Term of the Night: a park and bark

a park and bark--when a Broadway diva is given a showstopping number but no choreography to go with it, literally standing in one spot and belting out her number.  From the New York Times review of "Chess," November 16, 2025.

Term of the Night: burned off like a cheap suit

burned off like a cheap suit: to be destroyed easily.  "As the load in went sideways, the contract carpenter's interpersonal skills burned off like a cheap suit."

Overheard Stagehand Line #65: "making nasty comments in a folksy upstate accent"

Stagehand: "Why don't you hire that guy anymore?"

Head: "I got sick of him making nasty comments in a folksy upstate accent." 

Term of the Night: pre-load-in death rattle

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  commenced and the show became a big hit.

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.

Term of the Day: asshole proof

asshole proof--the ability to work with assholes but to not become one. "I have worked with the nastiest heads and techs on Broadway, including Evil Gene, Hell's Propman and the High Plains Drifter. They are pricks and assholes one and all, but I have found that I always come out with my decency and integrity intact. I guess I am asshole proof."

Expression of the Day: The circus is gone, but the clowns remain.

  The circus is gone, but the clowns remain.

Overheard Stagehand Dialogue #66: throwing myself a pity party

WHINY HEAD: “The production manager hates me, the company manager hates me and my girlfriend just dumped me.”

OLDER STOIC HEAD: “I’ve never thrown myself a pity party, but I am sure you could teach me how.”

Memorial Sandwich: RIP Ray Liotta

 RIP Ray Liotta--In 2004, the actor Ray Liotta was eating a sandwich offstage during rehearsals for a doomed straight play on Broadway. The infamous, crazy house prop woman, who I will call Sybill, verbally assaulted him, saying "Get your fucking sandwich off my stage." His co-star, the legendary Broadway actor Frank Langella, called the theater owners and said, "If I could not do my job tonight, there would be no show. She cannot do her job. Take care of her." Sybill was fired that night. She was handed her now-dated resignation letter. She had had an undated resignation letter in her work file after she had had a phantom on the payroll years before.

In the 15 years she was a house head, Sybill had an evil habit of torturing every contract person who came through her theater, while not working herself. She would attack and spread discord. The night she was fired, my phone blew up, with contract prop people calling in glee. Ding dong, the witch is dead. I hear she is still suing Local #1.

Ray Liotta died on May 26, 2022, at the too young age of 67. He was famous for great menacing roles in "Goodfellas" and "Something Wild." Liotta was a great American actor, a go-to performer as a the ruthless thug or gangster. RIP Ray Liotta, and thanks for getting rid of Sybill.