Why such short notice on Kara Lindsay's Wicked return?

[NiceWork2]

Posted: 10/28/16 at 12:36pm

I was wondering if anybody knew more about this, or could perhaps speculate.  Normally wicked's loyal return fans get really excited when new Elphabas and Glindas appear.    I'm sure sales for Tuesday's return show with Lindsay have spiked somewhat since yesterday's announcement - Lindsay definitely has a loyal base of followers, as do any of the Wicked principle characters.   why did the people behind wicked not announce this earlier, giving more people the chance to attend Lindsay's first week?   Was perhaps somebody else lined up to be Glinda, but things fell through or there was a last minute injury?   Also, why doesn't Wicked more often promote the Glinda standbys - people like Tess Soltau, Ginna Claire, etc have all been great - I'd love to see any of them become the full time glinda one day.  

[Call_me_jorge]

Posted: 10/28/16 at 1:19pm

Tess didn't get bumped up, because of Carrie. So I think the producers have been favoring bumping the tour leads over the standbys. 

[neonlightsxo]

Posted: 10/28/16 at 1:36pm

Ginna Claire's been in the show a year. Tess left before Carrie was in the show.

NiceWork, it's the same as with Hamilton. They have no responsibility to announce this stuff. The show sells on its own. Despite your claim that Kara's presence will cause a spike in ticket sales, I highly doubt that's true. Nothing to see here.

[Anna_Elizabeth]

Posted: 10/28/16 at 2:28pm

Unfortunately, we who would like to know when someone new or is returning to a role, are too few for the producers or the person who is calling the shots to care about making these announcements. It also seems to be the new normal. After all, some productions aren't allowing understudies to say when they will be on. And yes, it is all about selling tickets to them. Yet, I'm also beginning to see this trend at regional nonprofits when full cast lists are coming out later and later. I hate to see the day when nothing is announced and we have to find out when someone sees the show and posts on here about it.

[BroadwayConcierge]

Posted: 10/28/16 at 2:32pm

As neon wrote, the show stands on its own, and as a result, has no responsibility to announce casting. Unless someone like Selena Gomez or Taylor Swift is joining the show, they can drop casting announcements whenever they want and their sales won't be affected.

Also, I feel confident saying that Lindsay's return will not effect a "spike" in sales.

[NiceWork2]

Posted: 10/28/16 at 3:04pm

If a show like Wicked can sell on its own, and by most accounts it can - I've been there on nights when the standby/understudy for Glinda or Elphaba was on, and there's never any chatter in the audience, primarily because the audience doesn't know any better - a bunch of tourists.   It's not like if Lane or Mays was out of Front Page, where everyone in  the audience would be talking about this.   If the show is still in good hands with some of the standbys and those who do not have a long broadway resume, why don't they do more casting of these people as the fulltime Elphaba/Glinda.   Surely the pay scale they would have to pay out would be much lower.  The show would not suffer performance; these performers are still as talented as can be.    Of course they've kind of already done this with the new Glinda an d elphaba on the tour.   Why not put on Alyssa Fox as the next Elphaba on broadway, she's fantastic.  perhaps the producers of Wicked feel they still need to cast people with some name recognition in the Broadway production.   Book of Mormon has not really done this with its Elder Cunninghams, though the role of Elder Price is usually still a big name.   

[sorano916]

Posted: 10/28/16 at 4:10pm

NiceWork2 said: "If a show like Wicked can sell on its own, and by most accounts it can - I've been there on nights when the standby/understudy for Glinda or Elphaba was on, and there's never any chatter in the audience, primarily because the audience doesn't know any better - a bunch of tourists.   It's not like if Lane or Mays was out of Front Page, where everyone in  the audience would be talking about this.   If the show is still in good hands with some of the standbys and those who do not have a long broadway resume, why don't they do more casting of these people as the fulltime Elphaba/Glinda.   Surely the pay scale they would have to pay out would be much lower.  The show would not suffer performance; these performers are still as talented as can be.    Of course they've kind of already done this with the new Glinda an d elphaba on the tour.   Why not put on Alyssa Fox as the next Elphaba on broadway, she's fantastic.  perhaps the producers of Wicked feel they still need to cast people with some name recognition in the Broadway production.   Book of Mormon has not really done this with its Elder Cunninghams, though the role of Elder Price is usually still a big name."

 

In the past two years, can you give me any full-time Elphabas or Glindas who have more than three Broadway shows in their credits? No one has name recognition outside of their own little fan bases. Pretty sure more names have been hired as Fiyero, Morrible, or the Wizard.

 

And for BOM, I'm pretty sure the most well-known person was Ben Platt who was a Cunningham. I don't think Gavin Creel or Matt Doyle brought in more people. And BOM is another show, which doesn't necessarily rely on their cast members for ticket sales.