Overheard Stagehand Dialogue #48: "Get my name out of your fucking mouth"

Head #1: (Tantruming) "Get my name out of your fucking mouth."

Head #2: (Warm, sadistic smile) "Your shitty name stays in my mouth until hell freezes over."

Term of the Day: rope line

rope line--barricade outside a stage door that allows fans to ask for autographs from a Broadway actor while providing a measure of crowd control. Originally was a rope, but is usually a metal barrier set up by theater security.

Historic Theater Foods: special won-ton soup to go

special won-ton soup to go--whiskey in a take-out soup container. China Peace was a Chinese restaurant that ran for decades in Hell's Kitchen. It was at three different locations over time. Legendary stagehands and legendary drinkers would go there on matinee days. The owner was agreeable to fixing special "to-go" cups for his regular customers.

Term of the Day: rank smell of self pity

rank smell of self pity-- when self pity lurks beneath the rage and violence. "During one of old carpenter's screaming tantrums on deck, I caught a whiff of the rank smell of self pity under the cursing and violence."

Term of the Day: a trouser role

a trouser role--where an actress is dressed in male clothes and plays a male character. Also known as a pants role or a breeches role. Often done in the opera, to have a woman play a young man or boy, to sing soprano. 

Overheard Stagehand Line #45: twisting the knife

"I didn't stab that nasty old carpenter in the back, but the next time I see him, I will gladly twist the knife."

Term of the Day: "...the gayest tribute: a Broadway musical!"

"Tammy Faye Bakker...is getting the gayest tribute a person can have: a Broadway musical!" New York Times, November 19, 2024. A feature on "Tammy Faye," a musical written by Elton John about the evangelical preacher and gay icon Tammy Faye Bakker. Due to lukewarm reviews and poor ticket sales, the show posted its closing notice the same day the Times feature came out.

Term of the Day: mean girls on Broadway

mean girls on Broadway-- life never transcends high school. There is a middle-aged woman stagehand who routinely attacks other women and young male stagehands. "The woman stagehand attacked another woman for wearing red lipstick to a load-in. It seems like a case of mean girls on Broadway." Should be used with both sexes.

Overhead Stagehand Line #46: "intelligence is not a family trait"

"Watch that young head...though intelligence is not a family trait, he is cunning and deadly."

Term of the Night: "You've bought the ticket, now take the ride"

 "You've bought the ticket, now take the ride"--when you make a bad decision, you have to face the consequences.

Overheard Stagehand Dialogue #49: "It's like eating dinner with a serial killer"

Stagehand #1: "Why aren't you friendly with that tech?"

Stagehand #2: "It's like eating dinner with a serial killer. Nothing good is going to come of it."

Term of the Day: "I have receipts"

"I have receipts"-- evidence of wrongdoing. "That bonehead should never have put his threats down in writing. Now I have receipts I can use in the future." "Since he put his threats online, I now have receipts that last forever."