From lead to chorus and back?

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).

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Matt Caplan

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Then I have nobody.

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

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.

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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.

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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."

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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.

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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.

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

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

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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!

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

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.

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