Does the box office know about understudy appearances- Page 3

[broadwayguy2]

Posted: 6/25/19 at 9:37pm

Pose2, my following responses is coming from a place of 100% respect.

No, there is nothing wrong with being disappointed and there is nothing wrong with exchanging your tickets. If an actor is billed above the title, you are given that right. If the actor is below the title, the show is under NO obligation to exchange or postdate your tickets and if they do so, that is a COURTESY and gratitude should be expressed to the staff who do so for you.

There IS justified deep judgment on this thread for VERY good and just reason. There is a gross entitlement displayed from a number of posters who seem to acknowledge the nature of theatre as a LIVE and HUMAN event, and there is an at best dismissal and at worst belittling of understudies on this thread be people who have no grasp of the demands or skill set of those performers and who show them ZERO respect.

[dramamama611]

Posted: 6/25/19 at 9:55pm

Oh, please. Understudies KNOW there are people that will be disappointed in seeing them. Its part of the gig. But again: show me where this is ACTUALLY a recurring problem? (Other than really big names being out?)

[Islander_fan]

Posted: 6/25/19 at 11:14pm

The odds of box office staff knowing general understudy schedules is beyond rare. They are, for the most part, knowledgeable about two things when it comes to ticket sales. One, for example, say you've made a trip to the box office to buy a ticket to Hello Dolly. However, you picked a date that Bette was scheduled to be out and Donna Murphy in. The box office knows that info and will let the buyer know so they can make an informed decision. Also, they know the refund/exchange policy for the show. No longer does a name literally have to be above the title to qualify for an exchange or refund. They can advertise see Shoshana Bean in Waitress. But, if someone buys a ticket because of that and she is out, you can get a refund or exchange. 

As for Phantom. There has never been an official schedule of which Christine goes on when. That's why it's billed as "at some performances..." I think that CamMac didn't want the schedule to be officially out there, wanting to have the show the thing folks are coming to see rather than a given actress playing Christine. I believe he did something similar in London with Les Miserables not that long ago. 

[Lot666]

Posted: 6/27/19 at 10:36am

Islander_fan said: "As for Phantom. There has never been an official schedule of which Christine goes on when. That's why it's billed as "at some performances..."

I don't believe that's entirely true. My understanding is that the Christine performance schedule only varies from week to week if one of the actresses is out (e.g., sick, vacation). Otherwise, it is set when the contracts begin, even though they don't publish it on the ticketing site.

 

Updated On: 6/27/19 at 10:36 AM

[Elfuhbuh]

Posted: 6/27/19 at 3:32pm

Phantom always has a set schedule for alternates, and the actresses in question are usually very open about which days fans can see each Christine. Sometimes they have the alternate go on Tuesdays and Thursdays, sometimes it’s Wednesday evenings and Saturday matinees, it just depends on the contract. (Although yes, sometimes the schedule is different if one of the actresses is sick/on vacation.)

Updated On: 6/27/19 at 03:32 PM