Wrong on both counts. Through bouts of flu, a fractured foot, and no doubt extensive exhaustion, Jackman never missed a performance. He had a couple of
pre-scheduled vacations, which are another story. Yes, those shows were cancelled, but they were made up later with extra performances.
And be realistic, Jwei. You really think more than half the crowd would have stayed for a musical that got such horrible reviews if the star wasn't there? There's few things worse for a show's public image than photos of outraged customers waiting in lines at the box office to get their money gack.
Ethel Merman had excellent attendance throughout her career- I think
Gypsy was the only instance in which she missed a couple of performances, and that's because singing that score full-out pretty much made her vocal cords explode.
Updated On: 4/25/05 at 09:56 PM