Those "Bummer" Moments When They Announce An Understudy...

[quizking101]

Posted: 5/2/10 at 1:18pm

I've seen my fair share of shows, many of them had understudies. Now, I know that seeing an understudy in a lead roles may be a rewarding experience (I've had a few of those). But it's just that feeling of "Bummer" when an actor you came to see in a particular production is out that particular performance...

Rock Of Ages: Jeremy Jordan as Drew
(I was bummed at first, but then he sang the s*** out of the score and I loved him)

HAIR: Jay Armstrong Johnson as Claude
(Once again, I was looking forward to Gavin Creel, but when Jay sang, I couldn't tell the difference between them)

Share some of your "BUMMER" moments and tell us about the experience in the end (Did you like/hate them? etc...)

[rmusic11322]

Posted: 5/2/10 at 1:21pm

Next To Normal: Michael Berry as The Doctors. I was bummed at first, but knew that all of the understudies of the show are phenominal. So I got over it very quickly.

[CapnHook]

Posted: 5/2/10 at 1:23pm

I saw Beth Leavel go on for Christine Ebersole in the revival of 42ND STREET. Yes, I got to see Beth Leavel sing "I Only Have Eyes For You" while most audiences got to see Ebersole. This was before Leavel became more of a name after DROWSY CHAPERONE and before Ebersole became more of a name after GREY GARDENS.

"Understudy-to-star" stories are rare nowadays, mostly because shows are now built as machines and audiences no longer understand the work that goes into putting on a show. I doubt we'll ever have another Shirley Maclaine...

[husk_charmer]

Posted: 5/2/10 at 1:27pm

^ Well, in a way Sutton did that in Millie, when Erin Dilly dropped out.

They also tried to do it with Matthew Risch in Pal Joey, to no avail.

[StephanietheStar]

Posted: 5/2/10 at 1:32pm

I usually LOVE seeing u/s. Especially if I've seen the show before. The only time i've ever really bee bummed by an u/s is the second time I went to see Spring Awakening I had on stage seats that I purchased months in advance. I had kinda been saying that I wouldn't mind seeing an u/s for anyone but John Gallagher Jr. as Moritz. And he was the only one out that night. But I saw Blake B. (don't want to butcher the spelling on his last name...) and he was phenomenal! so, it always works out well...

Oh yeah! and in Wicked's Chicago I saw the u/s for Nessa (I won't say who as that'd be rude, though I see her name pop up every-so-often in roles) and she was terrible. Just awful. Heidi Kettenring was sorely missed that night.


Edit due to comment::: Then I guess I saw Blake the third time I saw it...whoever I saw go on for John was really good though!!

Updated On: 5/3/10 at 01:32 PM

[BroadwayBound115]

Posted: 5/2/10 at 1:39pm

I have two disappointments turned good stories.

1. Curtains, I wanted to see Karen Ziemba and Jason Danieley SO BAD! But Darcie Roberts went on as Georgia because it was her last night in the show and Matt Farnsworth went on as Aaron because Jason broke his hand. They were absolutely incredible. I know Karen Ziemba and Jason Danieley would've been incredible too, but I was so wowed by the other two.

2. Legally Blonde tour. Kathleen Monteleone went on instead of Becky Gulsvig. Hands down best Elle vocally. (I've seen Bailey Hanks and Laura Bell Bundy) She started singing in Omigod You Guys and my jaw dropped.

[Wishing Only Wounds]

Posted: 5/2/10 at 1:43pm

Well, I found out two weeks before, but when Stephanie J. Block broke her foot in 2008 I was torn about not seeing her in Wicked, but Lisa Brescia was amazing!

Cicily Daniels on as Ursula in The Little Mermaid... I was slightly bummed but wasn't that upset about not seeing Sherie. And, once I finally did see Sherie... I liked Cicily better!

[AC126748]

Posted: 5/2/10 at 1:44pm

This past summer at The Wiz, they made an announcement over the sound system that Lachanze was out and Darlesia Cearney would be playing Aunt Em. There was no understudy slip in the program. Aunt Em is only in the first ten minutes of the first act, and only has one song ("The Feeling We Once Had"), which Cearney knocked out of the park. I found it odd that there was no slip in the program...and even odder when Lachanze was carried out as Glinda in Act II. At the talk back after the show, she explained that one of her kids was sick and she had to take them to the doctor, which was why she couldn't make it for the first act. I know some actors will do the first act and not finished the second if they're ill, but this is surely the only time I've heard of someone doing the second act and not the first!

Luckily, I can count the number of understudies I've seen on one hand, and they've all been excellent. I saw the Cory understudy at Fences and he was phenomenal.

