Phylicia Rashad Into the Woods question

[jonartdesigns]

Posted: 1/26/20 at 11:29am

I was thinking about this the other day, and figured somebody has the answer. I know that when Bernadette played the witch, her double for the transformation scene was the actress playing Rapunzel. How was that scene handled with an African American witch?

[jimmycurry01]

Posted: 1/26/20 at 11:30am

The same way?

[The Distinctive Baritone]

Posted: 1/26/20 at 12:09pm

I imagine they wore the same makeup/prosthetics, even if it was a white woman. I imagine they didn’t change it much for Rashad anyway.

[BrodyFosse123]

Posted: 1/26/20 at 10:34pm

[The Distinctive Baritone]

Posted: 1/26/20 at 11:08pm

I stand corrected...

Was the double an understudy or anything as well, or was that their entire job? Did they get a new double just for those ninety seconds, or have a white girl go in “witch blackface?” Now I have to know...

[IronMan]

Posted: 1/26/20 at 11:30pm

I don't know about Rashad's stint, but in the original cast it was Maureen Davis, the actress who played Sleeping Beauty (only appears once at the end with Snow White, and also Bernadette's u/s) that doubled her for the change.  Her face was covered by a mask and hood so it wasn't really seen; I can't imagine why they would have had to make any changes for Phylicia. 

[AEA AGMA SM]

Posted: 1/26/20 at 11:31pm

I can't speak for the original production, but in the 2002 revival I'm pretty positive that the double for that scene was wearing a full face mask that was made to look like Vanessa Williams in her prosthetics. I would assume that a similar tactic was used in the original production in which case the race of the actress who was performing as the double would not have mattered.

[Auggie27]

Posted: 1/26/20 at 11:36pm

It was all about the hood, if memory serves. The face was barely seen. 

[Tsao5]

Posted: 1/26/20 at 11:38pm

HI. I saw it. She was actually funnier than I expected her to be.  The audience really liked her.  A note here and there were a bit off, but generally good.  Regarding your question, as I recall the switch was exactly the same EXCEPT.......EXCEPT....the hood the witch had was farther down on her face.  That was it. I believe for Bernadette, one could see more of the face.  But with Rashad, I remember the hood was just lower. That was all. Everything else still the same.

[GavestonPS]

Posted: 1/27/20 at 12:20am

I too saw it with Miss Rashad and didn't even notice doubling was being done.

So they must have done it rather well. I also liked Rashad very much (though Peters kills me on the OBCR!).

[nobodyhome]

Posted: 2/1/20 at 2:01am

IronMan said: "I don't know about Rashad's stint, but in the original cast it was Maureen Davis, the actresswho played Sleeping Beauty (only appears once at the end with Snow White, and also Bernadette's u/s) that doubled her for the change. Her face was covered by a mask and hood so it wasn't really seen;I can't imagine why they would have had to make any changes for Phylicia."

I've never come across Maureen Davis listed as a Witch understudy. When the show opened, the Witch understudies were Suzzanne Douglas and Joy Franz. Betsy Joslyn became the Witch standby after a couple of months (with the two understudies still listed as understudies), then of course she took over. When Marin Mazzie replaced Pamela Winslow as Rapunzel, Mazzie became a Witch understudy, with Douglas no longer an understudy. Mazzie once told the story of having to go on as the Witch during her first week in the show as illness was going through the cast, and both Joslyn, who was then the full-time Witch, and Joy Franz were out.

Maureen Davis understudied Little Red and Rapunzel and, oddly, Snow White.

 

[IronMan]

Posted: 2/1/20 at 11:13pm

I stand corrected.  Sorry- faulty memory.