Does Karen Olivo do matinees in MOULIN? Thanks!

[BrodyFosse123]

Posted: 11/5/19 at 9:13am

Yes. She has the full 8 performances a week schedule.

[swmwithsharks]

Posted: 11/5/19 at 12:01pm

Yes, I saw her in the Saturday matinee a few weeks ago.

[Bettyboy72]

Posted: 11/5/19 at 12:05pm

Yes. Saw her in the Thursday matinee.

[SFFrontRow]

Posted: 2/21/20 at 2:07pm

There are several postings on this, so I used an old one....

Bought ticket when Olivo wasn’t doing Tuesdays, several posters said she does Thu matinees, and yet showtime on 2/20 and understudy on. Has her extra day off changed? If yes, feel cheated. If not, think it unprofessional to have a sketchy attendance record for a pivotal star performer.

No announcement was made that she would be out. Changing the cast board and putting a full cast insert with no indication this was planned or last minute understudy insertion. So, my question is... where do they post performer schedules? I have heard Olivo’s attendance record is not great, in the past I have seen her in the shows she has been in. 

Ive been attending NY theater for 30+ years, have seen many wonderful unexpected understudies so not inexperienced in this, but... in this case it was a big letdown. I did all I could to try and ensure I’d see Olivo to no avail.

Updated On: 2/22/20 at 02:07 PM

[Pashacar]

Posted: 2/21/20 at 2:14pm

SFFrontRow said: "There are several postings on this, so I used an old one....

Bought ticket when Olivo wasn’t doing Tuesdays, several posters said she does Thu matinees, and yet showtime and understudy on. Has her extra day off changed? If yes, feel cheated. If not, think it unprofessional to have a sketchy attendance record for a pivotal star performer.

No announcement was made that she would be out. Changing the cast board and putting a full cast insert with no indication this was planned or last minute understudy insertion. So, my question is... where do they post performer schedules? I have heard Olivo’sattendance record is not great, in the past I have seen her in the shows she has been in.

Ive been attending NY theater for 30+ years, have seen many wonderful unexpected understudies so not inexperienced in this, but... in this case it was a big letdown as the performance of that role was underwhelming. I did all I could to try and ensure I’d see Olivo to no avail."

To my knowledge, her Tuesday "day off" (shame on the producers that it's unannounced) has not changed. (And shame on them for the willfully shady full-company insert rather than traditional understudy slip, while we're at it.)

But as you note, her performance record has been extremely spotty. That said, MR demand has been slipping; it's possible that asking at the box office could have led to being accommodated with a post-date (not that that accounts for hte inconvenience, etc.).

[SFFrontRow]

Posted: 2/21/20 at 2:23pm

Saw something interesting on ticketmaster website... it states that Olivo was going to play her normal day off Tuesday evening on 2/18 and 2/25. I can only guess she switched performance off from Tues eve to Thu matinee this week. So, classic bait and switch.... was it her accommodating the Tuesday performer at the expense of the Thu matinee ticket holders? I can say with pretty good certainty it was not posted when I bought tickets (I did see the seat selection page noted Aaron Tveit vacation days... and she just had a vacation outage in late Jan).

Sketchy all the way around by the entire operation... and at these overstuffed ticket prices? 

[BroadwayGuy12]

Posted: 2/21/20 at 2:32pm

I saw the Thursday matinee performance on 1/30 and the entire principal cast (Olivo, Tveit, Burstein, Ngaujah, Mutu, Rojas, and Hurder) was in.

[broadway86]

Posted: 2/21/20 at 2:34pm

I saw Olivo last Thursday, 2/13, and my understanding is that she has been sick ever since.

Honestly, I know how it feels to have the one person you want to see call out, but you didn't miss much. Superbly talented, but I think she is miscast in this role.

[Kea4]

Posted: 2/21/20 at 2:45pm

I follow the Satine standby, Ashley Loren, on Instagram and she is on OFTEN, like 3 shows a week on average. I don't think you can predict when Karen will be out. However, I've seen both in the role and prefer Ashley. Karen is incredibly talented but I just think Ashley fits it better and has better chemistry with Aaron. 

