Examples of Standbys / Understudies Filling In During A Show?

[Patti LuPone FANatic]

Posted: 3/27/06 at 6:02pm

Hello. I had a chance to read the FAQ concerning standbys / understudies. Can anyone provide examples of them (S.B's, U.S.'s) filling in for someone, during a show and finishing the remainder of the show? The only instance that I am aware of is when Debra Byrne was doing "Sunset Boulevard" in Australia. Apparently, she was in some sort of "cloud" and either fell facedown or fainted. Thanks, RC in Austin, Texas T.O.P.L.F.

[LizzieCurry]

Posted: 3/27/06 at 6:04pm

I heard about this from someone who was in the first SF production of Phantom for the entire run:

Apparently Lisa Vroman suffered some kind of sudden, severe cramp in her leg DURING "Think of Me," and had to be carried off stage. Cristen Mortenson, then Lisa's alternate, was paged, and she arrived to take over the role for the remainder of the show.

I've seen Gavroche and Piangi change between Acts 1 and 2, personally. Nothing dramatic, though.

[NBC]

Posted: 3/27/06 at 6:12pm

(Yes, these will all be Chicago examples.)

Once when I was at Chicago, Brenda Braxton performed All That Jazz, but then there was some shuffling going on after Funny Honey, and for Cell Block Tango Roxane Carrasco was Velma and Michelle Potterf did Roxane's role. Roxane finished the rest of the show...apparently Brenda started feeling ill after her number.

Another time Angie Stone was on as Mama Morton for the first act, but Michelle Robinson performed the role for the second act.

I wasn't there for this, but one time Ann Reinking hurt either her foot or ankle during the first act, and her standby Nancy Hess was Roxie for the second act.

[DefyingPopular]

Posted: 3/27/06 at 6:15pm

On January 7th, 2006, Shoshana Bean lost her voice and they had to page the S/B Saycon Sengbloh to come and replace her. They switched spots when Elphaba runs offstage right after Popular. Saycon finished the show and went on that night.

Idina's fall on January 8th, 2005 had Shoshana (the S/B at the time) getting green for the last 5 minutes of the show, and same as Saycon, Shoshana continued the show, and went on that night. . . and the next day.

Updated On: 3/27/06 at 06:15 PM

[The Distinctive Baritone]

Posted: 3/27/06 at 6:21pm

When I saw the original cast of the revival of "Chicago", Ann Reinking only did the first act. The intermission was very long, and an annoucement came that Nancy Hess would be finishing the show. At the stage door Hess said it was because Reinking was having "tummy trouble" or something.

[jonartdesigns]

Posted: 3/27/06 at 6:30pm

i didn't see it, but i know marissa jaret winoker hurt her calf in hairspray at some point and the show stopped for 15 minutes while the understudy got ready

[somethingwicked]

Posted: 3/27/06 at 6:32pm

I saw the "Hairspray" tour and Keala Settle was on for Act 1 and Christine M Dannelson was on for Act 2.

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 3/27/06 at 6:59pm

The second time I saw Avenue Q a while back, John Tartaglia did the first scene or two of Act I, but then by the third scene his understudy came out and did the rest of the show for him. While he seemed fine with his usual high energy, I later found out he was actually quite ill and simply couldn't continue with the show. The switch over was seemless -- Tartaglia exited one scene and his understudy came on for him at his next entrance less than 5 minutes later.

Over the years, I've seen Effies have to be replaced by their understudies at intermission in Dreamgirls, seen a dancer fall during the opening of A Chorus Line and being replaced by a swing for the rest of the show and I recall once at the Met seeing an Aida replaced by her standby after Act II. I'm sure there are other examples I'm forgetting.

Updated On: 3/27/06 at 06:59 PM

[BJC899]

Posted: 3/27/06 at 7:04pm

When I saw DRS Norbert was out. During GBS, his standby pulled a muscle in his leg. He sat down on the steps and said "get me out of here" and in the next scene a swing took over.

Lithgow stopped the show and explained what was going on. That performance was a very spectacular one, because later in the show a piece of costume didn't make it off stage and all of a sudden a huge hook tries to grab it. Lithgow and Greg just stared at it and add libed a great line.

