bk said: "I don't recall Miss Streisand not doing eight shows a week, nor any of her replacements. They have missed a performance here and there, but this stuff is just so peculiar to this generation."
As others have stated, vocal health and the demands of a role have begun to be taken more seriously in recent years. On top of that, there is the mental health of a performer. In days gone by if you were perhaps not at your vocal best, you could rest assured that you could still weave your spell over the audience, whilst they were contained in the theatre. Now, one cracked or sub par note can be taken out of context and find it’s way onto YOUTube in a mega mix of ‘worst vocal moments’
the pressure for vocal ‘perfection’ is very different
It’s also not just singing. If you see someone who is performing eight shows a week, you are seeing an exercise in conservation. It’s physically impossible to give your all to every dramatic of choreographic moment, you have to find a way of ensuring you can survive over the course of a contract and not moment to moment. Any actor will tell you the struggle that is between artistic integrity and survival.
alternates go some way in rectifying these issues. I would far rather see a performer spewing flames in a major dramatic moment, knowing they don’t have a two day show coming up, than to see someone having to play everything at fifty percent so they can can do their nervous breakdown scene twice on Saturdays