[kchenofan]

Posted: 5/2/10 at 1:51pm

I saw Chelsea Morgan Stock in The Little Mermaid when Sierra was doing Music in the Air. I thought she had a sweeter, more youthful protrayal of Ariel.

[jessica0414]

Posted: 5/2/10 at 1:51pm

One of the first times I saw Wicked in Chicago, Ana Gasteyer was out and Kristy Cates was her u/s. Though I eventually did end up seeing Ana at another time, Kristy's performance was fantastic!

Also, the first time I saw Jersey Boys in Chicago Jarrod Spector was out, and I saw John Michael Dias in the role. Again, he was AWESOME, and as other Frankies began taking over the role in Chicago my friends and I would purposefully go to matinees to see JMD, he gave such a great performance!

I'm usually not TOO disappointed to see understudies, but my friends and I have a semi-rule that we try not to see a show for one person, especially if we are on a trip to NYC without a chance to go back for that one person. Wasting an entire show "slot"/$100+ dollars on an actor rather than a show as a whole and taking a chance that that person may be out is not worth it when you have limited time and funds! Exceptions include one-person shows/cabaret acts and people like Angela Lansbury (we saw her in Blithe Spirit).

Updated On: 5/2/10 at 01:51 PM

[quizking101]

Posted: 5/2/10 at 2:04pm

I generally don't see a show just for the actors in it...(albeit Kelsey Grammer did catalyze my interest in LA CAGE)

Notmally, my shows are birthday and Christmas presents, so when I do see them and I see an understudy for somebody I'm looking forward to seeing, I get a little pissed, but then they never disappoint and I leave a happy man...

[frontrowcentre2]

Posted: 5/2/10 at 2:09pm

A friend put it all in perspective for me some years ago when she said "I would much rather see an enthusiastic understudy than a tired or ill star."

[IfYouCan]

Posted: 5/2/10 at 2:20pm

I usually LOVE seeing u/s. Especially if I've seen the show before. The only time i've ever really bee bummed by an u/s is the second time I went to see Spring Awakening I had on stage seats that I purchased months in advance. I had kinda been saying that I wouldn't mind seeing an u/s for anyone but John Gallagher Jr. as Moritz. And he was the only one out that night. But I saw Blake B. (don't want to butcher the spelling on his last name...) and he was phenomenal! so, it always works out well...

Blake Bashoff wasn't an understudy, he was Gallagher's replacement.

The only time I've ever been really bummed to see understudies was the first time I saw Spring Awakening, there were five understudies and it was just a weird show with a sort of off energy.

Then the second time I saw Paris Remillard as Claude in Hair, I didn't really care for his performance the first time I saw it, and so I was pretty disappointed to see his name on the understudy board.

[uncageg]

Posted: 5/2/10 at 2:29pm

I had planned to see "Curtains" when I was in NYC and knew I could get a seat at TKTS. I knew Ziemba was out on vacation, which I wasn't crazy about, but it was Debra Monk that I really wanted to see (Outside of Hyde Pierce). Got my ticket and was all excited. Got to the theatre and she was out. It was the day after she had hurt her knee (I think it was her knee). And I think it happened during the show the previous evening. I was so depressed but after the show started, I was into it and had a great time. it was also a great day because it was the first time I was able to donate to BCEFA at a Broadway theatre and Hyde Pierce's speech was priceless.

[sing_dance_love]

Posted: 5/2/10 at 3:09pm

I happened to see The Light In The Piazza the ONE week that Victoria Clark was out sick. I was a teeny bit crushed when I saw the slip in the playbill, especially because it was after Matt and Kelli had already left so I was really excited about seeing Victoria as the last original member of that main trio.

As soon as the show started, all disappointment was gone. Patti Cohenour was wonderful. Aaron Lazar was spectacular. And I really enjoyed Katie Clark's acting and her chemistry with Lazar. But nothing was gonna ruin that show for me, it's so beautiful.

I also saw West Side Story right after the Tonys when Karen Olivo was out and her understudy was quite good, not out of this world, but quite good.

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 5/2/10 at 3:12pm

I had a year, before I moved to New York, where literally EVERY show I came in to see had understudies on for the leads. Now that I live in New York, it's not as much of a bummer because it's much easier to come back on a different day, or see the show again.

[purtynpynk]

Posted: 5/2/10 at 3:16pm

I usually don't have a problem with understudies either. Being in Chicago, I saw Jersey Boys once about a year after it opened, and there were four people out, and not enough understudies to cover it. They ended up doubling up on parts, and Jake Speck who is a swing in the show on Broadway now ended up playing the role of Joe Pesci and the rapper in the beginning. Funny, since he was taller than Bryan McElroy who was playing Tommy. It didn't feel like he was really the tough guy then.

