From lead to chorus and back?

[blaxx]

Posted: 7/27/06 at 11:39pm

I was thinking about Bianca Marroquin, soon to reprise her Roxie in Chicago, and was wondering... is there a history of performers who have gone to play leads to chorus members and back and so on?

Her Broadway debut was playing the lead in Chicago, to follow with the National tour in the same role (winning the Helen Hayes award on the way), next on the ensemble of The Pajame Game, then back to Roxie... and maybe chorus member in another production again?

Any other examples of performers who go back and forth from leads to chorus (I'm not talking about standby's and understudies, of course).

[Becoz_i_knew_you21]

Posted: 7/27/06 at 11:40pm

Michelle Kittrell
Updated On: 7/27/06 at 11:40 PM

[gustof777]

Posted: 7/27/06 at 11:42pm

Matt Caplan

[blaxx]

Posted: 7/27/06 at 11:45pm

I guess I wasn't talking about performers who started as swings / ensemble and then moved up to leads either, but about performers who started as leads, then went to the chorus and back to leads.

[Becoz_i_knew_you21]

Posted: 7/27/06 at 11:47pm

Then I have nobody.

[thevolleyballer]

Posted: 7/27/06 at 11:50pm

Well, Tina Maddigan scored Sophie in MAMMA MIA!, and then went into standby status for Laura Benanti in WEDDING SINGER. Though standby isn't necessarily chorus, it's still basically a lesser, ensemble-ish role. She's yet to go back, though, to lead.

[thespian geek]

Posted: 7/27/06 at 11:54pm

Drew Sarich, who's currently in Jacques Brel and was Armand in Lestat, is going to be in an "ensemble"-ish role (I can't remember the characters name) in Les Miserables when that comes back this fall.

Also, David Josefsberg has played main roles in shows (he was Doody in Grease and the original Abe in Altar Boyz) but has done chorus (Les Mis & now The Wedding Singer), too. Back and forth.. Updated On: 7/27/06 at 11:54 PM

[erinrebecca]

Posted: 7/27/06 at 11:55pm

Cary Shields in Rent, although it's ensemble not chorus. Who calls it chorus these days? Haven't heard that term used in many moons.
Updated On: 7/27/06 at 11:55 PM

[ThankstoPhantom]

Posted: 7/27/06 at 11:57pm

Megan McGinnis, Little Women to Les Miz ensemble.

Michael Shawn Lewis, BROADWAY POTO Raoul to BROADWAY Marksman to Raoul on tour, to WIW ensmble, to BROADWAY Raoul.

[CurtainPullDowner]

Posted: 7/28/06 at 12:47am

Justin Bohan
lead in Oklahoma
Ensemble in ALL SHOOK UP and now LES MIZ
This has happened many many times
We used to call in journeymen
Actors who work whatever the part.
Love em!

[blaxx]

Posted: 7/28/06 at 12:57am

I guess work is work :)

I just imagined Bernadette Peters, Sutton or Hunter Foster, Bebe Neuwirth, Ben Vereen and many others in a current ensemble...too funny.

[Smaxie]

Posted: 7/28/06 at 1:01am

Scott Wise seems like a good example. He has gone from leading or featured roles to dancing in the ensemble and back again. (I recall a NY Times story when he danced in the ensemble of Guys & Dolls after winning a Tony for Jerome Robbins Broadway).

[LizzieCurry]

Posted: 7/28/06 at 1:02am

Thespian Geek: Grantaire, although of all the students besides Marius and Enjolras, he probably has the most memorable part. Lots of people remember "the drunk guy."

[thespian geek]

Posted: 7/28/06 at 1:03am

Woo, drunk guy!

[ashley0139]

Posted: 7/28/06 at 8:06am

Megan McGinnis, Little Women to Les Miz ensemble.

She also did Belle on Broadway.

My first thought was Jen Cody, who kind of did that. She has done a lot of back and forth.

[elphieisperky]

Posted: 7/28/06 at 8:20am

Jen Cody would be one. But could another example be Diana Kaarina? Eponine in Les Miz, to swing in Rent?

