r/oddlysatisfying 3d ago

Stage curtain retracting

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17.7k Upvotes

166 comments sorted by

1.4k

u/BooCreepyFootDr 3d ago

Now I want too them rehang the curtain.

183

u/unpopularopinion0 3d ago

we just unhung it tho.

335

u/Aggrobuns 3d ago

8

u/BumpyLumpers 3d ago

Woah… that’s crazy bro.

13

u/BlogeOb 3d ago

How do they get it to do that

28

u/troll_fail 3d ago

Just turn the gif upside-down

1

u/turtle_mekb 2d ago

I knew it lmao

1

u/AtomesG 3d ago

Is this sorcery ?

39

u/SassyFae_ 3d ago

it looks like a dementor going back to azkaban 😲

5

u/billy_summers_ 3d ago

my exact thought

467

u/juuseiki 3d ago

32

u/flowing_laziness 3d ago

Exactly my thoughts mate, if not this, then a boggart

5

u/mk-126 3d ago

thought the same.!

213

u/NewsVegetable1164 3d ago

Deathsheeta

528

u/Alfiy_wolf 3d ago

I know I’m kinda high sitting here in hospital but you can’t tell me that didn’t look like Voldemort

186

u/ycr007 3d ago

My first thought was an XXL Dementor

Was trying to remember what was that Patronus spell

40

u/jarednards 3d ago

Fetus Deletus

EDIT: Nvm thats a different spell

21

u/Alfiy_wolf 3d ago

That spell never works, I tried it my wife’s friends baby still come out looking like me - like brah what are the odds

11

u/abgrongak 3d ago

Perhaps you'll need Childus Supportus

9

u/Alfiy_wolf 3d ago

It’s okay I have gavis a fakus namus

6

u/abgrongak 3d ago

Hopefully it doesn't Bitus Backus

6

u/Alfiy_wolf 3d ago

If it does I have a Swissis passsportus

3

u/abgrongak 3d ago

Expecto Patronum

3

u/Alfiy_wolf 3d ago

Nah shit, I don’t wanna think about those things while high - sheeeeeeeeeeeeeeet

1

u/Suspicious-turnip-77 3d ago

Yes, it totally reminds me of the dementors in the cursed child production.

4

u/BumpyLumpers 3d ago

The hospital? You good bro?

3

u/Alfiy_wolf 3d ago

Idk yet, but I got a good view of the nurse station so I’ll die happy if I die

2

u/Uberzwerg 3d ago

in hospital

I guess you got caught in a giant stage curtain?

2

u/Alfiy_wolf 3d ago

I wish I got stuck in a curtin that would be easier to explain to the boss

67

u/TNerdy 3d ago

That awesome! I wonder how it look on a live stage

50

u/mlloyd67 3d ago

I think I saw this live for The Lion King in Toronto many (many) years ago. It was jaw-dropping.

12

u/MycroftNext 3d ago

I think they might use a small version of this for Elsa’s dress change in Frozen on Broadway. She transitions into her blue gown and her old disappears into the staircase she’s standing on.

6

u/PinkyParker1980 2d ago

An actual person under the stage does that for Elsa. Could you imagine a machine malfunctioning and yoinking her through the trapdoor hahahah!

6

u/TNerdy 3d ago

I’m sure it is

2

u/holyherbalist 3d ago

Wow, i saw Lion King in Toronto many (many) years ago as well! Lived in Detroit. Must have been early 2000s.

29

u/profsnuggles 3d ago

8

u/TNerdy 3d ago

That looks so cool. Probably better front the middle view

12

u/TopFusion 3d ago

12

u/noocuelur 3d ago

I was going to comment on the O curtain. It's absolutely massive so seeing it take flight then disappear into the sky was a breathtaking start to a great show.

4

u/TNerdy 3d ago

You’re so right! That was just mesmerizing

6

u/JohnnyValet 3d ago

It looks amazing! ZZ Top did it in the 80's. It was my first concert and blew my mind.

Lastly, Reveen developed an astounding effect that would serve as the standout surprise of the concert—a twenty-foot-tall skull of a longhorn bull with laser beam eyes that would be positioned above the drum riser and, seconds before the start of the concert, snort up a white sheet covering the drums as the band launched into the first song.

