Has Michael Crawford left the Woman in white.. ? Mystery continues....

[leeinlondon]

Posted: 1/19/05 at 10:49am

Michael Crawford has not appeared in Woman in White this year yet... he disappeared late December with every performace by his understudy since then...

There is a growing rumour that he will not return to the show.. how long can they leave it before they make some sort of announcement? It is well over three weeks since he last appeared as Count Fosco.

[wildcat]

Posted: 1/19/05 at 10:51am

Who is the understudy?

[kissmycookie]

Posted: 1/19/05 at 10:59am

Does this mean he's not interested in coming to NY with the role?

[leeinlondon]

Posted: 1/19/05 at 11:00am

Steve Varnom in the understudy, he is very good but not a "name" to draw in crowds. Steve plays it without the facial prosthetics that Michael uses. I saw him last week and thought the musical benefitted from having the character without that ridiculous makeup.
Updated On: 1/19/05 at 11:00 AM

[wildcat]

Posted: 1/19/05 at 11:04am

Hmm. Maybe Michael wasn't wearing prosthetics AT ALL!
Maybe Michael's face is melting....

[Janki]

Posted: 1/19/05 at 11:24am

He wasn't that good in it anyway....

[macbeth]

Posted: 1/19/05 at 11:48am

Just stricken with the horrible gastric flu that's going all around London at the moment. Last I heard is that he's day to day on coming back waiting for DR's approval.

[leeinlondon]

Posted: 1/19/05 at 11:55am

Gastric Flu affects you for a couple of days or they put you on emergency medicine to clear it out.

http://www.drlockie.com/disease/gastro.htm

Would not explain an absence of three weeks !!

[BroadwayBallyBoo]

Posted: 1/19/05 at 12:15pm

Michael would not just pick himself up and leave a show,plus he just received the Variety award for Best performance in a musical and he is nonimated in london for another award. Since I can remember Michael has always had stomach problems during Phantom he had to leave too because of his hia heria he was coughing up blood he was hospitalize a few times for his stomach. I hope Michael will be back on his feet again and back to the woman in white soon. Today is his 62 birthday! God Speed Michael and Get Well...... I want to see you in NY.

[CarolynW]

Posted: 1/19/05 at 12:42pm

Michael Crawford is sick that is all...He was off for a few performances and then went back too soon and had a relapse. I do not know what his illness is but this is from an official source.


Yours,

Carolyn

[jczelyph]

Posted: 1/19/05 at 1:22pm

Leeinlondon: how did you find that out about MC not being in the show? I am so out of the loop now that the Dress Circle board has stopped working. Do you (or anyone else) have any good London board recommendations?

[Mr. TN]

Posted: 1/19/05 at 1:28pm

leeinlondon I have to disagree. Since there are very few actors who are large enough to play the enormous Fosco (the book says he is very large) I think the prosthetics are a necessity. Steve is ok but just didn't hit the mark for me. Anyway, Joel Grey was out of Wicked for a while with bronchitis. However he is older and possibly had complications. I'm sure Michael will return especially when noms for the Olivier's come around. Who would leave before that? I certainly wouldn't.

[macbeth]

Posted: 1/19/05 at 1:35pm

There's one on this site here:
http://www.westendtheatreworld.com/board/

[BroadwayBallyBoo]

Posted: 1/19/05 at 1:51pm

also www.mcifa.com Michael Crawford Fan asso..... I was a member for years that is how I know since it started but not anymore. You have to be a member.

[CarolynW]

Posted: 1/19/05 at 1:58pm

I contacted the production company. He is sick...plus someone on TalkinBroadway said the Daily mail said he had gastric flu.

He is just sick. He worked a few days around Christmas so he has not been off for three weeks.

End of rumor.

Yours,

Carolyn
Updated On: 1/19/05 at 01:58 PM

[Sally]

Posted: 1/19/05 at 6:41pm

<< I contacted the production company. He is sick...plus someone on TalkinBroadway said the Daily mail said he had gastric flu.

He is just sick. He worked a few days around Christmas so he has not been off for three weeks. >>


Correct. I have heard from friends who were just in London that he is on the mend but won't be back until he gets his strength back---when the doctors decide---unless he goes against their orders, which he apparently did once already with bad results. He was back in the show for a few performances on Jan. 1, 3, and ? (don't know when he went missing again).

By the way, Leeinlondon, I saw the show with the understudy and with Michael Crawford, and much preferred Crawford