When I took my trip to NYC in January, the two shows I really wanted to see were Hair and Next to Normal. The day we saw Next to Normal, Alice was out, and it was definitely bummer. I loved Jessica Phillips though, which was fine. Then we saw Hair the next day, and Gavin Creel was out, again, a bummer feeling. Paris was good in the role, so it wasn't a big deal in the end. I just wish the one time i'd gotten to go i could have seen full casts. Of course, nobody's perfect though. :)

[Weez]

Posted: 5/2/10 at 3:19pm

I flew from the UK to see Idina Menzel's last Wicked. That's still recent enough that I don't need to tell you what went down, right? Yeah, I was disappointed, but the show was still awesome, and I had a lovely holiday in New York.

I really am the other way round usually though; my first visit to New York had Karmine Alers going on for Mimi in Rent rather than Mel B, and I was very pleased and relieved. I don't think I'd've loved the recent RSC Hamlet half as much if I hadn't seen it with Ed Bennett in the title role. I like seeing understudies, dagnabbit! The whole fun of live theatre is that it's LIVE and ANYTHING can happen. Which means, to look at it another way, that somewhere deep down inside us all, we kinda WANT the show to not go according to plan. Understudies are a very civilised way for that to happen. So bring 'em on! :3

Updated On: 5/2/10 at 03:19 PM

[I'mNOTthatGIRL72]

Posted: 5/2/10 at 3:25pm

when i went and saw shrek this past summer i was so excited to see sutton and brian darcy james...guess who both decided to take that particular night off? i was momentarily bummed ("How are both leads allowed to take the same night off GAHHH!!!) but I got over it...besides, it was John Tartaglia who I was super excited for. I don't get to go to Broadway often and John Tartaglia is one of my biggest role models, so seeing him as Pinocchio from the front row and then meeting him afterwards was simply incredible. i still have moments of regret that i missed seeing sutton foster live hoping to see brian darcy james this summer in N2N...
ps: the understudies for shrek and fiona (whose names I can't remember off the top of my head) were fantastic. i can't compare them to sutton and brian but i absolutely loved the show!!!

[fbueller]

Posted: 5/2/10 at 3:26pm

Hasn't everyone who saw 'The Color Purple' seen the current understudy for either LaChanze or Sweaty?

[Mike3]

Posted: 5/2/10 at 3:27pm

Walked out of Angus, turned right, immediately noticed the commotion. Signs on the doors of the St. James: Nathan Lane not performing tonight.

Bummer.

Nathan was resting his voice before the Tony Awards. I had bought the tickets weeks before (remember the buzz coming out of Chicago?) Ray Wills was decent as Max, but still...

I stood in a cancellation line two days later for several hours and got a nice ticket (after confirming that both Lane and Broderick were performing).

It was a completely different show with the two of them.

[aasjb4ever]

Posted: 5/2/10 at 3:27pm

About 2 weeks after she won her tony, Karen was out of WSS, and I was really sad because I had now missed her in both In the Heights AND WSS, and I wasn't thrilled by the understudy, Kat Nejat.
But, after the show and stage door, I went into the Crowne Plaza hotel with my mom to go to the bathroom, and it was pouring, so we waited it out and we made a wrong turn and I ran into Mandy Gonzalez just across from the Rodgers, and I talked to her for a good half hour and Karen came up and she said Karen had laryngitis.

[SNICOLE]

Posted: 5/2/10 at 3:40pm

I was a kid...

Shelley Bruce for Andrea McArdle in ANNIE.

Shelley was wonderful but I wanted to see Andrea.

Definitely a bummer moment.

[Marianne2]

Posted: 5/2/10 at 3:59pm

The only understudy I have seen that I was not impressed with was Yanira Marin in West Side Story. I'm glad I went back to see this on Wednesday because it was a lot better than I remember seeing a year ago. And although he is technically not an understudy, because he plays Tony in a couple performances a week, I really enjoyed Jeremy Jordan.

[willep]

Posted: 5/2/10 at 4:23pm

I guess the biggest bummer for me was seeing Darlene Wilson on for Sara Ramirez in Spamalot. It was the day of the Tony's and my first ever Broadway show. And at the beginning I didn't care because I had thought about it before, who I hoped to see the most, and I was thrilled that David Hyde Pierce, Tim Curry, and Hank Azaria were all there. Then Darlene started performing. Eek. Boy was I bummed I didn't see Sara.