Any info on Terri Klausner, the original Evita alternate?

I was wondering if anyone knows what she's been up to nowadays, or even better, if anyone here is/was in the industry and may know some behind-the-scenes info on her. There are a few performance clips of her on YouTube and she is a very talented performer and she sounds great in the Evita audio bootleg I have, but I have to wonder if there is a reason we haven't seen much of her. Between Patti discussing how Terri was constantly "knipping at her heels" hoping to go on as Evita, as well an old interview on YouTube where the interviewer mentions how she sang, danced, and acted the part better than Patti, to which Terri simply smiles and says "Thank you", I have to wonder if she is truly some temperamental diva or if she chose to leave show business for whatever reason. Ever since Patti's Grammy performance, I've had a bit of Evita fever and want to know more!

Side note: if anyone knows what Derin Altay has been up to, I'd love to hear about her as well.

Updated On: 2/1/18 at 11:58 PM

If I remember correctly what Patti wrote in her memoir, several cast members (mostly female, it seems) couldn't stand her, and liked Terri better both as a person and as Evita. I suspect the whole situation was a combination of the awkwardness of their being two Evitas, Patti struggling with sustaining her voice and lashing out at people when she got frustrated, and good ol' fashioned musical theatre people cattiness. But I wasn't there, I can only speculate based on what I remember reading.

I remember seeing her back in the day in Sophisticated Ladies - her last Broadway appearance, in which she did a great version of "Hit Me With A Hot Note" - later in the deadly boring Goblin Market Off Broadway, and more recently in a few readings/workshops. Although very talented, my impression was that she just didn't/doesn't have "star quality" (a totally subjective opinion, I know). And although it may sound uncharitable, it seemed to me that she had a very forgettable look - not particularly attractive, or unattractive, or memorable. It seems that she certainly had a few opportunities to reach for stardom, but maybe she decided to pursue a quieter career. (She did marry and start a family in the mid-to-late 80s.)

Updated On: 2/2/18 at 11:29 AM

This, by far, has always been my favorite Terri Klausner performance. Definitely a personality number showcasing everything she could do. This is from the 1981 Duke Ellington revue SOPHISTICATED LADIES that played the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre. She left the Broadway company of EVITA for this show.

"Imagine My Frustration" (dance partner is Gregg Burge):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Wgu6x7s7AM

Not too shabby for Terri -- she got a Hirschfeld as EVITA (from June 1980):

I saw Klausner before I even saw Lupone, because my first viewing was at a matinee. She bowled me away so much that I was a little disappointed when I saw Lupone, whose acting was tremendous but whose diction was a problem even then. I was always surprised that she was unable to turn that performance into a more celebrated career. She was that good.

(PS -- not that I don't like Lupone; her Reno Sweeney remains one of my favorite musical comedy performances ever; more recently, I would have given the Tony to her over Midler, though not Murphy; and I would also have given her the Tony for the revival of Sweeney Todd).

Here there is an audio clip of Terri singing Rainbow High

http://through-my-memoirs.tumblr.com/post/145218652178/terri-klausner-patti-lupones-alternate-sings

Holy p*uckballs, thank you for this! I have NEVER heard anything of Terri as EVITA so this is a delicious treat. Boy, she had quite a bit of LuPone-isms.

A friend was at Catholic Univ the same time as Terri Klausner. She has commented that Terri was talented AND nice as an undergraduate. She has only good things to say about her. For one soprano to praise another speaks volumes.

Shared a table with her and her husband at Karen Mason’s cabaret show in London a few years ago. Didn’t know who she was although thought there was something oddly familar about her. She was very friendly and we got chatting: at the end she asked what I thought of Karen and I said she was terrific and that if I’d had that performance of Norma Desmond (KM had just slayed two of the big Sunset numbers) instead of Close or Buckley I would have been pretty happy.

Terri then said words to the effect of ‘that is lovely to hear. Being the standby is hard. I went through it myself on a big Broadway show years ago.’ Then the penny dropped and I am sorry to say I did the big fangirly “Oh my GOD! You’re TERRI KLAUSNER!!” She seemed to find that pretty funny ....her husband thought it was hilarious. Such nice people. Wish I’d asked her to dish on Patti, although she seemed far too classy and genuinely likeable to go down that route.

Have since found a number of her performances online and I have to say I think she is sensational. Maybe she just didn’t have enough of the diva attitude to cut it as a full on Broadway star. I certainly think she had the talent. A genuine triple threat. Would love to see her in something.