few times I was able to think quickly.

Charlotte's Web

Settling into a mom role took a long time since I'd just finished playing Banzai, but it was a fun change. I liked having my little family and messing around with my "kids" backstage.

Favorite onstage moment: Anytime Avery sassed me. He was adorable and hilarious, so it was really hard not to break character and laugh when I was supposed to be exasperated with him. But it was fun having to discipline him while he's still joking around and waving me off.


Favorite offstage moment: Doing the macarena with the rest of the cast right before curtain call. I don't even remember how it started, but it became a tradition each night as the lights dimmed on the final scene.

Favorite mishap: Our Edith had the hardest time saying the line "giving the pig a buttermilk sponge bath." For weeks during rehearsal she'd say "pilk" instead of "pig," which, of course, the rest of the cast teased her about endlessly. The couple times she accidentally said "pilk" during a show, even after saying "pig" to herself over and over again backstage to make sure she got it right, the rest of us had to fight back smirks.

Have you ever been part of a musical or play (onstage or off)? What's your favorite show? Leave a comment!