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Kerry Ellis "Defying Gravity" mishap ?

Kerry Ellis "Defying Gravity" mishap ?

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Elphabuff2
#1Kerry Ellis "Defying Gravity" mishap ?
Posted: 4/20/08 at 11:01pm

This probably belongs on the West End board; I searched it and found nothing. I thought I might find an answer here. If not, sorry.

Anybody have any info. about the "Defying Gravity" mishap around the end of March? From what I've read, it sounds quite scary, but I haven't really found too much. Any additional info. would be appreciated. Thanks.
Updated On: 4/20/08 at 11:01 PM

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PlayhouseBeauty
#2re: Kerry Ellis 'Defying Gravity' mishap ?
Posted: 4/20/08 at 11:12pm

I haven't heard anything...what happened to her?

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Elphabuff2
#2re: Kerry Ellis 'Defying Gravity' mishap ?
Posted: 4/20/08 at 11:27pm

I should have probably been more specific. From what I've researched so far, here's what I've come up with: Kerry seems a little delayed in saying "It's not her..." but she gets there nonetheless. She continues,

"She has nothing to do with it; I'm the one you want!" (She takes an additional pause.)

Loud gasp.

"Ahhhh!" (startled)

"Let me out!"
(At this point, Dianne either says "Elphie!" or "Kerry!")

"Stop it!" (panicked)

"STOP!" (angrily panicked)

Music stops right where Kerry would normally finish "western sky!"

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shh282
#3re: Kerry Ellis 'Defying Gravity' mishap ?
Posted: 4/20/08 at 11:28pm

oh my... that does not sound good..

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millie_dillmount
#4re: Kerry Ellis 'Defying Gravity' mishap ?
Posted: 4/20/08 at 11:30pm

I'm still confused. Was there a problem with her health or something onstage or what?


"We like to snark around here. Sometimes we actually talk about theater...but we try not to let that get in our way." - dramamama611

viola13
#5re: Kerry Ellis 'Defying Gravity' mishap ?
Posted: 4/20/08 at 11:33pm

While I have no idea what actually happened to prompt Kerry's shouts, I did hear that the curtain quickly came down, but the show continued a little bit later, with Defying Gravity done without the lift.
Updated On: 4/20/08 at 11:33 PM

Conor2
#6re: Kerry Ellis 'Defying Gravity' mishap ?
Posted: 4/20/08 at 11:36pm

She wasn't hooked into the lift properly and it started to go up. She felt unsafe, so she began to yell (LET ME OFF! STOP IT!). The music stopped, there was silence, the curtain came down, and then the scene restarted without the use of the lift. The whole mishap lasted less than 2 minutes, and Kerry was a little shaken, but uninjured.

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legally_popular
#7re: Kerry Ellis 'Defying Gravity' mishap ?
Posted: 4/20/08 at 11:40pm

I tried finding out info about this too, so I’ll try to explain what I’ve learned so far…

So during Defying Gravity, the Elphaba steps on to the lift, pushes against the lever with her back, the arms secure her in and she defies gravity. Supposedly, Kerry accidently pushed the lever with her arm (while whipping around the cape, I think) and the arms closed before she was safely on the lift. Her body was preventing the arms from closing all the way. And then she was yelling for it to stop.

That’s all I’ve heard so far. I don’t know if the lift ending up rising with her only half on it or what, but geez.. sounds pretty scary.

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winston89
#8re: Kerry Ellis 'Defying Gravity' mishap ?
Posted: 4/21/08 at 12:16am

I know ( and this is from a video I saw with Block on tour explaning how the lift works) that in order for the lift to go up safe the actress playing Elphaba would press a button on the back of the lift that would send two arms of the lift around the actress and it would go up. If the actress is not in place then she doesn't defy gravity.

This is the first time I have heard of a situation where she (the actress playing the role) goes up part way and stops and re starts without the lift.


"If you try to shag my husband while I am still alive, I will shove the art of motorcycle maintenance up your rancid little Cu**. That's a good dear" Tom Stoppard's Rock N Roll

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suicidalmickeymouse
#9re: Kerry Ellis 'Defying Gravity' mishap ?
Posted: 4/21/08 at 10:55am

Oh my god! That sounds terrible.


Hunter: Your teeth need whitening./ Heidi: You sound weird./ Jeff: You taste funny.
-Jeff Bowen's worst onstage line flub.

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SirNotAppearing
#10re: Kerry Ellis 'Defying Gravity' mishap ?
Posted: 4/21/08 at 11:23am

From what I've heard, apparently the curtain closed and 20 minutes go by without an explanation. The music started back up and Kerry was heard yelling "it's not her, I'm the one you want" bla bla bla. The curtain went up and she ran to the front of the stage. The chorus crouched around her and she belted out the end beautifully.

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hollywearsprada
#11re: Kerry Ellis 'Defying Gravity' mishap ?
Posted: 4/21/08 at 1:27pm

Here's the whole audio, from her 'accident' to her amazing Defying Gravity at the end.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cFRaQMJYwOU


"That's my trouble! I'm a bagel on a plate full of onion rolls!"

