Sara Bareilles performs concert during technical difficulties at her Broadway musical and is awesome
Sarah Bareilles was not about to let her show go down in flames. Although technical glitches in Broadway previews are expected by any seasoned theater goer (who are usually happy to sacrifice perfected shows for a cheaper seat,) the singer and composer’s response to an unexpected shut-down during a preview of Waitress will become nothing short of legendary.
20 minutes into the show, a musical based on the 2007 film by the same name, the curtain closed mid-scene and the stage manager announced the performance was pausing due to technical difficulties. However, before the audience had a chance to rush the lobby with complaints and bathroom lines, a fellow theater-goer jumped from her seat and unexpectedly took to the stage, mic in hand, vocal chords warmed.
This woman happened to be grammy-nominated singer Sara Bareilles, who also wrote the music for Waitress. The 36 year-old singer and songwriter performed “Part of Your World” from Disney’s The Little Mermaid, as well as “Down at the Diner,” a musical number she scored for Waitress.
In her act of west 42nd street heroism, Bareilles had the audience thoroughly enjoying themselves, despite the mid-scene curtain close. One audience member even handed the “Brave” singer his cell phone between songs so she could take a selfie in front of the packed theater. Sara snapped the photo in good nature, and could have walked off with a real mic-drop moment, except for she did something even better.
“Should I take one with mine too?” she asked the audience as she took out her own cell phone. “I might have a few more followers,” she added before taking her own picture.
Technical difficulty at the Brooks. So Ariel. #waitress
A post shared by Sara Bareilles (@sarabareilles) on Mar 30, 2016 at 5:24pm PDT
Though the performance resumed after Bareilles’ second impromptu song, the show was later stopped a second time. This time the audience was treated to a Bob Fosse-style dance performance from one of the show’s actors. It wasn’t captured with selfies, but it still kept the audience from bum-rushing the concession stands and box office attendants.
Waitress officially opens April 24, and if this is what the previews look like, we can’t wait to see the real thing!