[ruprecht]

Posted: 7/28/06 at 8:28am

Tina Maddigan and justin Bohan are the more recent examples. I don't recall Cody ever being in a lead, am I wrong? I'm sure there are plenty more examples. Sarah Gettlefinger, Leslie Kritzer, if you count regional.

[best12bars]

Posted: 7/28/06 at 10:05am

Smaxie---I was remembering Scott Wise as well. That was pretty gutsy of him. A featured Tony-winner stepping back into the chorus of another show.

I remember seeing him interviewed on the news about this very subject at the time... and he said (basically), "Hey, I have a family to feed. This is a good, steady job, so I'm here to do it."

EDIT: It didn't hurt him at all... he has worked steadily and recently moved up as "assistant director/assitant choreographer" of "Movin' Out," as well as being in the show. Plus, he added two more Tony nominations for performing to his resume AFTER stepping back into the chorus.

Updated On: 7/28/06 at 10:05 AM

[bdwybug55]

Posted: 7/28/06 at 11:48am

Jennifer Hope Wills from raves reviews as Eileen in "Wonderful Town" to ensemble and u/s in "Woman in White" to Christine in "Phantom" on Broadway and National Tour. Updated On: 7/28/06 at 11:48 AM

[GClef2]

Posted: 7/28/06 at 12:34pm

Wasn't Sutton going to be in the ensemble of Wicked for a while? Or was that before TMM?

[CJR]

Posted: 7/28/06 at 1:11pm

In Chicago alone, there are SEVERAL actors and actresses who've gone from lead to ensemble just within the show!

[Theatreboy49]

Posted: 7/28/06 at 1:50pm

Thesbian Geek- Sarich (who is brilliant) wasnt orginally cast as Armand. The original guy (who i for some reason cant remeber who it is) dropped out and Sarich of the ensemble took over. He is amazing but didnt really start out as a leading man and I dont think many ensemble roles are in his future.

[Wanna Be A Foster]

Posted: 7/28/06 at 2:23pm

Actress Crista Moore made her Broadway debut in the 1989 Revival of GYPSY (Tyne Daly) to critical raves. She received a Theater World Award, a Drama Desk nomination and a Tony nomination, and the production won the Tony for Best Revival (along with a win for Daly). Ms. Moore returned to Broadway in 1996 creating the role of Susan in BIG, which, while the show was not a success, she received praise for her performance, along with a second set of Drama Desk and Tony nominations. She returned a few years later with a minor role in the play WAITING IN THE WINGS, but since then has gone from Tony nominee to Standby for the Tony nominee (for Essie Davis in the 2004 revival of JUMPERS) and most recently, Standby in the revival of ABSURD PERSON SINGULAR. If you ask me, she needs to get cast in a musical again.

But it just shows how easily the tides can turn. One moment you're getting critical attention and Award nominations, time passes, new fresh faces step up, and next thing you know you're back to square one. For those of you who have the BIG Cast Recording, she really gets a chance to show off her gorgeous voice in several numbers. Take a listen. I hope to see her back on stage soon. She is quite a talent!

Updated On: 7/28/06 at 02:23 PM

[SNLMedia]

Posted: 7/28/06 at 3:03pm

If I'm remembering correctly, Karmine Alers bounced around a few times between Mimi and ensemble in Rent over the last year or so.

[TxTwoStep]

Posted: 7/28/06 at 3:14pm

for the record, Ms. Marroquin covered the "Steam Heat dance feature" role in PAJAMA GAME, just as Ms. Cody covered the "Hernando's Hideaway" one. Those ensemble roles were not only highly defined in terms of character for that production, they also offered the opportunity to go on for features, just as the LES MIZ ones did/do. A very natural choice for a good actor.

Ms. Cody played "Becky Two Shoes" in URINETOWN, but to my memory it was more like a feature than a lead (though it understudied "Little Sally"). Can't remember the size of her role in TABOO, but it was probably ensemble (not sure how understudies worked in that production).

And I think TMM pre-dated WICKED....for the Sutton Foster query.