Emily Skeggs? (and Bruce Understudy)
Emily Skeggs? (and Bruce Understudy)
HD1313
Chorus Member Joined: 1/5/16
#1Emily Skeggs? (and Bruce Understudy)
Posted: 3/16/16 at 12:49am
I may have missed something here, but did Emily Skeggs (Medium Allison) leave Fun Home? I saw the show recently, and her name was no longer in the playbill, nor her bio, or headshot, and Lauren wasn't listed as an understudy, so I'm just assuming. Anyone know for certain?
also, completely unrelated, what are your thoughts on Jim Stanek (excuse me if I am wrong, I'm going completely off of memory right now.) Michael's understudy, and for those who have seen both, what do you think the differences in their performances are?
#2Emily Skeggs? (and Bruce Understudy)
Posted: 3/16/16 at 12:52am
Emily is on temporary leave from the show. She left in the middle of February, I believe, and will be returning in May. I personally haven't seen Stanek as Bruce, but have heard nothing but positive comments about his portrayal.
#3Emily Skeggs? (and Bruce Understudy)
Posted: 3/16/16 at 9:26am
I saw the show before the Tonys last year and absolutely loved Michael. I just saw it last night for the first time since then and Jim was on and good lord, he was incredible.
i've got 99 problems and a revival of parade would solve like 94 of them
KathyNYC2
Broadway Legend Joined: 12/2/10
#4Emily Skeggs? (and Bruce Understudy)
Posted: 3/16/16 at 10:04am
I also saw both Michael and Jim as Bruce.. They play them slightly differently. For me anyway, Michael seems a little "off" right from the start, a little scary actually and you can't imagine how he's managed to "fit in" as long as he did.
Jim's portrayal is a little different - he keeps Bruce's issues more inside and I can totally understand how he could have hidden his problems and torments - until he can't. He seems like more the average guy that you wouldn't give a second glance to... hiding his inner self and his problems.
Emily and Lauren are both excellent also....and their differences are less well defined to me. I just enjoyed both of them.
#5Emily Skeggs? (and Bruce Understudy)
Posted: 3/16/16 at 10:05am
I've seen Jim Stanek twice, and he's so good -- and so different from Michael Cerveris that it's almost impossible to compare them, which may have been their intent.
More here: https://forum.broadwayworld.com/readmessage.php?thread=1081510
Lauren Patten was interesting in that I've never seen a standby (or, in this case, temp replacement) so closely mirror that of their predecessor. Not that this was a bad thing because Skeggs is so good, but it was something I've never seen, that a performance was so similar.
"This thread reads like a series of White House memos." — Mister Matt
Updated On: 3/16/16 at 10:05 AM
#6Emily Skeggs? (and Bruce Understudy)
Posted: 3/16/16 at 10:09am
Kathy, re Michael in FUN HOME. I heard from a couple of friends that he wasn't great in it. I love him, knowing him from Hedwig at first, and greatly admire his but I guess this just wasn't a great fit.
<-----I'M TOTES ROLLING MY EYES
#7Emily Skeggs? (and Bruce Understudy)
Posted: 3/16/16 at 10:10am
I saw Lauren Patten the last time I saw Fun Home, and she was wonderful. I agree that she plays the role similarly to Emily Skeggs, but she has a slightly different energy as a person that in my opinion really worked.
KathyNYC2
Broadway Legend Joined: 12/2/10
#8Emily Skeggs? (and Bruce Understudy)
Posted: 3/16/16 at 10:58am
Jane2 said: "Kathy, re Michael in FUN HOME. I heard from a couple of friends that he wasn't great in it. I love him, knowing him from Hedwig at first, and greatly admire his but I guess this just wasn't a great fit.
"
Really? I loved Michael in the part...and I had not known him previously. I loved Jim also... Two different peas in a pod.
*****I just re-read my earlier comments...and I think I need to clarify because I didn't say exactly what I meant. I didn't mean that Michael was OFF in his performance. I meant that Bruce seemed like an "OFF" character, i.e. weird, off-beat.. so that if I knew him in real life, he would have made me nervous to be around. Unlike Jim, who played Bruce like someone I would not have expected to have a "hidden life."as he seemed more like the regular guy next door.
#9Emily Skeggs? (and Bruce Understudy)
Posted: 3/16/16 at 10:59am
Put me in for another vote for someone amazed by Michael. He was terrific and totally deserved that Tony. (But I'd seen Jim Stanek in previous things and really wanted to see him as well -- glad I've gotten to!)
"This thread reads like a series of White House memos." — Mister Matt
KathyNYC2
Broadway Legend Joined: 12/2/10
#10Emily Skeggs? (and Bruce Understudy)
Posted: 3/16/16 at 11:04am
I just clarified my above comments^^^^.....which I think may have been misleading (my fault - my apologies for not saying exactly what I was trying to say).
indytallguy
Broadway Star Joined: 7/13/08
#11Emily Skeggs? (and Bruce Understudy)
Posted: 3/16/16 at 11:22am
Jane2 said: "Kathy, re Michael in FUN HOME. I heard from a couple of friends that he wasn't great in it. I love him, knowing him from Hedwig at first, and greatly admire his but I guess this just wasn't a great fit."
Not a great fit? He does an outstanding performance of an often unlikable character. And then got a TONY for it.
And do ppl not even search existing threads anymore? The Skeggs question has been discussed multiple times in the Fun home Contracts thread.
Cupid Boy2
Broadway Legend Joined: 1/5/13
#12Emily Skeggs? (and Bruce Understudy)
Posted: 3/16/16 at 11:26am
I saw Lauren the first weekend she went on, and I assumed her performance was so similar to Skeggs due to a lack of time to fully explore the character. It's interesting to read that she's still playing it similarly. Regardless, I very much enjoyed her and particularly her rendition of "Changing My Major."
As for Michael, I found him to be brilliant both times I saw him. He completely disappeared into the part and to echo an earlier comment, was downright frightening at times. The tension he created throughout the show really served the ensemble well and only made Judy Kuhn's "Days and Days" all the more tragic.
#13Emily Skeggs? (and Bruce Understudy)
Posted: 3/16/16 at 11:34am
Kathy, thanks for clarifying. I'm a huge fan of Michael an was shocked to hear some friends not liking his performance. I hope to see the show.
<-----I'M TOTES ROLLING MY EYES
#14Emily Skeggs? (and Bruce Understudy)
Posted: 3/16/16 at 3:30pm
Add me to the list of people who think Michael is brilliant. I've been a fan of his since Sweeney, and I've loved every performance I've seen him give since then. He's truly remarkable as Bruce, and he's gotten better and better every time I've seen the show (now 4 times, including once at the Public).
#15Emily Skeggs? (and Bruce Understudy)
Posted: 3/16/16 at 4:32pm
Michael Cerveris is probably the finest actor on broadway right now. His voice is great and all, but his acting is simply stunning. He just disappears into the role of Bruce.
A friend of mine saw the show with Jim and said that he's really good, but nobody is able to pull off the complexity of the role like Michael.
Hariku
Understudy Joined: 8/12/07
#16Emily Skeggs? (and Bruce Understudy)
Posted: 3/17/16 at 10:52pm
Saw Cerveris Off Broadway and Stanek on Broadway. Found their performance equally compelling. I was disappointed at first that Cerveris was out when I saw it on Broadway, but found him to be excellent in the role, and a better singer than Cerveris.