[SFFrontRow]

Posted: 2/21/20 at 3:10pm

Kea4 said: "I follow the Satine standby, Ashley Loren, on Instagram and she is on OFTEN, like 3 shows a week on average. I don't think you can predict when Karen will be out. However, I've seen both in the role and prefer Ashley. Karen is incredibly talented but I just think Ashley fits it better and has better chemistry with Aaron."

Thanks for your input, I shouldn’t have been so harsh on her performance. And I’ll admit, my opinion may have been part disappointment. I will probably eat my words when she becomes more well known and I clamor to buy a ticket to see her in a show.

Understudies are a fact of life and I have seen incredible performances (as recent as last June when I saw Amber Gray’s understudy in Hadestown.... and I was REALLY disappointed to miss Amber). And to highlight my age... saw understudies in for Harvey in the original Torch Song twice and Jennifer Holiday in the original Dreamgirls. My apologies to all hard working, dedicated understudies.

[suicidalmickeymouse]

Posted: 2/21/20 at 3:27pm

I am TRYING to see Ashely (saw Karen in Boston and she was very good) but Tuesdays do not work for me. Does anyone know of any vacations or pre planned dates in the coming months?

[Kea4]

Posted: 2/21/20 at 3:44pm

suicidalmickeymouse said: "I am TRYING to see Ashely (saw Karen in Boston and she was very good) but Tuesdays do not work for me. Does anyone know of any vacations or pre planned dates in the coming months?"

Ashley always posts on her IG stories when she's going to be on (I think usually the morning/afternoon of the show). I'm not sure if you are local, but that's a good way to make sure you are going to see her. 

[Sutton Ross]

Posted: 2/21/20 at 3:52pm

She absolutely does not perform 8 times a week. She performs Wednesday - Sunday afternoons. However, last night she arrived at work and tried to perform, but could not. She went live on her IG story about it and said how grateful she was for Ashley Loren. She's been battling the flu for a week so give her a break. 

[Bettyboy72]

Posted: 2/21/20 at 4:00pm

Doesn’t she also have fibromyalgia or chronic fatigue or something too? I thought I read that in a profile piece. Moulin Rouge was the first time I saw her after multiple attempts for In The Heights, West Side Story and Murder Ballad. I think her health has been a long standing issue because attendance has always been spotty. She’s a great talent with a gorgeous voice, just don’t count on seeing her.

[Zion24]

Posted: 2/21/20 at 4:23pm

Olivo has a horrible track record with attendance across multiple shows- I've seen her understudy in many shows over the years, not including WSS where she was notoriously absent. Its the producers' issue, not ours.

The irony is that I still think the best work Ive seen from her was as Maureen and sometimes Mimi in RENT when she was understudying other actresses who were notoriously absent a whole bunch...

[Valyitz]

Posted: 2/21/20 at 4:42pm

Yes, she did the first couple numbers and then there was a pause for a few minutes and then Ashley came on for the rest of the show. It was a shame but she really didn't seem well!

[WestEndGal]

Posted: 2/21/20 at 5:07pm

There’s a few MT stars who seem to have a bit of a rep for unreliability and yet still get jobs frequently, so I wonder how much of a consideration it actually is to producers when casting. Not that you shouldn’t get a job if you don’t have a pristine attendance record, just that I’d have thought it might be a negative for them going forward.

Tbf I didn’t know if Karen having a rep for unreliability tho so this isn’t a specific dig at her!

[SFFrontRow]

Posted: 2/21/20 at 5:30pm

Sutton Ross said: "She absolutely does not perform 8 times a week. She performs Wednesday - Sunday afternoons. However, last night she arrived at work and tried to perform, but could not. She went live on her IG story about it and said how grateful she was for Ashley Loren. She's been battling the flu for a week so give her a break."

I totally understand your viewpoint but it all seemed kinda obtusely dishonest.

No notification was made saying she was out, either in a Playbill insert or announcement before performance (I did not look, but I’m sure the cast board in the lobby had the understudy name). The ENTIRE cast list was the Playbill insert. So, from appearances, it would seem she wasn’t scheduled for this performance (contrary to the published  schedule when I booked my ticket). But, she was scheduled and unexpectedly understudied.

I’ve already posted here that understudies are a fact of life and my experience has been very positive. But frankly, the way this is handled doesn’t seem very transparent or honest.