I love Live theatre.

[whatyouown223]

Posted: 3/27/06 at 7:06pm

What swing was it? Was it another Freddy understudy, or did they actually have to put a regular swing on in the role?

[BJC899]

Posted: 3/27/06 at 7:12pm

Joe Cassidy went on for Norbert, and then Jason Gillman went on for joe.

[thevolleyballer]

Posted: 3/27/06 at 7:16pm

I went and saw Mamma Mia! in L.A. at the Pantages when it was out here on tour, and I remember halfway through the show, Sky was a different actor than I remembered him. At that point, I was just confused, as I'd never heard any announcement, and hadn't really looked at his face until then. I hate being confused.

[flaemmchen]

Posted: 3/27/06 at 8:13pm

I've only seen that happen once, and that was at a performance of 42nd Street when Celina Carvajal, who was playing Anytime Annie, stepped on her own foot with her tap shoe at some point after the opening number and was so badly hurt that they had to put the understudy on.

[zepka102]

Posted: 3/27/06 at 8:18pm

first time i saw Les Miz was when the tour came here. the actor playing Javert (forgetting his name) was sick and replaced during intermission, in which they added 15 minutes. sitting front row, i could tell he was really trying during "stars." his understudy was able to slide right in and he was fantastic.

[Joshua488]

Posted: 3/27/06 at 8:28pm

Wow, I am so glad I haven't had to experience mid-show replacements. I would be a little disappointed that I wouldn't get to finish the show with the same actor. I'm sure that after a few minutes, I'd be fine, but you probably understand where I'm coming from.

When I saw The Phantom of the Opera most recently (in December), I think Kara Klein (Meg Giry) must have called out close to the last minute. The Playbill already had a couple of understudy slips in it, but during the pre-show announcement, it was also announced that Carly Blake Sebouhian would be going on as Meg Giry. Perhaps they just didn't print a slip for her, but she was the only one mentioned during the announcement and the only one missing a white slip.

[C is for Company]

Posted: 3/27/06 at 8:35pm

Ok story time. Bought Wicked tickets for the day before my birthday for may 7th, 2004 a friday. Wickedgeek told me about Kristin's engagement in Candide so I quickly went in and swapped them for June 12th.
Act 1 on June 12th was amazing, Kristin being all bouncy and singing upside down on the bed during Popular, couldn't have been better. Intermission I was so excited cause I love Thank Goodness, I was dying to hear Kristin belting the final note.
Right before Act 2 opens an announcement was made that standby Laura Bell Bundy would be going on(before I knew she did Hairspray). I was near tears, I worked so hard to see that biotch and this unfortunate turn of luck occurs. Its ok I still love her and admire her amazing soprano-masteryness. LBB went on fine, near carbon copy of Cheno and hitting that note perfectly. Idina even made a funny comment about how she "grew" since she last saw her. It was funny, I wound up loving the show.
I think she was sick or something I later heard. Poor her and to do so well for half the show. She must have known though cause intermission wasn't unusually long though. After the show, she said they called her and she was getting all her makeup ready in her car even, so she must have been called earlier, Kristin must have known she wouldn't be able to go on much longer. Plus, she left the stage before even saying her final "I hope you're happy!" in DG. Grr

Updated On: 3/27/06 at 08:35 PM

[suzycat]

Posted: 3/27/06 at 8:52pm

When I saw Jersey Boys Dominic Nolfi took over as Frankie Valli for the second act because John Lloyd Young was sick. They were both great!

[everythingtaboo]

Posted: 3/27/06 at 9:26pm

Wasn't there a big article by Liz Smith or one of the gossip mavens about how in AGYG, Bernadette Peters got ill midway through a song, ran off and threw up, finished the song, then her understudy finished the performance to raves.

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 3/27/06 at 9:32pm

Similarly, Ian McKellan once was very ill during a performance of Wild Honey. At one point he walked off the stage, vomited in the wings and then returned and finished the play.

[waddledee524]

Posted: 3/27/06 at 11:40pm

"Similarly, Ian McKellan once was very ill during a performance of Wild Honey. At one point he walked off the stage, vomited in the wings and then returned and finished the play."

