Actors being fired / replaced — Page 6

cliffordbradshaw2 said: "When "Wicked" played its tryout at the Curran, San Francisco, Robert Morse was the Wizard, Kirk McDonald was Boq, and John Horton was Dr. Dillamond. All three were replaced for Broadway: Joel Grey took over as the Wizard, Christopher Fitzgerald became Boq, and William Youmans was the new Dr. Dillamond."

I've always wondered about Robert Morse as the Wizard. I know he was in at least one workshop as well. It seems like such a good fit for him...who knows?

Vanessa Williams was set to do the Broadway production of THE WILD PARTY but withdrew because she was pregnant with her youngest child.

Call_me_jorge said: "Whatever happened to Barbara Barrie in the 2004 Fiddler revival? She was replaced by Nancy Opel in previews. I recently watched a clip of both of them as Yente and Barrie seemed to be perfectly fine in the role.

Also, there was Diana Rigg who was “fired” from the 2018 My Fair Lady revival after criticizing Lauren Ambrose."

I don't know that Rigg was fired. I think she just left when her contract was up.

Barbara Cook claimed she narrowly escaped a collision with the piece of scenery that comprised the back wall of Carrie's house. The original set design was a sort of elaborate puzzle box that one person I know who saw it described as being rather like a "series of reverse garage doors:" pieces came up, slid back, and then over to come into place.

But I think Cook likely used the incident as an excuse to get out of the show. From her biography it sounds like she was unhappy way before then.

Updated On: 5/19/20 at 12:12 PM

It has probably been posted already, but Garn Stephens was fired during the Boston try-out of A Little Night Music and replaced by D'Jamin Bartlett in the role of Petra before the show opened on Broadway. I think Len Cariou said that he much preferred Stephens' Petra and that he thought her Miller's Son was sexier.

If I remember correctly Robert Morse didn't want to relocate his family from CA to NY for Wicked. And I thought it was known that Amy Spanger was injured vocally during Rock of Ages? Maybe that was just the gossip at the time?

brettarnett said: "And I thought it was known that Amy Spanger was injured vocally during Rock of Ages? Maybe that was just the gossip at the time?"

If I remember correctly, she was going to take time off for "vocal rest" but then after a few days it was announced she was never coming back. Seemed strange, and i think in the middle of all of that she performed with the cast on the Tony Awards and sounded just great. Never really made alot of sense to me. She was a phenomenal Roxie Hart and I loved her in Tick Tick Boom.

Confused by the Roger/RENT rumor discussed above. I know of one Roger who left RENT rather abruptly in 2003 or 2004 but i dont think it was drugs related, and i am pretty sure he was formally replaced, not just replaced by rotating understudies....

LarryD2 said: "If I recall correctly Daphne said in an interview somewhere that she had to teach Joan backstage etiquette, including tipping her dresser.

I've worked in theater for thirty-plus years. To be fair, I doubt this is common knowledge among people who have little/no theater experience, as Jett did when she was in ROCKY HORROR."


sorry wait... tipping your dresser?

In THE BAKER’S WIFE Carole Demas and Topol were due to play the lead roles in the Broadway bound musical. Soon after performances begun Demas was replaced with Patti LuPone. Eventually, after many complaints and a letter to Equity, Topol was replaced Paul Sorvino.

Despite this the musical never reached Broadway and never made it past the out-of-town tryout.