Ever went to a show to see a specific actor...

[Faigs]

Posted: 5/18/07 at 4:13pm

...And saw their understudy?


Not a good feeling. :[

[uncageg]

Posted: 5/18/07 at 4:17pm

Yes, Dorothy Loudon in Annie. I had the tickets for a few months, got there for a matinee and she was out. I was not happy.

[SorryGrateful]

Posted: 5/18/07 at 4:22pm

I'm not trying to be nasty, but it should be "Ever gone..." I'm just super anal.

And when I went to see Wicked for Joel Grey's last performance, he was out. The role of the Wizard isn't much anyway, but I wanted to see freaking Joel Grey, you know? Luckily, he came out during the curtain call, so I was appeased.

[Gothampc]

Posted: 5/18/07 at 4:25pm

Sunset Boulevard - went to see Betty Buckley, got Karen Mason.

[Weez]

Posted: 5/18/07 at 4:26pm

I may or may not be one of those who headed to New York for Idina's last 'Wicked'. <_<

Updated On: 5/18/07 at 04:26 PM

[Greekmusicalfan]

Posted: 5/18/07 at 4:27pm

Thank God I haven't experienced that yet, but it's my biggest fear ! I want to book tickets from now to see Tarzan on my October trip. The only reason that I will go to the show, is to see Josh from as close as possible ! If his understudy comes on instead of him that day, I will be gutted !!!!

[justme2]

Posted: 5/18/07 at 4:27pm

Will Rogers Follies in LA..went to see Keith Carradine, saw Mac Davis.

Thankfully, I had already seen Carradine in SF.

[ElFantasma14]

Posted: 5/18/07 at 4:31pm

Well my parents were the ones who wanted to see it just for the show, but I wanted to see Jersey Boys to see John Lloyd Young. I was looking forward to Daniel Reichard too. Both of them were out, so I was pretty disappointed. But Michael Longoria and Dominic Nolfi were excellent,though. I still wish I could have seen the man who won the Tony.

[HoshiForever]

Posted: 5/18/07 at 4:33pm

I went to go see Kristy Cates in Wicked one last time (before she extended) and got her understudy. I was so disappointed because Kristy's about the only Elphaba I can stand. But since she did extend I got in to see her one more time.

[antiandrewx]

Posted: 5/18/07 at 4:38pm

I went to see Idina one time in Wicked and got stuck with The Bean.

[Mother's Younger Brother]

Posted: 5/18/07 at 4:45pm

The actors are never the ONLY reason I go to a show...but I saw Anthony Rapp's understudy (Gilles Chiasson) in Rent, Elaine Paige's standby (Maureen Moore) in Sunset Blvd., and Linda Lavin's standby (don't remember her name) in The Tale of the Allergist's Wife.

I like to think I've had pretty good luck with "stars" at shows, but those are the biggies that I missed.

[jordangirl]

Posted: 5/18/07 at 4:50pm

The first time I went to see Wicked I went to see the show, but really Idina. She was out. Kristy Cates was in for only her second time. And I absolutely LOVED her. So it all worked out.

[Sondheim_Geek]

Posted: 5/18/07 at 4:52pm

Spelling Bee the first time.
Went to see Lisa Howard and Jesse Tyler Ferguson.
Got Lisa Yuen and Todd Buonopane.

Absolutely LOVED Todd, Yuen was....eh.

[parislover87]

Posted: 5/18/07 at 4:54pm

I went to see Julia Murney in Atlanta and saw Victoria Matlock instead... since then I've seen Julia... VICTORIA WAS AWFUL!

[dancingthrulife04]

Posted: 5/18/07 at 4:57pm

I went to Pirate Queen to see Stephanie J. Block, and ended up with Kathy Voytko. She was really good, though.

[Broadwayboy2631]

Posted: 5/18/07 at 5:01pm

I went to go see Kathleen Turner in The Graduate, but I got her understudy. She was ok, but not Kathleen Turner!

[lisaspo]

Posted: 5/18/07 at 5:02pm

When they first put tickets for the Producers on sale (around April, I think), I bought one... the calendar was wide open, so, I decided to get it for my birthday weekend (September) because "why not?"

Around about in July or August, I think, they called me and let me know that Matthew Broderick would be on vacation for the week encompassing my date. I could get a refund if I wanted... but, I couldn't exchange the ticket because the rest of the run was sold out.

Given the choice of not seeing the show at all or seeing it with Broderick's understudy, I chose the understudy. But I was frustrated.. especially because I'd had no limitations on choosing a date and if I'd known when I purchased the ticket about the vacation I would have simply chosen another day.

Actually, the same type of thing happened to me with History Boys. Right after the Tonys, when they announced they were extending the show, I bought a ticket... particularly wanting to see Frances de la Tour. The next day they announced her vacation, starting the day before the day I was going.

Both shows were still good and the understudies great... it was just frustrating.

I'm infinitely less bitter when I see an understudy due to illness or something else unexpected.

[theaterkid1015]

Posted: 5/18/07 at 5:07pm

I was so afraid that I would miss Christine Ebersole when I went to see "Grey Gardens." Not because Maureen Moore is awful, but I was just dying to see Christine's performance.

She was out the two shows AFTER I saw it. Made me extremely happy.

[folkyboy]

Posted: 5/18/07 at 5:10pm

that's usually why i see shows in previews and Saturday evening performances. i'm so afraid that that would happen to me.

i went to see Wicked in Boston on a Thursday night and missed Julia Murney and it crushed me. i had to sit through that damn green b!tch all night long knowing it wasn't Julia underneath it all...

white pieces of paper that fall out of the Playbill are the DEVIL

[ashley0139]

Posted: 5/18/07 at 5:29pm

I went to see Julia in Atlanta as well, but Victoria was in. Fortunately, I had seen Julia earlier in the week so I just went to lotto to see if I could see her one more time before they left. Victoria was good, but the only reason I wanted to see that damn show was for Julia.

[commasplice]

Posted: 5/18/07 at 5:38pm

Stephanie J. Block was one of the main reasons I bought tickets to see the Wicked tour, but Jenna Leigh Green was on as Elphaba at the performance I saw (I enjoyed her, though, and was very happy to finally see SJB live in The Pirate Queen last year).

[millie_dillmount]

Posted: 5/18/07 at 6:01pm

I saw the Producers over spring break and Hunter was out that performance. SO disappointed. My excitement level went from a 10 to a 1 in about three seconds.

[KChenowethfan]

Posted: 5/18/07 at 6:05pm

Not really an understudy situation, but I bought a ticket to see "Disney's On The Record" for the sole purpose of hearing Emily Skinner sing. She left the tour (probably for good reason) before my tour stop, but already had a ticket.

For actual plays or musicals (i.e. those with plots), I never go in with the sole purpose of seeing an actor.

[Patty3]

Posted: 5/18/07 at 6:34pm

Tommy Tune in My One and Only - they let us exchange our tickets for another performance.

A group of friends traveled a distance to see Gary Morris in Les Miz. Can't remember who the understudy was but it was our first time seeing the show and we only missed Gary a little.

Did get to see him a few months later when we went on the spur of the moment and got tickets on the cancellation line.

[DRSisLove]

Posted: 5/18/07 at 6:58pm

Went back to see Norbert in DRS in February of '06.
Found out the night before he was off the whole week.

I sucked it up and went anyway. I loved his understudy, Jason, though.