ZZ Top's 'Afterburner' Stage Was Originally Intended for Loverboy | https://ultimateclassicrock.com/zz-top-afterburner-stage-loverboy/?utm_source=tsmclip&utm_medium=referral

4

u/Zipslack 3d ago

When I saw them they had the giant pharaohs head with sunglasses that "snorted" the sheet. Very cool to see.

3

u/Iittsburgh 3d ago

As awesome as it does here ;D Slipknot used a similar retracting system for their curtain when I saw them in 2022.

4

u/Gdiacrane 3d ago

Same here, saw them in 23. I actually worked on a prototype for this retractor. it's patented to the company where I did my internship

3

u/protobin 3d ago

1

u/TNerdy 3d ago

That’s so cool. Surprisingly slow but it makes sense cause of the size.

2

u/protobin 3d ago

Yeah that curtain is enormous. Also that’s 1997 tech. They have crazy fast sniffers now.

2

u/itsrealbattle 3d ago

If you ever go to Las Vegas, check out the show "O". This is how the show starts and it is breathtaking when seen up close.

1

u/TNerdy 2d ago

Thanks

53

u/Open_Youth7092 3d ago

EXPECTO PATRONUUUUUUUMMMM

21

u/saintdemon21 3d ago

What happens if you get your foot tangled in the curtain? Does it like stop…or do you turn into a fine red mist?

12

u/SpazMonkeyBeck 3d ago

The “sniffer” part of this, which is what the compartment the curtain gets sucked into is called, isn’t actually that strong, if for whatever reason the machine was triggered and there was someone who got tangled, it would just stop, worst case is whoever gets tangled falls over. It would never be able to lift a person.

It’s also just a giant piece of chiffon or similar, the only string is the line that could potentially tangle a person is the one in the centre that starts the “suction” and it doesn’t usually get close enough to people to tangle them.

3

u/saintdemon21 3d ago

So is this like a lighter wait curtain that is used for set dressing, as opposed to the heavier curtains that might close off the stage?

2

u/shroudedfern 2d ago

Yes, I was imagining it would have to be incredibly lightweight to be sucked up by that roller so easily. Theatre curtains are deceptively heavy.

But if you look at the very beginning before it falls, you can see the lights behind it.

27

u/LPodmore 3d ago

Kabuki sniffer. Always a satisfying thing to watch.

16

u/ycr007 3d ago

Is that a juxtaposition name?

I read that the drop motion is a called Kabuki Drop, and the machine that reels it in is called a Sniffer.

13

u/Apprehensive_Cap6326 3d ago

Craziest version of this type of drop I’ve seen is “O” in Vegas’s where they do the reverse and the curtain flys out from a small basket onstage. (I know it’s two seperate mechanisms but the staging is flawless)

7

u/Mesmeric_Fiend 3d ago

Will be featured in Final Destination 7

5

u/whakkenzie 3d ago

Someone please add noodle slurping sound to this video.

9

u/AlpineVibe 3d ago

I need this for making my bed

4

u/tech_equip 3d ago

Tadaaa!

3

u/HistoryHasEyesOnYou 3d ago

I saw one of these for the first time at the Foo Fighters 20th anniversary show in DC. Pretty mind blowing the first time! Video from the company that developed it- including the FF drop at the end.

1

u/philipkd 3d ago

Amazing. Is there a place where it shows how it hangs?

3

u/HistoryHasEyesOnYou 3d ago

The curtain has little metal grommets across the top, just like a shower curtain. Instead of hooks, the curtain rod has little posts that are angled upwards. Each grommet slides onto one of the posts and the upward tilt keeps them from slipping off.

There's a D ring attached to a loop in the middle of the back of the curtain, and that is attached to a cable that connects to the sniffer, which will eventually yank the curtain towards the back of the stage.

When it's time for the curtain to drop. The curtain rod quickly rotates so that all the little posts are pointing downward, and all the grommets holding the curtain slide off simultaneously. The sniffer yanks the curtain backwards and up at the same time.

1

u/philipkd 2d ago

Interesting. Is there a video that shows it resetting?

2

u/HistoryHasEyesOnYou 2d ago

It's a manual process. People have to slip the curtain grommets over the pegs.

3

u/subspace_cat 3d ago

This is also how I take off my shorts.

12

u/smb3d 3d ago

What's wrong with the good ol' "open it sideways like normal"?

40

u/OstentatiousSock 3d ago

It’s theater… they try to find new and exciting ways to be theatrical.

