mrdreamjeans | Live Theatre

Just when I think I've seen everything, a situation comes along that underscores that timing is everything. At today's Sunday matinee, we were building toward the peak of "Man of La Mancha". Cervantes has been called by the Inquisitors and has been told by the Governor/Innkeeper that if he tells his story as well before the members of the Inquisition as he has before his fellow prisoners, that he may not burn.

We were three minutes from the end of the performance. Right after Cervantes replies, "I have no intention of burning", the fire alarm went off piercingly and we had to stop in mid-sentence, exit the stage and stand in a neighboring parking lot for 20 minutes in costume and makeup. The sell-out audience also had to be evacuated until the firefighters who responded to the call gave the all-clear.

We returned to the stage and started from the same lines; as Cervantes said, "I have no intention of burning", a huge laugh erupted from the two-thirds of the audience who stayed around to see the finish of the show. As we sang the last notes and the lights went to black, the audience began screaming and cheering which resulted in a standing ovation from the audience, an audience appreciative of irony and the unexpected.

You never know what will happen in live theatre. Damn, it's fun!