🐒 The Monkey Music Box — a cymbal-clashing figure in Persian robes — has long fascinated audiences. On Broadway, stage management never gave it a proper name, simply using cues like “Stand by” and “Go for the monkey.” In the West End, however, the crew affectionately nicknamed it Bob.

🎼 The prop itself is a remote-controlled mechanical device. The props team turns it on and off with a remote, which makes the arms open and close as if clapping the cymbals. The tune — “Masquerade” — is played live by a keyboardist in the orchestra pit, transmitted, and amplified from inside the music box itself, giving the illusion that the sound truly comes from the monkey.

🎭 To prevent mishaps, productions also keep a duplicate monkey backstage, identical in look and function, so the show can continue seamlessly if the main one malfunctions.