Saw (and loved) GREAT COMET last night. Noticed that Courtney Bassett, one of the ensemble violinists, was out - does anyone know if the swings play instruments as well, or if one of the instrumentalists is out they just drop that instrument from the show that evening? Likewise, do the understudies for the principals play their instruments - I'm assuming Nick Gaswirth, the ensemble Pierre cover, has to learn the accordian and piano, but if, say, Josh Canfield is on for Anatole does he play the violin?
The swings do play instruments. There's a violin/viola swing, clarinet swing, accordion swing, etc. Not too sure about the Anatole covers, but yes, the swings play instruments.
Sumayya Ali and Andrew Mayer are the ensemble members that play violin. Shoba Narayan is the violin-playing swing. Pearl Rhein and Billy Joe Kiessling play viola and are in the ensemble. Katarina Yaukey and Mary Spencer Knapp play accordion (as does Kennedy Caughell in some of her swing tracks). Ken Clark, Nick Belton, Hearn Saunders, and Nick Choksi play guitar. Cathryn Wake plays clarinet.