Whew, global crisis averted

STOP the world, he wants to get on: A mishap at a performance of “Curtains” at the Ahmanson Theatre last weekend left David Hyde Pierce stuck in the air, literally, for a few breathless minutes.

At one point in the Kander and Ebb whodunit, set during a musical’s pre-Broadway tryout, the actor -- as a stage-struck detective circa 1959 -- is supposed to “ride” a large globe down to the stage from a height of about 40 feet. But before that could happen at the Aug. 25 show, the rigging that suspended Pierce stuck, and the globe, a set piece about 7 feet in diameter, descended alone, leaving him dangling in his flying harness.

It was only briefly curtains for “Curtains,” however: Production supervisor Beverley Randolph stopped the show, Pierce was freed, and things quickly resumed, says Charles Dillingham, Center Theatre Group’s managing director.

“He’s a trouper,” says Dillingham, referring to Pierce’s willingness to get back in harness for the next show. “He did four performances that weekend.” But first, “we made sure the equipment was completely safe and that the reason for its catching was found and corrected.”

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Lynne Heffley