Has an understudy gone for the Tony Awards?

[jetts7]

Posted: 5/30/12 at 5:00pm

Has an understudy gone for the Tony Awards?

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 5/30/12 at 5:01pm

...huh?

[jetts7]

Posted: 5/30/12 at 5:01pm

Sorry, has an understudy ever gone on for the tony awards

[EricMontreal22]

Posted: 5/30/12 at 5:02pm

Umm replacement cast members have performed when their musical does an excerpt--Phylicia Rashad as the Witch in Into the Woods--is that similar enough?

[emo_geek]

Posted: 5/30/12 at 5:02pm

I think jetts7 is asking if an understudy has ever performed for an actor during the Tony broadcast.

OR maybe he is asking if an understudy has ever accepted an award on a actors behalf. I doubt this one though.

[best12bars]

Posted: 5/30/12 at 5:07pm

Since it's a live show, I think he's asking if an understudy has ever had to go on for a musical number during the telecast.

[shrekster224]

Posted: 5/30/12 at 6:05pm

Didn't Becky G go on when Legally Blonde performed? Updated On: 5/30/12 at 06:05 PM

[IdinaBellFoster]

Posted: 5/30/12 at 6:11pm

^ She was there from the tour, the Broadway production was closed I believe?

[binau]

Posted: 5/30/12 at 6:12pm

Yes but for the tour not as an understudy..

[aasjb4ever]

Posted: 5/30/12 at 7:46pm

Becky Gulsvig was the u/s for Margot and Elle in Legally Blonde on Broadway (I saw her go on as Margot), but then got the part of Elle on the tour and performed on the 2009 Tonys as a tribute to several popular tours playing the country that year.

[Unknown User]

Posted: 5/30/12 at 8:05pm

Yes, Pamela Blair was unable to perform with the original cast of ACL. Her u/s went on in her place.

[somethingwicked]

Posted: 5/30/12 at 8:57pm

Brent Barrett was the standby for The Baron in GRAND HOTEL when he performed "We'll Take a Glass Together" with Michael Jeter on the Tony Awards. Rex Smith was in rehearsal for the role at the time, and the producers didn't feel he was ready when the televised ceremony rolled around. Barrett has spoken publicly about how awkward it was to have such a big triumph and then be standing in the wings watching another actor perform the role the next night.

Subsequently, Smith left the show shortly after he started, and Barrett assumed the role on a permanent basis (I think he also did the road company.)

[ahhrealmonsters]

Posted: 5/30/12 at 9:02pm

At least one of the Scottsboro Boys had moved on to other projects by Tony time and were unable to perform. If I remember correctly, I think it was Christian Dante White who wasn't there.

[jdrye222]

Posted: 5/30/12 at 9:12pm

it was Josh Breckenridge. Christian White was there. Josh was in San Francisco doing Tales of The City, from what I can find.
His cover never even went on during the run, but got to do the Tonys. hate that.

[IAMmyownMUSICAL]

Posted: 5/30/12 at 9:17pm

I can tell you who SHOULD have had an understudy go on for her at the Tony's...

IDINA MENZEL

[EricMontreal22]

Posted: 5/30/12 at 9:23pm

Yes, Josh was doing Tales of the City at the time.

Of course it's been mentioned many times here that Judy Kaye had taken over from Madeleine Kahn by the time On the 20th Century opened, but she was initially a understudy and not a replacement.

[jdrye222]

Posted: 5/30/12 at 9:26pm

did some googling... it seems E. Clayton Cornelious got to perform in Josh Breckenridge's place, having flopped in WONDERLAND, never performed in SCOTTSBORO, and still performing on the broadcast. I imagine he was leaving SCOTTSBORO for WONDERLAND also. Breckenridge was the dance captain, and one of my favorite performers in SCOTTSBORO - too bad he couldn't do it, but glad he was working elsewhere!!

[Joviedamian]

Posted: 5/30/12 at 9:34pm

If I remember correctly, one year the "Tony Awards" got sick and so CBS decided to put on a rerun of "Murder She Wrote".

[Playbilly]

Posted: 5/30/12 at 10:11pm

Somebody should have replaced Catherine Zeta-Jones and her bobbing neck.

[singtopher]

Posted: 5/30/12 at 11:04pm

When Xanadu did their number, the swings performed as well as the regular cast.

[HeyMrMusic]

Posted: 5/30/12 at 11:06pm

Same with Spring Awakening.

[Jay94]

Posted: 5/31/12 at 2:55am

When Billy Elliot was on, all 3 Billys performed.

[Jamie Pierce]

Posted: 5/31/12 at 9:04am

Rosie's u/s did the Grease number in 94.

[artscallion]

Posted: 5/31/12 at 9:31am

"I can tell you who SHOULD have had an understudy go on for her at the Tony's..."

and Christine Ebersole!

[trentsketch]

Posted: 5/31/12 at 9:33am

Didn't James Joyce's The Dead use some understudies/alternates for the Tony performance? I don't remember Christopher Walken appearing on the telecast. The show was closed for almost two months before the Tonys.
Updated On: 5/31/12 at 09:33 AM