The lead has broken his leg, the queen is stuck in traffic on the A61, the ticket machine has stopped working and the Mayor is arriving any moment.
The understudy is called, the queen is rerouted, the ticket machine is turned off and on again and the Secretary is sent to greet officialdom.
Halfway through the show the understudy rips the coat he squeezed into and the forest flats start to tip backwards.
Wardrobe have pins on hand securing cloth and the stage crew have feet in place supporting MDF.
And all the audience see is the show going on!