Karen Olivo Out Of Moulin Rouge Sat Night - No Audience Notice- Page 2

[ModernMillie3]

Posted: 10/7/19 at 5:46am

I always look at the board as soon as I enter a theater, but an announcement before the show is also helpful. I prefer that over wasting paper. Karen is a tough one to see, I never could catch her in her previous Broadway shows, I hope she is okay though.  

[DAME]

Posted: 10/7/19 at 8:16am

Mr Roxy said: "To the original poster What do you expect expect for your $400 or whatever you paid for it? Only kidding. By the way understudies are sometimes better than the star. Case in point Anne Runalfson went on for Julie Andrews in Victor Victoria and was great. Whatever happened to her anyway ?"

OMG!   MR ROXY!  IT LIVES!   Btw... Olivo is fabulous in it.   I would have been livid .  The show is worth every penny .

[ImAProphet]

Posted: 10/7/19 at 8:29am

FANtomFollies said: "I thought that was the rule as well. I saw Phantom a few weeks ago and there was an understudy on for Raoul with no slip or announcement either."

Are you sure it wasn't in the Playbill? I ask because Phantom updates their cast list every week, so there would be no slip for a planned absence.

[Mike Barrett]

Posted: 10/7/19 at 8:47am

I have noticed that in my Broadway in Boston shows, only the call board has shown who's out/in. We had an understudy for Zoe and it was listed out front so I knew, but not a single thing in my playbill or announcement about it, and I was paying attention. No one else in my party had an insert and from what I could see around me, didn't seem like anyone else did. Could this possibly be a new trend/rule, that only the call board in the front lobby is necessary? It seems to be happening more frequently then I do remember. 

[ellbellthomps]

Posted: 10/7/19 at 8:48am

Did it fall out of your playbill? That's happened to me. 

Anywho, you're right. There should be some notice. 

[Evita@theBroadway]

Posted: 10/7/19 at 9:08am

To answer a few questions:

1. Yes, Danny was out on Saturday night as well.

2. No, the paper listing the cast did not fall out of my playbill. The insert lists Saturday's date, has Danny's understudy going on, but still lists Karen Olivo as going on for Satine.

I took an extra Playbill to bring to a friend since I was visiting from out of town, and that one still had the same insert listing Karen going on as well. 

 

[uncageg]

Posted: 10/7/19 at 9:35am

It's quite possible that she called out after the inserts were done and close to opening the house. But seems that an announcement would have been made.

[Call_me_jorge]

Posted: 10/7/19 at 9:42am

Perhaps the rules have changed and only 1/3 have to be done. Or I’d imagine Equity would be having it with these shows. Or perhaps, it’s only a rule for when the actor is above the title??

[liotte]

Posted: 10/7/19 at 11:22am

I was there Saturday night as well.
It was both on the board in the lobby before 7:30 and in an insert in my playbill (with the date at the top, listing both Ashley Loren as Satine and Kevyn Morrow as Zidler).

Updated On: 10/7/19 at 11:22 AM

[E Rosoff]

Posted: 10/7/19 at 11:56am

Even in the hustle and bustle of a theater lobby, if you care about who’s on in the show, you should make a point to look at the understudy board. It’s the best source of information. Even at super busy shows, you can totally get to the board to see who is on if you care to.
.
Understudies for Karen and Danny were posted on the board long before the doors opened. I was in the box office before 7pm and they were up there. I also have several playbills from that night with the slip that reflects Karen and Danny’s absence. Maybe you got a playbill from the matinee? Only Danny was out then.

Sorry you didn’t see the board and your playbill had an old slip in it. The ushers are only human and the slips only say the date, not the time but I can assure you that it was posted in the lobby and the playbills.

[Mike Barrett]

Posted: 10/7/19 at 12:03pm

This sounds like a very simply mistake of ushers not updating all the playbills in time. Its unfortunate but it happens. As others have mentioned, any show I attend I make the effort to look at the call board. Again, as others have said, those are usually posted before doors even open. Id take that as your best source of information. 

[Kad]

Posted: 10/7/19 at 12:11pm

Just so everyone is aware, the Equity Production contract requires that when an understudy goes on, the production must change the cast board in the lobby and also has to make either a pre-curtain announcement OR do a Playbill insert.

Updated On: 10/7/19 at 12:11 PM

[The Distinctive Baritone]

Posted: 10/7/19 at 12:54pm

Sounds like they had time to put insert 2.0 (maybe Burstein was planned, Olivio was not) into some of the Playbills, but not all the Playbills. There are like 1,300 of them.

