Sadly in the London Production [the chandelier] falls very slowly because of Health and Safety. I always wanted to have a block of seats in the middle of the stalls that were 50p each and you had to sign a form, saying “I sit in this seat at my own risk” and really have the chandelier belting down.
In the Australian Production – naturally, them being Australians – the chandelier comes down at a hundred miles an hour and stops an inch above the heads of the audience, and is much more exciting.
I’ve seen chandeliers fall now at productions all over the world and you can kind of tell which country you’re in by the speed of the chandelier.
Richard Stilgoe, Co-Lyricist on Andrew Lloyd-Webber’s Phantom of the Opera [in regard to his feelings on the Falling of the Chandelier and International Productions] (via
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oh man, the one I watched in Singapore had it lowering like a really weird, ugly UFO. I was so sad.
(via arrghigiveup)
For my mum’s sixtieth birthday, we went to Vegas and saw Phantom, which she was SUPER EXCITED about. The house seats (which are directly under the chandelier) were open, so we managed to change our tickets for them.
I didn’t think about what this might mean until about two minutes before the chandelier falls. I believe that the Vegas chandelier has air jets in it, because it fell, the theatre went dark, it jolted to a stop very near to the top of my head, and I swear to god I felt air blow down the back of my neck. I’m shocked neither of us had a damn heart attack.
I’m not a giant Phantom fan, but that was a pretty badass moment in my theatregoing career.
kototyph 