Best Understudy Ever?

#1

Best Understudy Ever?

Posted: 1/25/05 at 12:39am

There's a thread for the worst understudies, now how about the best understudies you have ever seen? I saw Phantom a few years ago with an amazing understudy, but I have no idea who it was.

#2

re: Best Understudy Ever?

Posted: 1/25/05 at 12:47am

No suprise to those who read the worst understudy thread, but to start, Mamie Duncan-Gibbs as Velma.She was one of the Honeys in Jelly's Last Jam,too-but she originated that role.
eta:loved Belle Callaway as Roxie-though now she often headlines,she was once an understudy,and Nancy Hess as Velma,too-I once saw her come in to Chicago after the show started when Uta Lemperer rather unexpectedly left during Act 1.The curtain was rung down, and Ms Hess had to start cold w/I Can't Do It Alone, and brought down the house.

Updated On: 1/25/05 at 12:47 AM

#3

re: Best Understudy Ever?

Posted: 1/25/05 at 12:54am

Not the best EVER, but Barrett Foa as Princeton/Rod blew me away. I liked him better than John Tartaglia, believe it or not.

#4

re: Best Understudy Ever?

Posted: 1/25/05 at 12:55am

I didn't see her myself as I was not alive, but I've heard sensational things about Terri Klausner, who was Patti Lupone's alternate/stand-by in the Original Broadway Production of Evita

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"One no longer loves one's insight enough once one communicates it."

The opposite of creation isn't war, it's stagnation.

#5

re: Best Understudy Ever?

Posted: 1/25/05 at 1:00am

Nancy Opel was also a great matinee Evita (and standby for Lupone the rest of the week).

Julia McGirt and Sheila Ellis were great Effie understudies in Dreamgirls.

I imagine Elaine Stritch was quite something as the matinee Martha and alternate to Uta Hagen in "Virginia Woolf."

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"What a story........ everything but the bloodhounds snappin' at her rear end." -- Birdie [http://margochanning.broadwayworld.com/] "The Devil Be Hittin' Me" -- Whitney

#6

re: Best Understudy Ever?

Posted: 1/25/05 at 1:02am

You heard right, priest.Evita was one of the first shows I ever saw on Broadway-I used to second-act it quite a lot,and I saw Klausner,who was excellent.If I remember correctly,she performed weds & sat matinees.

#7

re: Best Understudy Ever?

Posted: 1/25/05 at 1:04am

Apparently she had this big cultish following.
People who saw Evita multiple times, but only when she was in for Patti as Eva.

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"One no longer loves one's insight enough once one communicates it."

The opposite of creation isn't war, it's stagnation.

#8

re: Best Understudy Ever?

Posted: 1/25/05 at 1:21am

Last time I saw "Phantom" the guy playing Raoul was an understudy. I don't remember his name, but he had the most incredible voice--this booming, operatic high baritone. This is, of course, not the proper sound, as Raoul really should be a tenor, but he was so amazing to listen to, it didn't matter. However, I had a hard time believing he was in love with Christine, if you know what I mean...

#9

re: Best Understudy Ever?

Posted: 1/25/05 at 2:20am

emily rozek as millie in tmm... not only was she excellent but still stands as the only understudy i've ever seen

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"Grease," the fourth revival of the season, is the worst show in the history of theater and represents an unparalleled assault on Western civilization and its values. - Michael Reidel

#10

re: Best Understudy Ever?

Posted: 1/25/05 at 8:26am

Lenora Nemetz for Chita in the original CHICAGO. She was actually the best thing about the whole show.

#11

re: Best Understudy Ever?

Posted: 1/25/05 at 8:39am

This is an amzing thread! I would love to hear more stories about the older shows, as understudies went on less back then. Anybody got any stories?

Updated On: 1/25/05 at 08:39 AM

#12

re: Best Understudy Ever?

Posted: 1/25/05 at 10:21am

There is a terrific book available called SING OUT, LOUISE! which has a whole chapter on understudying and replacing during the "Golden Age".

#13

re: Best Understudy Ever?

Posted: 1/25/05 at 11:03am

Almost all understudies in Phantom are FABULOUS. Susan Owen, especially...I saw her twice as Christine and she gave the performance of a lifetime. She blew me away. I've seen the principal Christine's, but Susan...oh my...AMAZING.

#14

re: Best Understudy Ever?

Posted: 1/25/05 at 11:42am

when I saw WICKED, melissa bell chait was in as glinda. she was amazing...

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"I am unfinished- I am diminished With or without you..."

#15

re: Best Understudy Ever?

Posted: 1/25/05 at 11:51am

karmine alers as mimi in rent. Lord knows after seeing Scary Spice "play" the part a few days earlier, even harvey would have made a great understudy for mimi!

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awkward.

"I think it was the Korean tour or something. They were all frickin' asian!" -Zoran912

#16

re: Best Understudy Ever?

