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Fire alarm forces Tribe of Fools to take their show (and giant talking Wawa hoagie) outside

Big news: A talking hoagie escaped onto the streets of Philadelphia during an entirely unplanned dramatic finish to Tribe of Fools' Sunday afternoon performance of Operation: Wawa Road Trip.

Tiffany Bacon and Taiwo Sokan in Operation: Wawa Road Trip, by Tribe of Fools
Tiffany Bacon and Taiwo Sokan in Operation: Wawa Road Trip, by Tribe of FoolsRead moreCourtesy of Tribe of Fools

Big news: A talking hoagie escaped onto the streets of Philadelphia during an entirely unplanned dramatic finish to Tribe of Fools’ Sunday afternoon performance of Operation: Wawa Road Trip.

Operation: Wawa Road Trip, a physical comedy about a grieving brother and sister who embark on a road trip from Ohio to scatter their deceased father’s ashes at a place meaningful to him — a Wawa parking lot — has been playing to great reviews at the Drake Theatre on tiny Hicks Street in Center City. Plot elements? Dungeons & Dragons, rest stops, Sheetz vs. Wawa, and families who wear matching T-shirts.

On Sunday, when the fire alarm went off five minutes before the end of production, audience and actors (including the giant talking hoagie) took to the street (which is more like a glorified alley), with the crew, particularly Baker, scrambling in a mad dash to grab props for the production.

“When you’re on stage with five minutes left of the show and the fire alarm goes off – you finish the show on the street! Rock star Stage Manager Jamel Baker!” actor Janice Rowland Radway posted on Facebook.

Operation: Wawa Road Trip continues performances tonight, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday at the Drake. Hopefully, they’ll get to stay indoors this time.