Practical jokes.

[jade]

memphis said:

Actually, no, they aren't.

Muck up matinees are regular performances but with the cast messing around. If the jokes are only noticable to people who know the show, understand the in jokes or can be assumed to be accidents then fine, if they change the show in anyway then the muck ups are no more acceptable than in any other performance. People who are seeing the show for the first time or who are fans of the show but don't read message boards/ talk to other fans/ whatever for whatever reason are going to be disappointed that they didn't get to see the show they paid their money for just like you would be if someone played a joke in any other performance.
Ashley and Buffy swapping sides in U.N.C.O.U.P.L.E.D. makes no real difference to the show, no one would know if they didn't know the show very well there is no change in performance standard. Bombalurina changing the words to her verse in Macavity certainly was noticed by the school group who were studying T.S. Elliot at the time and had come to see Cats as part of their course work it also almost caused Demeter to miss her next cue as she was laughing so hard.
Somehow I don't think the teacher would have accepted it if the theatre manager had told her that she shouldn't complain about the word changes as it's a muckup matinee so it doesn't matter.

OK, I hadn't thought of it like that. Perhaps I was wrong my previous post to say they're a "completely different story" and sometimes they're taken too far, but I think they're the one time when the cast/crew can get away with playing more jokes than normal. This is because they only happen on the day the show closes. (Am I right in thinking that's the case?) I'm sure the people who've booked to see it on that day will be aware it's closing and therefore realise that's the reason the cast are messing about.

[Tika]

Starlight Express Bochum used to allow people to do a lot of jokes and other things beside at the last show before the cast change. The thing is, they never told you at the ticket line that this would be anything but a normal show, and I frequently sat next to totally confused people who were very sorry not to have booked another show to get the real thing instead when they were told what was going on. And I always felt sorry for them.

So as for me, practical jokes are fine, as long as they are small enough to be something "for the fans". If it gets more and bigger, make sure it´s a certain date and you tell people when they ask for tickets.

[Memphis]

Muckup Matinees are generally the last matinee before a cast change so happen once or twice a year depending on the show. Certainly in the West End they are frowned upon by the theatre management and people like RUG as they are not supposed to be anything but a normal show and they get complaints from people who paid good money to see the show. If they were advertised as muckup matinees they would lose ticket sales to people not wanting to see a group of people who are supposed to be professional performers messing about.

[weeman]

Not a big fan of practical jokes at the best of times....

The Muck-up shows...mmmmm...I`m betwixt and between. Sometimes funny sometimes not. I did give a hand to Milton Keynes on his last matinee by helping him get on a bike to come down the SR ramp. This was the original version with the Engines entrance just before AC/DC. The same show we had Bobo, when asked if he had a light, doing a whole fire breathing thing. Both of these are "kind of" in character. One of my fellow Bridge-ops on his last day, spun the Bridge the wrong way round during the skate round at the end of AC/DC then had to spend the rest of the show busking his numbers.

The last day of one of the Joes on Sunset, I skipped a cue forward just before the entrance of the House. Instead of Joe pushing the car into the garage a little, I took the next cue which meant he had to keep pushing it all the way upstage....not grown up or clever....but it made Oi laff!!! Joe too.

[Wrench]

Matinee muckups shouldn't be obvious to someone who doesn't know the show. I am completely behind, f'rinstance, one of the ensemble girls walking across the back of the stage with a pillow up her jumper when Bobby C asks the guys if they've seen Pauline.

[Memphis]

Exactly what I was trying to say in way way more words Wrench. Same with any other practical joke in a show, any show, muckup matinee or techie getting his/ her own back on someone if it is only noticably planned by those in the know then all is good.

[kovitlac]

When I was in Don't Drink The Water at a local theatre here, during one show a cast member went to holler up the stairs (the top of the stairs were fortunately out of view of the audiance) and found another cast member mooning him from the top step. He nearly burst out laughing, and I believe it was a real struggle for him to stay in character.

I also think he got flashed one. Same show...

Also in that show (ha ha, we were a bunch of jokers), another cast member had to eat a really gross sandwich. We just used buttered bread, until I (I was the one who made the sandwish each night) started putting up in there for him. I used peanut butter and chips one night, tuna and cereal.... I suppose it wasn't really a practical joke on him, since I asked him beforehand (just in case he was allergic to anything), but it was funny nonetheless. Actually the most surprised person was the director! And I suppose the people in the audiance.... the stage smelled like tuna the whole show! ;D

[Ceri]

I love Muck-Up Matinees...we used to do them all the time with my old theatre company. But when I moved and joined my current one, they don't allow them... Although they occasionally slip in anyway

I agree with what Memphis said...they are funny when they affect ego only, not when they cause damage or danger. Generally playing tricks on people to hurt them is cruel, I think...but when it's just to embarrass them, that's funny

[tantopat]

I agree that pranks can be fun, as long as they're not harmful to anyone and don't ruin the show for those who aren't familiar with it. When I was working on a production of Titanic: The Musical, the iceberg piece was made using expandable foam, and no one was told about it, so for the week the show was running, the prop grew from being small enough to be held in one hand, to being the size of someone's torso (which was quite interesting for the actor who had to pick it up). Pranks like that are cool IMO, but I think that pranks that are dangerous aren't great.

[Ceri]

I think the closest I've come to that was in a production of the Wizard of Oz with my Junior school...It was a comedy, self-written version loosely based on the original story, and for the shows we'd been throwing a bucket of confetti over the witch. Naturally it was only too tempting to use water on the last night without telling her...Strangely enough her cries of alarm sounded very realistic