Posted: 1/25/05 at 11:59am

I love Susan, she is such a nice woman and a joy to work with. Glad to hear she was liked.

My fave US has got to be Karen Mason in Sunset Blvd. I was 17 and visiting NYC and so excited to see Betty in SB and then they announced that she wouldn't be going on. I was upset to say the least. But Karen was astonishing. She is and was no where near the appropo age, but embraced that part and I was a big fan afterwards. Plus, it was great to find out that she was from Illinois and I had the pleasure of meeting her about 2 years later (unfortunately at a funeral), but she was just amazing.

#17

re: Best Understudy Ever?

Posted: 1/25/05 at 12:10pm

ELIZABETH LOYACANO!!!!!!! she understudied Mina Murray in Dracula for a while when Melissa Errico was out. She was so amazing as mina, and brought such a different approach to the part, but it definitely worked. she had very good chemistry with both dracula and jonathan. i hope she does more in the future now that dracula closed : (

#18

re: Best Understudy Ever?

Posted: 1/25/05 at 12:16pm

At the end of the first act of Movin' Out, Michael Cavenaugh started sounding a little off. He cleared his throat a few times too, and it seemed like he was getting sick.
When act two started, Wade Preston was Lead Vocals instead. He went into the show halfway, and was incredible. Imagine being on your toes like that! Actually, I'm sure many understudies are on their toes like that. What I was really impressed by was that he won the crowd over so quickly. There were murmurs of "this guy is great too!" and nobody seemed disappointed even though I'm sure some had been looking forward to Michael Cavenaugh. I actually felt lucky that I got to see both of them!

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[title of show] on Broadway. it's time. believe.

#19

re: Best Understudy Ever?

Posted: 1/25/05 at 2:05pm

Michael McCormick and Patrick Boyd in The Producers tour as Max and Leo. They were astoundingly good.:) Also, props to Laura Shoop as Miss Dorothy in the Millie tour, Karen Olivo as Mimi in Rent, Trey Ellet as Johnathan in Tick Tick Boom, and whoever the guy was who went on as Will when I saw the Oklahoma tour. :)


I love understudies.

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There's always room for pathos - and jazz hands.

#20

re: Best Understudy Ever?

Posted: 1/25/05 at 2:17pm

Best ones I've seen:
Eden Espinosa- wicked
Linda Muggleston- wonderful town
Aymee Garcia- Q
Victor Hawks- Urinetown
Hollie Howard- Hairspray
Peter Matthew Smith- Rent (Nat'l Tour)

#21

re: Best Understudy Ever?

Posted: 1/25/05 at 2:24pm

Michelle Nigalan (sp) for DeeDee Lynn Mango in Miss Saigon.
Robert Evans for Robert Cuccioli in Jekyll and Hyde, Eden for Idina, Megan Hilty for JLT.

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Megan Mullally as Karen Walker on Will and Grace: "Tell me more. Tell me more. Like does he have a car?"

#22

re: Best Understudy Ever?

Posted: 1/25/05 at 2:59pm

Linda Mugleston as Ruth in WT.

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"Which way do you want these pleats turned?" "Toward Mecca."

#23

re: Best Understudy Ever?

Posted: 1/25/05 at 3:05pm

Liz Larsen as Velma in Hairspray.

Tommy: Cheryl Freeman's later understudy who I had seen on tour in Tommy. She got horrid reviews in Fl - but she blew me away. I saw her again, the next year on Broadway, and complimented her performance. She was amazing. Unfortunately, right now I have forgotten her name, (I believe it was Diedre Lang, but I'm not sure.)

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"Do you know what pledge time is, Andrew"? said the PBS Executive. "Yes", Lloyd Webber replied. "My 50th birthday special must be one program that gets done a lot." "No", mused the man from PBS heedlessy. "Not so much. Our Stephen Sondheim Carnegie Hall concert. That's a big one." Spoons, forks and knives seemed suddenly to suspend their motion in horror, all around the table.

Updated On: 1/25/05 at 03:05 PM

#24

re: Best Understudy Ever?

Posted: 1/25/05 at 3:30pm

You're absolutely right, Margo. Nancy Opel was an excellent Evita. I was like 12 when I saw her-it was my second time, saw LuPone, too-and I knew she was going to be a big theatre star.

Wasn't she also Bernadette's understudy in "Sunday in the Park with George"?

Whatever happened to having a regular star, and then also having a designated matinee performer? I know that Hilary Swank was going to have a Wednesday matinee Annie Sullivan, before the show was scrapped alltogether.

#25

re: Best Understudy Ever?

Posted: 1/25/05 at 3:33pm

Colin Hanlon as Mark or Roger in RENT (I've seen both, take your pick because he's great as either character). He has this honesty to his acting that you rarely see anymore, & his characters have a lot more depth to them than when I've seen them played by other actors. I could go on & on about him, but I'll be quiet now.