Young actress carries on after musical mishap at the Mercury

Colchester Operatic Society’s youth group, known as the Second Edition (CO2), put on its production of Legally Blonde at the Mercury Theatre last weekend.

The musical mishap happened during the afternoon matinee performance last Saturday, where one of the wings to the side of the stage came loose and began to tip toward the ground mid-performance.

Despite the situation, lead actress Becci Morris didn’t falter and continued her “brilliant” performance as beloved character Elle Woods before the show was paused to assess the stage.

Star - Becci continued her performance until the show was halted and the stage was assessed (Image: Wild Bears Photography) An announcement was made calling an unexpected interval, while everything and everyone was checked over.

The stage wing was saved before it touched the floor, and not a single blonde hair was harmed before it was decided the show could go on.

Theatre goers were blown away by the young actress’ professionalism and dedication.

One audience member said: “I was really, really impressed that she carried on,” while another said, “the Mercury handled everything really well.”

The rest of the show carried on without a hitch, with Becci performing the iconic ‘Bend and Snap’ and many more musical numbers.

Iconic - Legally Blonde is known for its empowering story and feminist themes (Image: Wild Bears Photography) Carol Rayner, the operations director who has worked at the Mercury Theatre for more than 25 years, said: “Dealing with the unexpected is part of live theatre and we regularly practice scenarios for potential evacuations, show stops, or other unexpected situations.

“I can only recall a handful a handful of occasions when the show has been stopped part way through, due to an actor falling ill or a technical issue.

“A pantomime audience for Snow White and the Seven Dwarves a few years ago may well remember a pause whilst a piece of scenery got stuck halfway through a scene change.

“What I cannot remember is an occasion where the show has not then carried on,” she added.

“We’ll always try and find a way to ensure the show goes on.”

Energy - Colchester Operatic Society is immensely proud of everyone for the show (Image: Wild Bears Photography) CO2’s Legally Blonde was a huge success, with 2,996 people seeing the show.

The youth of CO2 even built the set from scratch for this show.

Katie Cutmore, Chair of Colchester Operatic Society, and Charlotte Butcher, Chair of CO2, said: “We are immensely proud of everyone involved with our CO2 show Legally Blonde, and in particular our young cast and our team of volunteers working backstage who dealt with this unexpected show stop with professionalism and positivity.

“We would also like to thank all of our audience members who patiently waited for us to begin the show again and to the team at the Mercury Theatre for their continued support.”

Story - Legally Blonde sees a young woman defy stereotypes and expectations to become a lawyer (Image: Wild Bears Photography) They continued: “As charities, both organisations aim to provide opportunities for local people to learn more about creating and being part of musical theatre productions on stage, backstage, and behind the scenes.

“This includes learning how to deal with unexpected situations like this, that can happen during live performances, to ensure the show continues for our audiences—and what a fantastic show it was!

“Our talented cast and crew embraced this challenge alongside all the challenges and joys this production brought them, building resilience, friendships and many more skills they can carry forward for other productions and in life,” they finished.

Smiles - The youth group put on a very successful show (Image: Wild Bears Photography) Some of the Legally Blonde cast will appear on stage again in the next Colchester Operatic Society production of The Little Mermaid at the Mercury Theatre, from January 31 to February 9, 2025.

CO2 provides opportunities for young people to get involved with local theatre and is open to anyone aged 11-23.

For more, visit: https://colchesteroperaticsociety.co.uk