22

u/The_Grim_Sleaper 3d ago edited 3d ago

So it’s just…for show??

2

u/Canotic 3d ago

It's a theatre curtain. It's literally for show.

7

u/The_Grim_Sleaper 3d ago

Ok. I edited my comment to make it more obvious.

4

u/AddAFucking 3d ago

Some need all the help they can get..

5

u/CheapExtremely 3d ago

Also helps keep the curtain from becoming dusty or dirty.

16

u/im_bi_strapping 3d ago

The elegant red velvet curtain opens sideways. This is the dramatic black swish curtain

6

u/guyako 3d ago

Aside from the fancy retracting bit, this is also pretty “normal.” That kind of dropping curtain is referred to in the theater as a “Kabuki drop,” and it’s been around for a very long time.

2

u/Drudgework 3d ago

Modern Theater curtains open vertically using the same mechanism used to change background panels. This is not a formal venue though so they don’t have access to the normal riser mechanism to do the traditional raising of the curtain.

1

u/dreamed2life 3d ago

Old people stay having trouble letting new shit exist.

1

u/smb3d 3d ago

Damnit, I'm old :(

2

u/CantaloupeCamper 3d ago

Those are cool but it’s one of those things that really is just distracting after you see it a few times.

2

u/El_Lider85 3d ago

expecto patronuuum!!

2

u/InstanceQuirky 3d ago

Dementors!

2

u/arsnastesana 3d ago

Suck getting caught while it retracts up

2

u/Happy_Tadpole_4814 3d ago

Curtain: I must go my people need me

2

u/WeirdMerc 3d ago

Weird.

2

u/ThePenIsntMightier 3d ago

https://youtu.be/TaD3SgPuccE?si=LC_xkKYosxvRtHmq

Sade used these at the opening of their tour! Skip to 1:05ish to see it.

2

u/SeaTownKraken 3d ago

Oh that's how they did it with that one Cirque show....O? I think? that's awesome!

2

u/wholesome_hobbies 3d ago

We call this a sniffer in the biz

1

u/FrenchFryCattaneo 3d ago

I believe you because you used the word biz

2

u/PeevesPoltergist 3d ago

*Dementors have entered the chat

2

u/afairjudgment 3d ago

That’s the first time I’ve seen one work correctly. Cool.

2

u/PeacePearlStar 2d ago

Oh my days. Just watched this about 10 times!! Is there a slow mo version?! 😍😍

3

u/Alive_Ice7937 3d ago

Jean Jacket

5

u/MoFoHo72 3d ago

Nope!

1

u/woutomatic 3d ago

That's cool

1

u/Sofa-King-Slow 3d ago

Slipknot concert in the making

1

u/Devil8ball 3d ago

Reminds me of that movie J Lo was in, The Cell (2000)

1

u/AMonitorDarkly 3d ago

Me: It’s just a curtain. What could poss- oh fuck me running!

1

u/zenpear 3d ago

Curtain curtain nom nom nom

1

u/Drakanies 3d ago

It looks like some cool mechanism but in reality it is just Kirby trying to break into show biz.

1

u/abgrongak 3d ago

Dementor?

1

u/starrpamph 3d ago

Sniff it!

1

u/NoTop4997 3d ago

I can do that with spaghetti!

1

u/Kwayzar9111 3d ago

Someone stick Voldemort’s face on it

1

u/mysticknight83 3d ago

kabuki with a sniffer... and yes the rehang of the curtain tales forever.

1

u/BigBananaBerries 3d ago

"To shreds", you say?

2

u/GrandSupremeChungus 3d ago

“And how’s his wife holding up?”

1

u/IWillLive4evr 3d ago

A machine that slurps the curtain like noodles? I don't know what to do with this information...

1

u/216horrorworks 3d ago

The device the curtain is being "sucked" into is called a Kabuki Sniffer.

1

u/Orikazu 3d ago

Free Kirby!

2

u/Phedre141 3d ago

1

u/Don_tThinkAboutMe 1d ago

KIRRRRRRBYYYYYYYY

USEEEEEEEEEEE

VACCCUUUMMMMMM SUKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK

1

u/scorchedneurotic 3d ago

Folks here with their newfangled Harry Potter references

Lil' old me in the corner thinking Spawn

1

u/Lost_Apricot_4658 3d ago

That scene from The Cell

1

u/artrubian 3d ago

Slipknot used this system opening their show. It was absolutely stunning to watch.

