I think there's an opportunity here...
There have been past examples where actors have been unexpectedly, yet permanently replaced in the past, and the replacement actor has been heralded as "a star" in the role.
* Kristen Vigard was replaced by Andrea McArdle in
Annie * James Carpinello was replaced by Cheyenne Jackson in
Xanadu * Erin Dilly was replaced by Sutton Foster in
...Millie ...but there's never been an "official" word to describe this circumstance.
I propose to add a new word to the Broadway lexicon:
dil*ly (DIL-ee)
n. 1. The condition of being replaced by a previously unrecognized chorus member, or understudy, who then achieves great fame in the role.
-v. -ied or
-ing. To suffer the repercussions of a dilly:
I SOOOO got dillied out of that part! Now that there's a specific term for it, agents could negotiate "
dilly clauses" into their clients' contracts. Haggling over a "dilly clause", to a point where negotiations become stalled would be, "
dilly-dallying". Excessive "dilly-dallying" might put an actor in a "
dilly pickle".
Obviously, "dillying" is not limited to Broadway actors. Television and motion picture artists are also vulnerable to being dillied.
I recently read that
Jon Stewart will take a summer leave from
The Daily Show so that he can direct
Rosewater. In his absence, he will be replaced by Daily Show correspondent,
John Oliver.
Might Stewart get "dillied" by Oliver? Could the viewing public take such a shine to Oliver that Stewart might be permanently replaced?
I hope not. That would be a doozey of a dilly.
Updated On: 5/17/13 at 12:50 PM