What a story! Last night, I was shooting a spot for the Soho Rep theater organization. On hand were a host of celebrity guests including Bobby Cannavale and Gretchen Mol from HBO’s hit series, “Boardwalk Empire”; “O Brother, Where Art Thou?” star, Tim Blake Nelson; Steve Earle, and Richard Lewis, among others.
While filming was taking place, the guests and myself heard a loud crack and were told to evacuate the building. The fire alarm had accidentally gone off moments before so we figured that was the reason for the evacuation. . . It turns out the discharge was due to a lack of structural integrity; one of the support beams on the second floor balcony had cracked, causing the floor to cave in.
There were definitely angels on our side! Thankfully, the fire department was already on site to orchestrate the evacuation when the alarm sounded. The whole scenario ended up turning into a street party with Steve Earle performing on Norfolk St., illuminated by fire trucks. Only in New York!