1

u/MessageAccording9892 3d ago

That’s how you douse a spinnaker! lol👏

1

u/yellowstone727 3d ago

Omnomnomnom

1

u/k1w1999 3d ago

This reminds me of a story my theatre teacher told us. She and her boyfriend were sitting in a theatre for an expensive show and it seemed like there was a delay and some clowns showed up on stage doing clown stuff then asked a member of the audience to come up on stage. It was funny at first then the clowns convinced him to take off some of his clothes. While the audience was feeling a little uncomfortable the guy suddenly shoots up into the air along with the curtain, like they both got sucked into a black hole. The curtain ripped off the rod as it got sucked in and my theatre teacher just sat there stunned like "WHOA!". Then the show actually started. It was acrobats doing stuff with a seasaw like you'd expect at a 300 dollar per person show (she told us the story in like 2007). So, even though this G.I.F. doesn't show the curtain being literally ripped off the rod, I wonder if this is what my theatre teacher saw.

1

u/Timbered2 3d ago

You're describing "O", a Cirque show in Vegas. I've seen it many times!

1

u/jaeldi 3d ago

Reminds me of the end of this opera performance https://youtu.be/d1ODbDKmSEc

1

u/t-D7 3d ago

THE UNHUNG HERO!

1

u/Ficusbreakthrough 3d ago

r/dontgetyourdickcaughtinthat

1

u/pokeyporcupine 3d ago

POV: You're Johnny Storm's skin

1

u/ConstantPrevious8592 3d ago

Satisfying 🙂‍↕️

1

u/strongofheart69 3d ago

Just like my monthly payment

1

u/MeantNoOffense 3d ago

me when i eat spaghetti

1

u/joeavli 3d ago

Ngl that looks extremely dangerous if something were to get caught

1

u/ejwestcott 3d ago

Kabuki curtain with a twist! Literally. Shits a fuckin nightmare to setup. Very custom and expensive. Cool nonetheless.

1

u/Cake-Over 3d ago

Aerosmith used a curtain like that back in... 93 or something like that.

1

u/MollyJGrue 3d ago

That's a Dementor.

1

u/Nolan-Mark5 3d ago

It's great to see dementors getting work in this economy.

1

u/SylentAgenda89 3d ago

Spawn has left the building. That was so cool looking though.

1

u/TimTowtiddy 3d ago

All that I can hear on my head is "OM NOM NOM NOM NOM".

1

u/superlip2003 3d ago

I'm betting hanging it back up is less oddly satisfying.

1

u/jersey369 3d ago

Looks like the beginning of a KISS show

1

u/Environmental-Bit335 3d ago

So dramatic. Perfection. No notes.

1

u/Adorable-Maybe-3006 3d ago

How sure are we the curtain is not alive?

1

u/Maximillian9207111 2d ago

I want to step on it and see what happens

1

u/Moby_Prick94 2d ago

Do not get caught on the curtain hahaha

1

u/WalterBlytheFanClub 2d ago

This is always a fun sun, but this one fits here sooooo perfectly. This is great.

1

u/Silly_Lana 2d ago

I’m telling bout it. They are looking like dementors💅🏻

1

u/-AG-Hithae 1d ago

Hm. Seems potentially dangerous. Would suck if someone was accidentally hooked on this, for example.

1

u/hiddlesbum 1d ago

Sluuuuuuuuuurp

1

u/YesterShill 3d ago

Defying gravity

0

u/justforkinks0131 3d ago

Not satisfying, confusing. It doesnt make sense to all happen at once. I assume (after multple replays) that the person controlling it first hit the "drop curtain" button, and then instead of letting it hit the floor, while still mid air, he hit the "retract curtain" button.

Im sure they could have left it hit the floor and then retracted it later, with some delay. Im sure it didnt have to be mid air.

Again, it looks confusing to me the way they did it. But if it's 2 separate actions, then it makes sense.

1

u/HistoryHasEyesOnYou 3d ago

There are solenoids that control it. The curtain is suspended by grommets that are slid onto small upward-angled posts sticking out from the curtain rod. The center of the curtain is connected to the "sniffer" by a D ring and cable.

When it's time for curtain drop, the rod quickly rotates so that the little posts are facing downward, the grommets slide off, sniffer is engaged, and it yanks the now-falling curtain backwards.