Now that's dedication.

[newsieboy23]

Posted: 3/27/06 at 11:51pm

Christine Applegate broke her foot... you know the story. (Dylis Crowman stepped in...)

Posted: 3/28/06 at 7:41am

when i was starting out with miss saigon..the girl i understudied NEVER got sick and hardly ever missed a show. she was amazing!
one night she could barely get through "i still believe". she kept coughing. i felt so bad for her! i was a peasant hiding behind the house during the Kim/Thuy see and there was the stage manager waving his arms frantically for me to come off stage to get me ready for act two! LOL..
it must have been SOO weird for the audience..she was blonde and i am brunette! they were probably like..chris got married again???!
then one time during JH...i had laryngitis but i was determined to get through the show! i could harly get Take Me as I Am out and i decided i better not continue..my WONDERFUL understudy Christy Tarr (J. Mark McVeys wife) was up and ready to go in minutes..the worst part was...SHE HAD planned a SURPISE wedding shower for me between shows that day!!! She had to tell me about it and i had to ask the stage manager permission to go because i was going to miss that night's performance too! they were kind enough to understand and say "YES! its your wedding shower..JUST DON"T TALK!!!" Christy threw me a beautiful dinner party and I felt so bad that i stressed her out that day when she was doing something soo nice for me.

[ruthiefan_felix]

Posted: 3/28/06 at 8:58am

BILLY ELLIOT
There was one night when Liam Mower finished the Angry Dance in the end of ACt 1, and was feeling very unwell, nearly fainting that he needed to be sent home immediately and Leon Cooke went on for him.
Also once James Lomas twisted his ankle when he jumped down from the stairs during Angry Dance but continued and ended up in tears. Apparently that was his angriest rendition of the number. And when one of the ballet girls why he continued he said 'it's because my mom is in the audience and don't wanna disappoint her'.
CHICAGO
It was in Ruthie's 2nd -3rd wk back as Velma in Ldn. Before she left home her daughter was all crying and was having a bad bad fever. But she had to go on. After 'All That Jazz' she cried really hard backstage and then calmed herself down to do 'Cell Block Tango'... I think that's just dedication!
I also heard that once, I duno whether its Broadway/Ldn/Vegas, but Ute Lemper stopped the show after 'I Can't Do It Alone' and just walked off.

btw, I didn't know that when Christina Applegate broke her leg, Dylis took on the role! I thought Charlotte D'Amboise did!

[flamingo]

Posted: 3/28/06 at 11:28am

About Bernadette Peters getting sick during a performance of "Annie Get Your Gun"--I was not there, but the story was in papers and magazines. Bernadette herself told the story on the old Marty Short talk show. Here is an excerpt from New York Metro Magazine, September 1999:

"THERE'S NO ILLNESS LIKE SHOW ILLNESS
Playing the lead in Annie Get Your Gun for six months has made Bernadette Peters a little queasy. During the first act of a recent performance, the czarina of the Broadway musical went silent, brought her hand to her mouth, and moved briskly offstage. One of her co-stars, left alone onstage, made do by spouting off a few limp jokes until an announcer explained that there would be a brief intermission. A few minutes later,
the stunned crowd was informed that Peters had taken ill but was feeling better and the show would go on. To uproarious applause, the Tony-award winner humorously ad-libbed her way back into the show; she then proceeded to belt out Irving Berlin's "Doin' What Comes Natur'lly." But Peters's rebound was short-lived: She barely stumbled through a nauseous rendition of "You Can't Get a Man With a Gun" before racing off again. Peters was replaced by her understudy, Valerie Wright, who received a standing ovation. Says a spokeswoman for Peters, "Something was going around backstage. A lot of people were coming down." Thankfully for the resilient Peters, adds the flack, "it was just a little 24-hour stomach bug."

written by Beth Landman & Deborah Mitchell

[Calvin]

Posted: 3/28/06 at 11:32am

During the previews of the La Cage revival, Daniel Davis had to stop the show because of an illness in the middle of one of his songs. His replacement (whose name escapes me at the moment) was literally learning the dance steps backstage as Harvey Fierstein entertained the waiting audience.