
-It was 1997 at the Moorpark Melodrama in Calif. and I was in the show called "Zorro-the Bebop Bandido". Talk about your opening night jitters! Being a theater that encourages audience interaction (cheer the hero, boo the villain), the audience even got caught up in the action! On the opening night, the end of the final act had just played itself out. The villain had just been subdued by Zorro in a hysterical sword battle. Zorro, being the victor, now reveals himself to the townspeople who he really is and starts a block of dialogue that explains who he really is and why he kept his secret identity a secret. However, somewhere in his lengthy speech, Zorro got confused and paused to try to remember what his next lines were. The audience picked up on it quickly as the pause turned into a 10-second "lifetime" on stage. Suddenly, someone from the audience shouted out, "All right! Whose line is it?" As the audience roared, the villain (Don De Don Don) spoke up saying, "Don't worry, somebody will think of it sooner or later!" The audience went nuts again, which gave our hero time enough to remember (and ad lib the hell outta)the rest of his speech. It worked out great and Zorro remained the hero! Egads! What a beginning!-Chris C.
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