All,
As we took a recess last month, we wanted to make sure we got a Cerca Trova up right on time tonight (Friday)-- as it's now officially the 1st of December. As I write this, I just got off the phone with Danny Garcia, Wayne, and Dana-- they've been shooting all day today and will continue to all throughout the weekend. The first thing Wayne mentioned on the phone, however, was that they've got some hilarious outtakes. And that got me thinking.
What are some of YOUR best outtakes? What are some of your most memorable blunders, mistakes, or mess-ups, and how did you get through it? Whether it be an act of god (ie, a bird flew into your IT line in the middle of a floating bill routine), a heckler, or a genuine screw up-- how did you get through it? Your reaction can be exponentially more important than the mistake itself.
I'll share my own to get things going. It was around December of 2000-- and it was one of my first big theatrical performances. I was 13. This was in front of a sold out crowd of around 1,200-- one show, one night. I was nervous as hell as I had only done a few theatrical performances at the time, and that affected my focus-- and my preparation.
The last effect in the show was Gypsy Thread (Gary Ouellet). The rest of the show was flawless, and this was just the home stretch. The last 3 minutes of a 90 minute show. In the beginning the effect and the music, lighting, and ambiance was perfect. The thread was torn into pieces. The pieces were clearly shown. The music began to build up. The pieces were rolled into a small ball. The ball was then slowly unraveled... when it happened. The ball of thread became tangled. Badly tangled. 100% more tangled than it should have. 101% more tangled than it should have.
This was the concluding moment-- the last minute of one of my first big shows. As I stared at the tangled wad of thread glowing in the blacklight on the stage-- music crescendo'ing-- I yelled at it in my head "PLEASE UNRAVEL. PLEASE UNRAVEL." It wasn't listening to me. It didn't unravel.
Keeping myself moving, I laughed, I said "not only have the pieces fully restored into a solid line of thread, but they have magically tangled themselves together into a magical... ball... of... tangled... thread." The audience laughed. The rapport built up over the rest of the night redeemed itself, and it really wasn't a big deal after all. While it was the most memorable minute of the show for me, it certainly wasn't for them. They remember the peaks, not the valleys. You don't ever remember the comedian's bad jokes-- the ones that only get a half hearted laugh. You remember the best ones.
I learned from this. I dealt with it. I moved on. And the next time I performed it-- it went off without a hitch.
That's my story. What's yours?
As we took a recess last month, we wanted to make sure we got a Cerca Trova up right on time tonight (Friday)-- as it's now officially the 1st of December. As I write this, I just got off the phone with Danny Garcia, Wayne, and Dana-- they've been shooting all day today and will continue to all throughout the weekend. The first thing Wayne mentioned on the phone, however, was that they've got some hilarious outtakes. And that got me thinking.
What are some of YOUR best outtakes? What are some of your most memorable blunders, mistakes, or mess-ups, and how did you get through it? Whether it be an act of god (ie, a bird flew into your IT line in the middle of a floating bill routine), a heckler, or a genuine screw up-- how did you get through it? Your reaction can be exponentially more important than the mistake itself.
I'll share my own to get things going. It was around December of 2000-- and it was one of my first big theatrical performances. I was 13. This was in front of a sold out crowd of around 1,200-- one show, one night. I was nervous as hell as I had only done a few theatrical performances at the time, and that affected my focus-- and my preparation.
The last effect in the show was Gypsy Thread (Gary Ouellet). The rest of the show was flawless, and this was just the home stretch. The last 3 minutes of a 90 minute show. In the beginning the effect and the music, lighting, and ambiance was perfect. The thread was torn into pieces. The pieces were clearly shown. The music began to build up. The pieces were rolled into a small ball. The ball was then slowly unraveled... when it happened. The ball of thread became tangled. Badly tangled. 100% more tangled than it should have. 101% more tangled than it should have.
This was the concluding moment-- the last minute of one of my first big shows. As I stared at the tangled wad of thread glowing in the blacklight on the stage-- music crescendo'ing-- I yelled at it in my head "PLEASE UNRAVEL. PLEASE UNRAVEL." It wasn't listening to me. It didn't unravel.
Keeping myself moving, I laughed, I said "not only have the pieces fully restored into a solid line of thread, but they have magically tangled themselves together into a magical... ball... of... tangled... thread." The audience laughed. The rapport built up over the rest of the night redeemed itself, and it really wasn't a big deal after all. While it was the most memorable minute of the show for me, it certainly wasn't for them. They remember the peaks, not the valleys. You don't ever remember the comedian's bad jokes-- the ones that only get a half hearted laugh. You remember the best ones.
I learned from this. I dealt with it. I moved on. And the next time I performed it-- it went off without a hitch.
That's my story. What's yours?