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BrodyFosse123
#12re: Kerry Ellis 'Defying Gravity' mishap ?
Posted: 4/21/08 at 1:33pm

Ouch! That is one genuinely scared sh**tless scream.


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TheatreDiva90016
#13re: Kerry Ellis 'Defying Gravity' mishap ?
Posted: 4/21/08 at 1:37pm

That did not sound good at all.

I hope she's okay.


"TheatreDiva90016 - another good reason to frequent these boards less."<<>> “I hesitate to give this line of discussion the validation it so desperately craves by perpetuating it, but the light from logic is getting further and further away with your every successive post.” <<>> -whatever2

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millie_dillmount
#14re: Kerry Ellis 'Defying Gravity' mishap ?
Posted: 4/21/08 at 1:44pm

Is YouTube not working for anyone? Anytime I attempt to watch something, it just plays for 2 seconds and pauses.


"We like to snark around here. Sometimes we actually talk about theater...but we try not to let that get in our way." - dramamama611
Updated On: 4/21/08 at 01:44 PM

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BrodyFosse123
#15re: Kerry Ellis 'Defying Gravity' mishap ?
Posted: 4/21/08 at 1:45pm

That performance took place on Friday March 28, 2008. After a few minutes (and stated in the earlier post), she returned to finish the rest of the show -- she wasn't injured, just scared for her life when the incident occurred.


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millie_dillmount
#16re: Kerry Ellis 'Defying Gravity' mishap ?
Posted: 4/21/08 at 1:58pm

Nver mind...I got it to work in IE...stupid Firefox.


"We like to snark around here. Sometimes we actually talk about theater...but we try not to let that get in our way." - dramamama611

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dancingthrulife04
#17re: Kerry Ellis 'Defying Gravity' mishap ?
Posted: 4/21/08 at 2:04pm

That's really scary.


http://www.beintheheights.com/katnicole1 (Please click and help me win!) I chose, and my world was shaken- So what?
The choice may have been mistaken, The choosing was not...
"Every day has the potential to be the greatest day of your life." - Lin-Manuel Miranda
"And when Idina Menzel is singing, I'm always slightly worried that her teeth are going to jump out of her mouth and chase me." - Schmerg_the_Impaler

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HoshiForever
#18re: Kerry Ellis 'Defying Gravity' mishap ?
Posted: 4/21/08 at 2:10pm

man that's scary. I'm glad she's alright.

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SirNotAppearing
#19re: Kerry Ellis 'Defying Gravity' mishap ?
Posted: 4/21/08 at 2:37pm

Aaaand it's gone.
Youtube took it down.

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TooDarnHot
#20re: Kerry Ellis 'Defying Gravity' mishap ?
Posted: 4/21/08 at 2:49pm

perhaps because Hollywearsprada posted it on BWW?

exactly why we all complain when people post bootleg videos, from YouTube, on the board.

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BrodyFosse123
#21re: Kerry Ellis 'Defying Gravity' mishap ?
Posted: 4/21/08 at 3:01pm

Well, for what its worth -- it wasn't video footage. It was just the audio of the incident. No footage was shown.


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hollywearsprada
#22re: Kerry Ellis 'Defying Gravity' mishap ?
Posted: 4/21/08 at 3:24pm

Sorry guys, I've only posted a couple of times on here before. I didn't know I shouldn't post stuff like that.


"That's my trouble! I'm a bagel on a plate full of onion rolls!"

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CHGriffiths
#23re: Kerry Ellis 'Defying Gravity' mishap ?
Posted: 4/21/08 at 3:33pm

I guess the 20 minute break was the interval then? They have got a back up procedure which normally goes into plan when the lift doesn't work, I saw it very early on, on the first Saturday in London with Idina, she didnt fly, and what they do, is she runs forward, they put on the no good deed lighting and up the volume, the ensemble then run on from the wings, does that sound right?


"If you talk about my family I will punch you in the fanny so hard it'll end up on your face... oh, looks like someone beat me to it!" - Dawn French

Marcus2
#24re: Kerry Ellis 'Defying Gravity' mishap ?
Posted: 4/21/08 at 3:43pm

I think the problem was that she hit the thing at the back of the lift (sorry for awful use of english, the thing that click to make the fake skirt clip around the actress) with her elbow or arm this meant the thing click around her instead of encompassing her. Does that make sense at all.

The audio is very scary indeed and you can clearly hear Dianne Pilkington shouting KERRY really loud. And you can also faintly hear Kerry dropping the broom.

This was a wednesday matinee performance and she was fine for the evening and even performed with the lift. She's one tropper that Kerry.

None the less its still incredibly scary and I think she was shaken more than anything considering how high the lift goes and just how little room there is on it.

Also I don't think the break was that long, definatly not 20mins.
Updated On: 4/21/08 at 03:43 PM


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