Rain Rocker Joe Bithorn Startles His Co-Stars with a Sexy Onstage Surprise

Given the amount of time Broadway actors spend at work, it’s no surprise that they enjoy a good joke—often at a co-worker’s expense! In celebration of April Fool’s Day, Broadway.com asked some of our favorite stars to share their funniest work-related pranks. In some cases, the stars initiated the practical joke; in others, the joke was on them. Read on for true tales of behind-the-scenes tomfoolery.

JOE BITHORN (George Harrison in RAIN)

“When I was doing Beatlemania, we played the Shubert Theatre in Chicago. The orchestra pit was not visible to the audience but from the edge of the stage, the performers could see the top parts of it. When the musician playing Paul sang 'Yesterday,' he would perform it sitting down on the edge of the stage. Then came 'Eleanor Rigby,' where the John, George and Ringo would also come up front. I found a very erotic photo from one of the magazines of the day and taped it high up on the wall of the pit, so it would be plainly visible from the front of the stage but not to the audience. It would be dark unless lit up and this is where the flashlight came in. A couple of strums of the guitar into the song 'Yesterday' and I lit the photo on cue to the first word of the song. I did the same for 'Eleanor Rigby'!”