Wednesday Matinees

[quizking101]

Posted: 1/1/10 at 1:55pm

I have a few brief questions about Wednesday matinees (since I'm going to my first one, HAIR, in Feb)

1. Is the whole cast normally there, or are there more substitutions than normal?

2. Do alot of people see the Wed. matinee or is the audience smaller than normal?

[wdwfreak]

Posted: 1/1/10 at 2:36pm

It depends on a lot of factors.

[TheatreFan4]

Posted: 1/1/10 at 2:40pm

I've ever only seen wed. matinees & the only substational understudy I've had was someone on for Warner in Legally Blonde.

[PiraguaGuy2]

Posted: 1/1/10 at 2:45pm

IN GENERAL...

Wednesday matinees are usually big days for groups, whether they be schools or buses full of old ladies. If it's during a common school vacation week, you'll most likely also see a lot of families there. These aren't usually the most packed performances considering that they're at a weird time, so they're a great time to get tickets to one of the more popular shows. If a cast member has a designated "alternate", which I believe nobody does in Hair, then they will most likely go on for the Wednesday matinee. I don't know how likely a performer is to miss a Wednesday matinee performance, but the actors do not usually appear at the stage door if they have another performance that night. Also keep in mind that this is a two-show day for them and that it's an earlier performance than they're used to, so their energy may be a little low, although I've found that true professionals are giving their all no matter what time it is.

I hope my post was helpful and enjoy the show!

[dramamama611]

Posted: 1/1/10 at 3:46pm

Attendance is often high BECAUSE of the groups.

Actors are only allowed a certain number of days out (sick days, vacation days) - just like regular jobs. So they are no more likely to miss a matinee then an evening show...on a regular basis.

MOST of the time the understudies are just as good and unless you've seen the show before, you'd never know what you were "missing".

That being said, it's impossible to say whether actors will be out. They get sick, they have doctor's apppointments, they have personal things to attend to. Try not to worry about it and just enjoy: regardless of whether or not an understudy is on.

[jonmbway4652]

Posted: 1/1/10 at 3:46pm

Wednesday matinees are just like any other show for the most part. The whole cast should be there with the exception of an understudy or standby if they are needed. However, I would think that the entire cast would plan to go on.
The only Wednesday matinee I saw was Billy Elliot and the whole cast was there except there was an understudy for Billy's mom. The theatre was packed, but it was during the summer.
I hope this helps and enjoy the show =]

[pennypingleton1994]

Posted: 1/7/10 at 1:06pm

My second time seeing Hair was a Wednesday matinee, and there were no understudies, aside from one tribe member.

[Mark_E]

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

I saw Hair on a Wednesday matinee, One understudy on then at interval we had a replacement Claude because Gavin Creel injured his foot.

Guess you never know whats gonna happen.

[Auggie27]

Posted: 1/7/10 at 1:29pm

For years, many people have assumed a less complete cast appears at matinees. Not the case. It's true only in shows witha designated alternate (EVITA was one of the first, but I recall the revival of MOST HAPPY FELLA, the big one, not the twin piano version, with an alternate for Tony.) I think some shows give the alterate other performances, however. I believe PHANTOM has used a schedule with an alternate Christine on some evenings. Apparently, singing a role twice a day isn't always the issue; it's the amount of vocal rest factored in among the full 8 (my singer friends tell me that sometimes the evening of a matinee day is actually easier to sing, and that often the first show back -- Monday or Tuesday night -- is the most difficult. A warmed up voice used properly apparently works well after a matinee. But I'm relaying this second hand...)

I've always loved Wednesday matinees. Actors like 'em, too. The audience is good, awake, and responsive. The worst can be Saturday eves. I had a friend in WHOREHOUSE who swore the Sat Night show was the toughest. Everyone was full of booze and food. There's a buzz in a matinee house that's unique. People are just more alert.

Updated On: 1/7/10 at 01:29 PM

[winston89]

Posted: 1/7/10 at 3:30pm

Auggie27, I believe with Phantom the alternate for Christine goes on Monday and Thursday nights. So Jennifer Hope Willis ends up doing both shows on Wednesday and both shows on Saturday.

[dramamama611]

Posted: 1/7/10 at 7:00pm

To add to the discussion of which shows the actors like:

Jonathan Groff once said that Sunday nights were his favorite....they put every bit of energy they had left since Monday was their dark day, and he felt like Sundays were their best shows because of it. (or something like that)