And to add some humor... saw a play in SF years ago starring a fairly well known actress. I was surprised that the understudy (who looked very similar) played the first act. During intermission I mentioned to my friend there was no understudy announcement. He laughed and said “it’s her, she had a nose job.” Honest true story.

[SFFrontRow]

Posted: 2/21/20 at 5:39pm

broadway86 said: "I saw Olivo last Thursday, 2/13, and my understanding is that she has been sickever since.

Honestly, I know how it feels to have the one person you want to see call out, but you didn't miss much. Superbly talented, but I think she is miscast in this role."

Ah.... did YOU give her the flu? LOL

[Sutton Ross]

Posted: 2/21/20 at 6:05pm

She usually does do Thursday matinees. I don't think there was anything dishonest about it, perhaps she warmed up and could not perform. But, I know that's a rule for them to have to tell people there is an understudy, either on the board in the lobby, in the playbill, or over the loud speaker. It's unfortunate you didn't see her, but she just isn't known for her stellar attendance record, she keeps getting hired though so I don't think people mind, she's an incredible talent. 

[WestEndGal]

Posted: 2/21/20 at 6:37pm

Sutton Ross said: "She usually does do Thursday matinees. I don't think there was anything dishonest about it, perhaps she warmed up and could not perform. But, I know that's a rule for them to have to tell people there is an understudy, either on the board in the lobby, in the playbill, or over the loud speaker. It's unfortunate you didn't see her, but she just isn't known for her stellar attendance record, she keeps getting hired though so I don't think people mind, she's an incredible talent."

They do it better (generally) on broadway than the west end I think, because from my experience they tend to put slips in the playbills when there are cast changes on broadway (except in this case it seems) but in the west end it tends to be just the cast board in the theatre which most people probably don’t even see! Also there’s the added protection with “above the title” performers on broadway, which again isn’t a thing on the west end, so if an “above the title” performer is scheduled to be off the ticket sites will let you know before you buy the tickets. Again, not in the west end. So on the west end you’re basically left with whether or not the specific show is good at pre announcing when understudies will be performing. Some are but some aren’t. Waitress London, for example, never announces the schedules of the leads so you usually only find out on the day, unless an actor announces it themselves. It’s frustrating when trying to plan around seeing certain Jennas. Lucie Jones has been absent quite a lot and I really want to see Sarah O’Connor who is the understudy, before the show closes, but I’ve never found out she’s on in enough time to plan a trip!  Sorry veering wildly OT! 
 

 

[Scarlet Leigh]

Posted: 2/21/20 at 7:00pm

I would actually WANT to see her standby. Ashley Loren is a fantasic performer and in a way I've seen a preview of her Satine in the past. She played the role in BAZ: Star Crossed Love. Might have been a Vegas variety show but she KILLED the score in it and her acting was killer. After catching her in that, I can only imagine how great she plays the role in the full production. Wish I lived closer to be able to just pick up and go see one of her performances when she posts she's going to be on but just a little to far and last minute ticket prices a little to high for that.

[Bradley Equality Jadwin]

Posted: 2/22/20 at 12:18am

I saw the show Thursday matinee Jan 23rd and Ashley was on as Satine. I was disappointed when I first saw the insert in the Playbill, but from the moment she entered I was instantly entertained. I now prefer her voice to Karen’s on the album and although I would still love to see Karen, it’s not a dealbreaker.

[dreamz]

Posted: 2/22/20 at 7:11am

She has been out this week due to illness. Came in for Thursday nights performance but had to bgg e switched out. I think you have a good chance this weekend to see her understudy.

[kennin]

Posted: 2/22/20 at 9:09am

I have been to London twice and you are exactly right! Went to see Tina the Musical and Adrienne was not scheduled at that performance but there was no way to know. Same thing happened the prior year when I got to the show, 42nd Street. There was a piece of paper taped to the wall in the lobby saying that Sheena Easton was not at that performance. I went back to see Sheena in the show. At the stage door, she told me that she had that day scheduled off. There was no way for a ticket buyer to know.

As far as Karen, I went to see her in WSS and she left after Act I. There was an announcement that she would not be in Act II.