Eight performances was all it took for Broadway goers to realize that On the Waterfront was all at sea on the Broadway stage. Minus Marlon Brando, Karl Malden and the rest of the cast from a film that raked in eight Oscars, the 1995 Broadway play had a number of bad omens during its preview performances, including the replacement of its director and one of the main actors. But the worst came during the first act of the final preview performance, when the actor playing Barney, a tough Mob lieutenant, fell on stage and had a heart attack. Another actor broke character and shouted for a doctor. The audience sat there, stunned, some weeping, as doctors performed CPR. Days later, the flagging show would find itself in need of resuscitation, but no rescue came.
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