Video: A Declassified Understudy Survival Guide with OPERATION MINCEMEAT's Gerianne Pérez
Pérez covers roles usually played by Natasha Hodgson, Claire-Marie Hall, and Zoë Roberts.
By: Joey Mervis Sep. 03, 2025
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How do Broadway understudies survive? The gig isn't easy! Understudies and swings are some of the hardest working performers on Broadway (and beyond), having to be ready to go on at a moment's notice, often for multiple tracks. Think you could swing it?
In this episode, we're checking in with Gerianne Pérez, who is the understudy for three roles in Operation Mincemeat- Monty, Jean Leslie, and Bevan. What's it like covering over half of the show's characters?
"I always like to start with memorization," she explained to BroadwayWorld. "There are some people who like to memorize on their feet, but for me, if I don't get the words in my brain before I'm staging a scene or learning a song, I crumble. I can't have sheets in my hand. So first thing for me is memorizing!"
Pérez recently concluded her critically acclaimed run as Catherine of Aragon in the national tour of the Tony & Olivier Award winning SIX: The Musical. Gerianne’s talent led her to earn her BFA from the esteemed Tisch School of the Arts at New York University. Her exceptional musicianship and a cappella expertise paved the way for her Broadway debut as Kathy in In Transit, the first and only a cappella musical on Broadway, directed by the renowned Tony-Award winner, Kathleen Marshall. She also traversed the country in the heart-warming first national tour of Waitress, which led to her joining the Broadway company alongside Grammy-Award winner, Sara Bareilles. In addition to these notable credits, Gerianne has graced the stage in various other productions, including Oratorio for Living Things (Off Broadway), In The Heights (Hangar Theatre), Grease (North Shore Music Theatre), and Vocalosity (1st National). Gerianne’s television appearances include the popular New York series “Law and Order.” Gerianne’s voice can be heard on the tracks “Fever,” “Locked out of Heaven,” and “Hallelujah” on the Vocalosity album, as well as the Original Broadway Cast album of In Transit.
