History BreakingTheFourthWall / Theatre

* In the musical ''SpringAwakening'', whenever a singing number takes place, the actors on stage take out microphones they've been hiding in their pockets. Like in ''Film/{{Chicago}}'', the idea is that whenever they're singing they're imagining it's happening on a stage in front of an audience. As such, that actually ''is'' happening, but ''the characters'' don't actually know that.

* Subverted in plays like ''MobyDick Rehearsed'' where the action is set on the stage of a theatre and the front few rows are kept empty so that the cast can use them as though they were in an empty theatre.

* The second act of ''IntoTheWoods'' features the main characters [[spoiler:trying to convince a giant that the narrator is Jack (who the giant is looking for) because the characters are tired of the way the narrator is telling the story. The narrator ends up being dropped to his death by the giant once she realizes he isn't Jack, and the characters now wonder who's going to tell the story since the narrator is gone.]]

* In ''Theatre/Urinetown'', Officer Lockstock and Sally directly reference the fact that they're in a play, such as at the beginning when Sally asks [[spoiler: Is this where you tell the audience about the water shortage?" Officer Lockstock tells Sally that the audience will hear more about the water shortage in the next scene.]] There are other lines late in the play such as when Officer Lockstock turns to the audience [[spoiler and tells them that "there is no Urinetown, we just kill people."]]

* In Creator/CirqueDuSoleil's ''Amaluna'', one of their few shows to [[NoFourthWall even have]] a definite fourth wall, just before the show starts, Deeta, Miranda's nurse and one of the two clowns, announces "No texto, no Facebook, no Youtube, no, no, no!" and orders a faux audience member to turn off their ringing cellphone. Cali, the half-man half-lizard, steals a bucket of popcorn from one of the spectators, drops it while climbing the rigging, only to catch it with his tail, as well as tail-slapping others when going onstage. In a later clown act, Deeta gives birth to seven football babies with either red noses(like her) or mustaches(like their dad, Jeeves), which are handed to front-row spectators, and they have to sing Brahms' Lullaby to quiet them down. The Black Peacock Goddess occasionally surprises audience members from the wings.

* From ''Grandma's Crying'' by Jonas Gardell, about a family fight on Christmas, and the parents start comparing each other to characters in depressing plays.

* ''JosephAndTheAmazingTechnicolorDreamcoat'' has a narrator who addresses the audience while (in some productions) interacting with the characters. Also, "Go Go Go Joseph", the CrowdSong at the end of Act 1, features the following lyrics:

* ''Theatre/AccidentalDeathOfAnAnarchist'' presents two endings to the play, and The Maniac invites the audience to choose whichever one they prefer.

* Smashed to ribbons in ''{{Spamalot}}'' when the Lady of the Lake explains to Arthur that he is in fact in a Broadway/West End Musical, and they go out into the audience to look for the Grail, which is found under a patron's chair.

* In Tom Stoppard's play, ''RosencrantzAndGuildensternAreDead'', some characters (namely Rosencrantz) will look at, gesture towards, or refer to the audience. Although they do not speak to the audience directly, they do talk about them.

* In CirqueDuSoleil's ''Amaluna'', one of their few shows to [[NoFourthWall even have]] a definite fourth wall, just before the show starts, Deeta, Miranda's nurse and one of the two clowns, announces "No texto, no Facebook, no Youtube, no, no, no!" and orders a faux audience member to turn off their ringing cellphone. Cali, the half-man half-lizard, steals a bucket of popcorn from one of the spectators, drops it while climbing the rigging, only to catch it with his tail, as well as tail-slapping others when going onstage. In a later clown act, Deeta gives birth to seven football babies with either red noses(like her) or mustaches(like their dad, Jeeves), which are handed to front-row spectators, and they have to sing Brahms' Lullaby to quiet them down. The Black Peacock Goddess occasionally surprises audience members from the wings.
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* In CirqueDuSoleil's ''Amaluna'', one of their few shows to [[NoFourthWall even have]] a definite fourth wall, just before the show starts, Deeta, Miranda's nurse and one of the two clowns, orders a faux audience member to turn off their ringing cellphone. Cali, the half-man half-lizard, spills popcorn on spectators from one of the stage towers (catching the bucket with his tail) after stealing it from one of them, as well as tail-slapping them when going onstage. In a later clown act, Deeta gives birth to seven football babies with either red noses(like her) or mustaches(like their dad, Jeeves), which are handed to front-row spectators, and they have to sing Brahms' Lullaby to quiet them down. The Black Peacock Goddess occasionally surprises audience members from the wings.

* In CirqueDuSoleil's ''Amaluna'', one of their few shows to have [[NoFourthWall a definite fourth wall]], just before the show starts, Deeta, Miranda's nurse and one of the two clowns, orders a faux audience member to turn off their ringing cellphone. Cali, the half-man half-lizard, spills popcorn on spectators from one of the stage towers (catching the bucket with his tail) after stealing it from one of them, as well as tail-slapping them when going onstage. In a later clown act, Deeta gives birth to seven football babies with either red noses(like her) or mustaches(like their dad, Jeeves), which are handed to front-row spectators, and they have to sing Brahms' Lullaby to quiet them down. The Black Peacock Goddess occasionally surprises audience members from the wings.

* In ''Amaluna'', just before the show starts, Deeta, Miranda's nurse and one of the two clowns, orders a faux audience member to turn off their ringing cellphone. Cali, the half-man half-lizard, drops popcorn on spectators from one of the stage towers, as well as tail-slapping them when going onstage. Later, Deeta gives birth to seven football babies with either red noses(like her) or mustaches(like their dad, Jeeves), which are handed to front-row spectators, and they have to sing Brahms' Lullaby to quiet them down. The Black Peacock Goddess occasionally peers at audience members from the wings. During the penultimate aerial straps act, the Valkyries often [[TheFourthWallWillNotProtectYou fly low over the audience]], sometimes landing in the aisles.

* In ''Amaluna'', just before the show starts, Deeta, Miranda's nurse and one of the two clowns, orders a faux audience member to turn off their ringing cellphone. Cali, the half-man half-lizard, drops popcorn on spectators from one of the stage towers. Later, Deeta gives birth to seven football babies with either red noses(like her) or mustaches(like their dad, Jeeves), which are handed to front-row spectators, and they have to sing Brahms' Lullaby to quiet them down. The Black Peacock Goddess occasionally peers at audience members from the wings. During the penultimate aerial straps act, the Valkyries often [[TheFourthWallWillNotProtectYou fly low over the audience]], sometimes landing in the aisles.

* ''JosephAndTheAmazingTechnicolorDreamcoat'' has a narrator who addresses the audience while (in some productions) interacting with the characters. Also, "Go Go Go Joseph", the CrowdSong at the end of Act 1, features the following lyrics:
-->'''Don't give up Joseph, fight 'til you drop.'''\\
'''We've read the book, and you wind up on top.'''

-->'''Don't give up, Joseph, just wait and see.'''\\

* ''AccidentalDeathOfAnAnarchist'' presents two endings to the play, and The Maniac invites the audience to choose whichever one they prefer.

* In ''AvenueQ'', the characters are struggling to raise enough money. Hence their decision to go pester people who clearly have enough money to waste on things like theatre shows. They then go into the audience looking for spare change.

* In UMO Ensemble's ''Maldoror'', whenever the characters climb on the musician's cage, he drives them off with a [[LoudOfWar blast of noise]].