pre-load-in death rattle--when a major investor pulls out just as a show is loading in, stagehands can hear the "pre-load-in death rattle" of a musical or a straight play. A recent big musical involving love and robots delayed spotting by four weeks. The load-in has since commenced.
Some recent shows have died in the middle of the load-in. The load-in stopped for "Nerds" when the head carpenter said, "Guys, leave the new flat on the truck." "My Son's a Queer," a British transfer, was stopped mid-load-in in the winter of 2024 at the Lyceum. The loadout started that afternoon.
