My Fair Lady Cast Replacements/Absences- Page 2

[MCfan2]

Posted: 7/2/18 at 3:00pm

givesmevoice said: "Butz' understudy Joe Hart was a fantastic Alfred Doolittle, and came across as a little more menacing than Butz did. I told my friends afterwards that I felt a little bit like Hart's Doolittle has killed a man and would do it again. "

Wow! There's an interesting take on Alfie! 

I'm so glad my tickets are for the week before HHP's break. I'm sure I'd have a good time at the show anyway, but I really do want to see him, after hearing all the praise for his performance.

[OlBlueEyes]

Posted: 7/2/18 at 4:24pm

ScottyDoesn'tKnow2 said: "Has Ambrose called out at all since those consecutive absences?"

Not that I'm aware of. The Sunday final curtain was at 5:59: Ambrose is on stage for 2.5 hours, using her voice, and when not on stage is changing costumes. And to think that twice a week she has to play the role twice.

I don't have a problem with giving her a day off, but the announcement comes very late for all those who already bought tickets. LCT has been so good about warning of Harry absences far in advance.

Perhaps that was an unpremeditated change just caused by Lauren's need for it.

[AC126748]

Posted: 7/2/18 at 4:49pm

Eliza isn't a terribly hard role to sing, but as others point out, she's on stage for virtually the entire show. Given that Ambrose has never sustained such a long run in a musical I'd say her overall attendance is pretty stellar. And if having an alternate one show a week allows her to continue for the remainder of the run missing little-to-no other performances, it's probably a good decision in the long run.

[BroadwayConcierge]

Posted: 7/2/18 at 4:53pm

Ambrose’s attendance has been really incredible for a musical theatre neophyte in a role that is notoriously physically and vocally demanding. This sounds like a smart call for the longevity of her run.

[comets]

Posted: 7/2/18 at 5:47pm

I saw Michael Halling in for HHP at the Saturday matinee. Not that I have anything to compare it to, but he did a great job. If I had to miss either of the two leads, I'd rather it have been him. 

[OlBlueEyes]

Posted: 7/2/18 at 7:21pm

I saw Michael at one of HHP's planned absences and I thought he was fine. And I had already seen Harry.

Much of the time, to me at least, when I see a show with an understudy in one of the leads, it rarely affects my enjoyment of the show. That shouldn't make sense, given that the star survived the audition process, the star was nominated for the Tony, and the star has all the nuances down after a month. 

Joe Hart took over for NLB, who had the Tony nomination, and he was fine. Had the proper bravado and accent. The two production numbers were full of energy.

Don't know what it means except that there's a lot of underused talent on Broadway, that the supporting cast and the musicians are really a big part of making any star look good, and there are actors and actresses who can stand the anxiety of going on with short notice to play to thousands of people who paid a couple of hundred bucks to see the star.

This comment does not apply to Audra McDonald missing Lady Day or Robert Preston The Music Man.

 

[Hairspray0901]

Posted: 7/5/18 at 9:50pm

Was looking for tickets  - it appears Lauren Ambrose will no longer be doing Sunday matinees. 

ETA: oops -  i see this was already posted! carry on..lol

Updated On: 7/5/18 at 09:50 PM

[mstevens59]

Posted: 7/8/18 at 5:32pm

So, I saw the National Theatre's production of "My Fair Lady" several years back and the understudy for Marteen McCutcheon went on and I was underwhelmed with the performance. So I was excited to get another chance to see an excellent production with original and nominated cast and got tickets for a Sunday matinee in August. You know the rest of the story. Telecharge is reluctantly offering an exchange if we push for it but I wanted to see if anyone has seen both Kerstin Anderson and Lauren Ambrose to advise. I really liked Lauren on the Tony's and I just don't want another "meh" Eliza. Help?

[Elegance101]

Posted: 7/8/18 at 8:39pm

It seems as though a lot of people are blown away by Ambrose, so your chances of liking her are good, but I thought she gave a really disappointing performance. I'm totally in the minority, and I'm happy so many people found her performance thrilling, but I thought she was about as "meh" as you can get as Eliza.

I've never seen Kerstin as Eliza (hoping to go back at some point this summer for her), but she's a talent. She's been fantastic in everything I've seen her do. And I believe she's 23 making her Broadway debut, so it could be a "I saw her when" moment. She'll definitely be a huge star some day.

[MCfan2]

Posted: 7/8/18 at 9:19pm

FWIW, I've heard nothing but good things about Anderson's performance.

[ScottyDoesn'tKnow2]

Posted: 7/9/18 at 12:16pm

It seems like Lin-Manuel Miranda enjoyed himself (huge understatement):

https://twitter.com/Lin_Manuel/status/1016326433919111168

 

[tgirl16]

Posted: 7/18/18 at 3:50pm

Diana Rigg is leaving the show Sept. 9! No replacement announced yet.

https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/Diana-Rigg-Will-Depart-MY-FAIR-LADY-on-September-9-20180718