We were sitting in the front row enjoying Rossini’s Cinderella on July 28th, 1984 when a big hunk of the ceiling toward the back of the Opera House came crashing down with a terrific roar. About the size of a crib mattress, the errant section of ceiling smashed into smaller, less lethal pieces on the railing of the balcony and rained down on the audience members below.

Amazingly enough, except for a scratch or two, there were no injuries. Also amazing was the fact that the line that Robert Orth had just sung was: “Our little comedy will become a tragedy before the curtain descends.” That’s right: He sang those very words and then: WHAM! Immediately, of course, the opera ceased and the house was evacuated. Who knew if more of the ceiling was going to fall?

All of the members of the cast and most of the audience jammed into the Teller House where Orth and Peter Stummer and Gran Wilson proceeded to entertain the crowd with one musical number after another well into the night. A memorable night, indeed.

Lew and Leslie Cady

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