God of Carnage falls prey to theatrical gremlins
March 28th, 2008, 4:11 pm Hobbies Ideas
According to theatrical legend, the shortest run in showbiz history was The
Lady of Lyons in 1838. The curtain got stuck on the opening night, the
audience went home and that was it.
I offer this historical titbit as comfort to the cast of God of Carnage, whose
opening night on Tuesday was nearly ruined when a workman in a nearby side
street severed power cables, plunging the theatre into darkness. At least
they were in modern dress: I was once caught onstage during a power failure,
and as the show was Mamma Mia! I had to grope my way into the wings in
platform heels and a gold Lurex codpiece.
First nights are ghastly ordeals for actors. A recent study indicates that the
stress endured is equivalent to being involved in a minor car crash, and
that’s without the intervention of the utilities. Everybody there is willing
you to succeed or fail, and the only reaction from the darkness of the
auditorium (or as the actor David Haig perfectly describes it, the abyss)
is the forced laughter of friends and family or the equally deafening
silence from critics and bitter rivals.
And if things are going to go wrong, they’ll do so then, when everyone is shot
through with adrenalin and the only expression is a collective rictus grin.
Recent first-night gremlins have included a rogue sprinkler system drenching
the stage before The History Boys, and a recalcitrant revolve at the Adelphi
Theatre - ensuring that while Joseph may have had his dreamcoat, he had to
manage without his troupe of Ishmaelites, who were supposed to ride on but
were marooned in the wings.
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