I have a feeling that when a star is absent, they really prefer to not make a verbal announcement right before the show begins because there is often an audible groan from the audience. That does not put things off to a good start, and probably makes the understudy feel like crap.

[Kad]

Posted: 10/7/19 at 1:21pm

Also, since the pre-show immersion aspect is very much a prominent feature, I imagine Alex Timbers or the producers would rather not disrupt that with an announcement.

[Bettyboy72]

Posted: 10/7/19 at 1:27pm

You probably got a matinee Playbill. I tend to be overbearing when I want to see a certain cast. I ask at the box office and check the board.

[Islander_fan]

Posted: 10/7/19 at 5:32pm

As it has been stated earlier, the ushers are given the inserts, and we do them. There are many things regarding doing inserts that can, understandably so, fall into the category of an honest mistake/human error. For example, the production staff may not have printed enough, so not every playbill was able to have an insert as a result (annoying to some ushers) but we can only work with what we got and if more are needed they don't print out and give us them, we have to work wit what they gave us etc. So, there could easily been a situation of that happening hence the OP not getting an insert in their playbill. 

Hell, they could have easily gone too fast and missed a couple. Happens all the time. Regardless, I can understand the OPs frustration 

[Tag]

Posted: 10/7/19 at 5:50pm

Doesn't seem to be the case here, but the producers can opt to just pay the performer if they don't alert the public correctly (2 out of the 3 options).  Either on purpose or by mistake.  The performer would receive 1/8th of their weekly salary.  So for a lead (like Olivio making in the 7-10 grand range), this could be quite high!
Sidenote: if a swing goes on, in a role that doesn't have identifiable characters, they only need to be listed in the lobby or by insert.  So not in 2 places.

[RWPrincess]

Posted: 10/7/19 at 6:28pm

Last time I saw Tootsie, it was the evening show of a 2 show day. The board and the Playbill were not consistent. The Playbill had more understudy slips than were actually in the show so am guessing I had a matinee Playbill. 

[am97]

Posted: 10/7/19 at 8:54pm

Slightly off topic as it relates to West End practice but this reminded me that when I saw Come From Away in London back in August I had a standby on in the Annette/Beverley/etc track. I had no clue until she came onstage because there was no announcement, the West End doesn't tend to do inserts in the programme (as they're optional purchases rather than everyone getting a free Playbill), and if you're seated in the Grand Circle at the Phoenix, as I was, you go in through a different entrance that completely bypasses the cast board in the lobby. The understudy was fantastic but as I wanted to find out her name I had to sneak into the lobby to see the cast board as everyone else was leaving at the end! I wonder if the union over here has different rules regarding understudy announcements or if anyone who sits in the Grand Circle at the Phoenix Theatre just gets to fall victim to an unfortunate loophole.

Updated On: 10/7/19 at 08:54 PM

[Wayman_Wong]

Posted: 10/7/19 at 9:37pm

It amazes me that Karen and Aaron sing the score to ''Moulin Rouge!'' 8 times a week, especially considering how demanding this kind of pop-rock belting must be. I wonder if any thought has been given to having their understudies do the matinees. I'd hate to have Karen or Aaron do any damage to their virtuosic voices.

(So far, I haven't heard of Aaron missing a show of ''Moulin Rouge!'' in Boston or on Broadway, but how long can that last?)

Updated On: 10/7/19 at 09:37 PM

[dreamz]

Posted: 10/7/19 at 9:54pm

I work there, there was a full cast sheet insert inserted in the playbills.

[Patti LuPone FANatic]

Posted: 10/7/19 at 9:56pm

Mr Roxy said: "To the original poster What do you expect expect for your $400 or whatever you paid for it? Only kidding. By the way understudies are sometimes better than the star. Case in point Anne Runalfson went on for Julie Andrews in Victor Victoria and was great. Whatever happened to her anyway ?"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LVhV_lOQHSA   Speaking of Anne Runalfson, this is her and Seth Rudetsky highlighting Anne's turn in V V, when she was beeped to replace Julie Andews, midshow and without holding the curtain.  Unreal voice!

Updated On: 10/7/19 at 09:56 PM

[Islander_fan]

Posted: 10/7/19 at 9:58pm

This isn’t nor would it be the first show to use pop rock/belting where the leads did all eight shows.

Generally speaking, leads only get replacements if the production feels like it’s a demanding role and worthy of one. For example, Evita has one. Alex Brightman was offered an alternate but declined. Later he realized that he needed it and they then gave him one. And don’t get me started on Christine in Phantom.

Point is that not every taxing role is worthy of an understudy regardless of how intense the score is.