Examples of Standbys / Understudies Filling In During A Show?- Page 2

[Princeton78]

Posted: 3/28/06 at 11:40am

*John Hillner* replaced Daniel Davis.

[Calvin]

Posted: 3/28/06 at 11:46am

Ah yes. Thanks. I'm in a fog today and can barely remember my own name.

[erinrebecca]

Posted: 3/28/06 at 11:50am

It happened a couple of weeks ago on Rent's national tour. Tracy McDowell became ill with food poisoning during Act 1. Swing and u/s Jenna Noel had to get into costume and onstage in five minutes to perform OTM.

[chinkie azn jai]

Posted: 3/28/06 at 12:00pm

I've only seen it happened once. It was during Wicked, and Kristin dissapeared during Defying Gravity (towards the end). Then when the second act started, there was an announcement that Laura Bell Bundy would go on as Glinda. Apparently Kristin had food poisoning or something.

[Cenoern]

Posted: 3/28/06 at 12:05pm

From what I can remember, one of the many times I've seen RENT, an understudy was in for Collins and he disappeared after "Will I?", and Philip walked in for Collins' next entrance. Both were pretty awful, haha. An announcement was made during intermission about the cast change

[Emilia]

Posted: 3/28/06 at 1:37pm

names escape me at the moment but in 'The Producers' in October 2004 Bialystock was replaced at intermission, but because of their swing/cover system the current Franz had to change to Bialystock and the Franz understudy had to go on.

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 3/28/06 at 1:41pm

I was there for that La Cage performance....Hillner, with 0 minutes notice, was better than Danny Davis ever could have been.

Davis sounded congested through the beginning of act one. Right before the dance break in "With You on My Arm," he stopped the show, saying he came down with viral laryngitis right before curtain and couldn't continue. Gary Beach and us audience members applauded him and there was a short interval. I ran downstairs where I saw Harvey getting ready to go on. He marched up to the stage and did a 15 minute Q&A with the audience while Jerry Mitchell was going over the dance with Hillner and Beach.

At the end of the show, Gary made a very eloquent speech about 'his new husband.' Updated On: 3/28/06 at 01:41 PM

[Gothampc]

Posted: 3/28/06 at 2:06pm

During one performance of Victor/Victoria, Julie Andrews got sick and left at intermisison.

[wyou17]

Posted: 3/28/06 at 2:34pm

I was at the preview performance of Millie where Gavin Creel was injured (apparently during the Speak Easy dance section) He finished out the first act (clearly in pain by the last scene) and Brandon Wardell was announced as the new Jimmy for the second act.

[Sandy in Sable]

Posted: 3/28/06 at 2:40pm

One of my old Speech teachers from college, Robin Miles replaced Jasmine Guy in "The Violet Hour" (in previews) when Jasmine suddenly "fell ill" mid-show. I'm sure many of you already know the story.

[melissa errico fan]

Posted: 3/28/06 at 3:15pm

Didn't Audra McDonald collapse mid-performance once and had to be replaced by her understudy?

Rachel York got food poisoning during the first week of previews for DESSA ROSE and had to leave the third or fourth preview mid-performance. Her understudy, Joan Hess, had barely had a rehearsal.

[allofmylife]

Posted: 3/28/06 at 3:57pm

This is not your standard standby or understudy story but... In August of 1975, I took a bunch of cast members from a production of "West Side Story" that I was directing for their first trip to New York. We got tickets to see "Chicago" about a month earlier through an agency. Most of these kids had never seen a real Broadway show before and were already ready to wet their pants at the thought of seeing Vernon and Rivera. Then the announcement comes on "Ladies and gentlemen at this performance the role of Roxie Hart, normally played by Gwen Verdon (HUGE moan in the audience) will be performed by Miss Liza Minelli." There were grown men crying in the audience. And I realized I'd never top that again. And I never had.

PS the effect on the kids was amazing. Three went on to adult professional careers in the theater and all of them got that one amazing anecdote to tell the grand kids along with the cool custom Jets and Sharks jackets.

Updated On: 3/28/06 at 03:57 PM

[LizzieCurry]

Posted: 3/28/06 at 5:27pm

Here is the ultimate Les Miz understudy story, including an understudy who was not really an understudy.

It's all thanks to some bad oysters...
http://www.geocities.com/lesmissy1/mariusmain/fun-oysters.html

[dancingthrulife04]

Posted: 3/28/06 at 7:19pm

Yikes.

[misto625]

Posted: 3/29/06 at 12:47am

I don't understand in The Producers example why the person (Kevin Ligon?) who does Ray Wills' roles didn't move up instead of Franz?

[Kevinoes]

Posted: 3/29/06 at 1:00am

June 13th - Idina was TERRIBLY sick and by "Defying Gravity", I'm pretty sure the whole audience was expecting a longer intermission while Eden got green. Poor Idina.

Back in 2002, I think, Karmine Alers was running off after "Another Day" and ran face first into the scaffolding. By "Christmas Bells" Antonique Smith was on. Karmine had gotten a black eye and was out the rest of the week.

[JasonGreen]

Posted: 3/29/06 at 6:27pm

misto: re: Producers, at the time John Treacy Egan (Franz) was first cover for Bialystock so the role went to him when the other Bialystock (Brad Oscar) took ill. When Egan took over the role full-time last fall, Kevin Ligon moved up to being the first cover and now if Egan is out he goes on.

Over the Christmas season Egan got sick mid-show and Ligon was on vacation, so Bill Nolte (current Franz and 2nd cover for Bialystock) had to step in.

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 3/29/06 at 6:41pm

When we saw Beauty, the understudy for Gaston (I believe ) came on at the start of act 2 with no announcement

[misto625]

Posted: 3/30/06 at 1:07am

That makes some sense with Producers, I just thought Kevin was first cover because I believe Ray Wills was first cover for Max over Brad Oscar in original cast. Who did Kevin's roles when he was on vacation? I saw Justin Greer do them once.

[JasonGreen]

Posted: 3/30/06 at 2:16am

Ray Wills was first to go on as Bialystock until TPTB saw Brad Oscar...then he quickly became the first choice. Then when Egan joined I think Wills would do it until Egan was ready for the role, and then he was first cover once Wills left. They had someone else before Ligon...Mark Lotito...he didn't stay long though. Ligon is by the way an excellent Bialystock. I think Justin Greer is the first choice to cover Ligon's roles, but Stacey Todd Holt also does them from time to time. I've seen them both and I think I like Holt's take on the roles better.

[isntitromantic]

Posted: 3/30/06 at 12:41pm

When Donna McKechnie returned to A Chorus Line in 1977 after her marriage to Michael Bennett and the London fiasco, she left the stage right before The Music and the Mirror. There was a brief pause and Zach said "Cassie, on stage now please, I need to see you." Miss Vicki Frederick performed the number and played the rest of the performance. She then replaced Miss McKechnie It was a great evening for her. She needs to come back to Broadway.