Ever go see a show, open the playbill...then 'woah' somone famous!

[Adam Chris]

Posted: 4/22/05 at 6:07pm

Have you ever gone to see a show not knowing who will be in it?

Not living in New York I only get to see the shows that are on tour so I may never know who I'm gonna get.

I remember when I went to see Rent in La Jolla. I sat down, opened the program and I was like, "Ohmygosh! It's Doogie Howswer MD!" Neil Patrick Harris was playing Mark.

Another time I went to see Rent at the Shuebert Theater in LA and lo-n-behold....Daphne Rubin Vega as Mimi! I couldn't believe it.

One other surprise...when the Joseph/Dreamcoat tour came around to San Diego my brother said to me "Debbie Gibson is the narrator." I was like, "Whatever, Debbie Gibson doesn't do theater. She's a has-been." And then what do you know...she now goes by DEBORAH GIBSON and plays parts here and there. There are a couple of other stories...but these are the ones that stand to me.

Updated On: 4/22/05 at 06:07 PM

[suzycat]

Posted: 4/22/05 at 6:14pm

When I saw Cabaret I was excited to see Leah Thompson as Sally Bowles. I had no idea she was such a good singer!

[TheBoyfromChi]

Posted: 4/22/05 at 6:16pm

My first show ever was the tour of Chicago back in 1997. Jasmine Guy was Velma and I was such a huge fan of Different World and especially her character.

[My Fair Lady]

Posted: 4/22/05 at 6:26pm

When I saw Cabaret, I opened the playbill and I was like, "Adam Pascal's the Emcee! Oh my god!"

[munkustrap178]

Posted: 4/22/05 at 6:26pm

Nope - I always know who's in the show ahead of time.

[NCGuy]

Posted: 4/22/05 at 6:28pm

I saw a production of “Dreamgirls” in Raleigh, NC about ten years ago and was shocked when Marilyn McCoo came on-stage as Effie (Billy Davis Jr was playing James Thunder Early). Besides being about 20 years too old for the part and completely wrong physically (she looked like Olive Oyl), she was apparently on the verge of her losing her voice (she sang/yelled all her numbers…I saw in the paper the next day that her understudy was going on for the rest of the week). Not a happy memory.

[Michael Bennett]

Posted: 4/22/05 at 6:34pm

Nah...if you read the Broadway websites, its virtually impossible to be surprised by anything.

[little_sally]

Posted: 4/22/05 at 6:34pm

I always know who I'm about to see. Most of the time I see shows just to see a particular performer anyway.

[EponineThenardier]

Posted: 4/22/05 at 6:36pm

Paige O'Hara (voice of Belle in B&tB, the original animated film) as the Narrator in Joseph
Richard Dempsey (Peter in BBC Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe) in Just So (England)
Coleen Sexton in Chicago

[ElphieDefiesGravity]

Posted: 4/22/05 at 6:36pm

When my family and I went to see the Into the Woods revival, my mom looked in the Playbill and went "Kerry O'Malley! She's used to be my student!!" It was cool.

[orangeskittles]

Posted: 4/22/05 at 7:31pm

Frankie Avalon in the Grease tour. That was awesome, because I used to watch Frankie and Annette movies when I was little, and loved Grease the movie since I was 10.

[Adam Chris]

Posted: 4/22/05 at 7:34pm

About 10 years ago I went the tour of JCS. I was surprised to find the coolest and most interesting cast.
Jesus- Ted Neeley (from the original 1973 movie)
Judas - Carl Anderson (again, from the original 1973 movie)
Mary - Irene Cara ( of FAME fame.)
and
Pilate - Dennis DeYoung (from the band STYX)

I almost forgot about that. It was incredible!!! I had no idea what I was in for :)
Updated On: 4/22/05 at 07:34 PM

[LaeloftheLakes]

Posted: 4/22/05 at 7:39pm

the only time I didn't know ahead of time is when I saw Chicago in London; Ruthie Henshall, Frances Ruffele, Marti Pellow. We didn't even know we were going, so I didn't have time to look it up. I nearly fainted.

[freelancer]

Posted: 4/22/05 at 7:48pm

Adam Chris, I saw the tour too, only I saw Syreeta (Stevie Wonder's ex-wife, who recently passed away) as Mary. It was the first show I ever saw. Didn't know Dennis DeYoung was in it!

[Dummy]

Posted: 4/22/05 at 8:07pm

Lol. I'm sure I saw this tour of JCS, too, and didn't recall DeYoung in it...guess I didn't pay much attention, even though I'm a Gen Xer and loved STYX. Wasn't this the production where they used hand-held mikes and Herod appeared in leather chaps, revealing a bare bum? As I remember, Ted Neeley seemed a bit past his prime but Carl Anderson was still belting with panache...amazing.
Updated On: 4/22/05 at 08:07 PM

[Roxie]

Posted: 4/22/05 at 9:02pm

When I saw Mamma Mia in Toronto, I saw the markee and it said Camilla Scott....then I realized it was the girl who had a really cheezy talk show. She used to sing on it lol. Any Canadians might know who I'm talking about. She rocked though

[Adam Chris]

Posted: 4/22/05 at 9:58pm

Yeah! Dennis was great. The show was fantastic! I would love to get my hands on this video....if it's even floating around. :)

I think Carl passed away several years ago? So I'm glad I got to see him.

[Sporti2005]

Posted: 4/22/05 at 10:08pm

when i went to see wicked (DONT freak out guys, i'm not a crazy out-there fan)..i only knew that shoshana was elphaba...then i open the playbill and holy wow...it's george hearn as the wizard!!!! i almost died.

[LizzieCurry]

Posted: 4/22/05 at 10:09pm

Most of the time I know who's in a show before I see it, but I didn't realize until after the show that the Noah Curry I had just seen in Pasadena Playhouse's "110 in the Shade" was none other than Tom Wilson, Biff from the Back to the Future series. :)

[Adam Chris]

Posted: 4/23/05 at 4:28pm

Hey Dummy,
Yeah that was the same production with hand held and head mics. And yes.....King Herod did come out and show his nasty bum to the entire audience during 'herod's song'.

[cathywellerstein]

Posted: 4/23/05 at 4:33pm

last thursday i bought tickets to ALL SHOOK UP, not really knowing anything about it or who was in it. i was pleasantly surprised to find that Leah Hocking and Mark Price both had leads in the show. they aren't huge stars, but they were both in Dance of the Vampires, and i absolutely adore that show. so i was really excited to see it. i also noticed that two other ensemble memebers were also in DOTV. i loved the show, and i'm so glad that the actors are getting work again...after all, DOTV was a flop

[Joshua488]

Posted: 4/23/05 at 4:42pm

I went to see HAIRSPRAY on Wednesday, and I had no idea that Jim J. Bullock was in the show! I love Jim J.! I especially loved him "back in the day" on The Jim J. and Tammy Faye Show LOL!

[kec]

Posted: 4/23/05 at 4:44pm

15 years ago, when I was living in Bucharest Romania, a British theatre group brought Richard III to the city. I didn't look at the program until intermission, and was shocked to find that playing Richard III was none other than Ian McKellen!

[Hank]

Posted: 4/23/05 at 5:06pm

In the old days, before the internet and sites like this one, sometimes, usually someone in a non staring role.

[StephanietheStar]

Posted: 4/23/05 at 6:41pm

well...i went to On the Record, and found out that Emily Skinner was Diane...then two seconds later that her understudy would be going on..I was pissed..

I was like YAY EMILY SKINNER--oh...ARRHHGG