MC and a Phantom Blooper

from Newsweek: Feb. 8, 1988 (page 70)

HIGH-TECH MAGIC: FOLLOW THAT GONDOLA

By Jack Kroll

"...Such technical complexity seems to invite disaster, which has sometimes accepted the invitation. Jonathan Allen and Dana Kenn, (Maria) Bjornson's chief American assistant, recalls such a gala occasion.

"'Something caught in the lighting board,' says Allen, 'which went down. A flustered technician then cued the travelator which moved into some scenery, trapping a bed onstage. The candles came up under the bed. A drape flew up revealing the set from a previous scene. The Phantom's throne and organ came on, crunching the candles while the boat got stuck upstage.'

"As this Rube Goldberg foul-up escalated, the stage manager had to decide instantly whether to stop the show. He decided not to.

"'Michael and Sarah did their scene,' recalls Kenn, 'dancing around al those trapped and crunched candles. it was brilliant. They got a standing ovation.'"

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