I saw A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder last night. The show ran very smoothly and was great. The only thing that happened was the understudy for Phoebe was announced as going on in the second act. This has never happened at a show I've been at before.
Anyone know what happened to the main actress?
This happened to us when we saw Beauty And The Beast. The difference was that time it was the actor who played Gaston.
It happens. Sometimes a performer shows up to work even though he or she might be under the weather, and finds it impossible to finish the performance once it's started. Usually the changes happen at intermission, but I've seen it happen during the course of an act. At the opera, I've seen a singer replaced mid-scene by a cover.
The only time I've experienced this was during a preview of The Pirate Queen. Stephanie J. Block finished a song midway through the first act and made her exit. When she came on in the following scene, it was her understudy. Even though she was obviously ill, I actually preferred Stephanie's performance in that instance to the understudy (sorry!).
Updated On: 4/19/14 at 11:55 AM
Illness would be obvious choice. It happens.
I've been going to Broadway since the late 70s and I'd never been to a performance where this happened until about 5 or 6 years ago. Now I think I've been to 5 or 6 shows where this has happened.
Broadway Legend Joined: 12/29/08
I was at a performance of Hair in early 2010 and Will Swenson was out so his understudy, Steel Burkhardt, was on as Berger. My memory is a little foggy but I think Steel ended up hurting his ankle mid-show. He did not return for the second act, Bryce Ryness was announced as Berger (his first, and possibly his only time, on as Berger) and Jay Armstrong Johnson stepped in for the Woof track. Crazy show.
I saw the performance of ANYTHING GOES where Sutton was replaced mid-first act.
Broadway Legend Joined: 3/29/12
I saw an Actor's Fund performance of Matilda a few months ago where Trunchbull was replaced by Act 2. They made an announcement during intermission (and I also spotted Christopher Seiber in the audience sitting near Danny Burstein and Rebecca Luker).
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