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Has anyone ever missed their first or last performance?

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#1

Has anyone ever missed their first or last performance?

Posted: 2/2/11 at 12:48am

I was just thinking this recently if anyone has ever missed their first performance in a role (or an opening night) or their last performance of their role (or a closing night). Just curious.. Thanks for any input. :)
#2

Has anyone ever missed their first or last performance?

Posted: 2/2/11 at 12:49am

Idina Menzel missed her last performance in Wicked on Broadway, and Christiane Noll missed the last weekend of the Ragtime revival. Those are the two I can think of right now but I'm sure there are more.

Updated On: 2/2/11 at 12:49 AM

#4

Has anyone ever missed their first or last performance?

Posted: 2/2/11 at 12:54am

Eileen Atkins, Ron Eldard, and Jena Malone all missed their first performance of DOUBT in January 2006 because of the flu. Atkins actually missed that entire first week.
How to properly use its/it's: Its is the possessive. It's is the contraction for it is...
#5

Has anyone ever missed their first or last performance?

Posted: 2/2/11 at 12:57am

Joel Grey missed his last for WICKED (he came out during the curtain call)

Teal Wicks missed her last WICKED in LA and left early for her last in SF...

Rondi Reed had to fill in for the current actress at the time for the last "August' performance
"Life in theater is give and take...but you need to be ready to give more then you take..."
#7

Has anyone ever missed their first or last performance?

Posted: 2/2/11 at 1:16am

I don't remember if it was the first night or not, but I know Sarah Brightman was sick for one of the first performances of Phantom. Her understudy went on and was received incredibly well, and Sarah made a miraculous recovery.
#9

Has anyone ever missed their first or last performance?

Posted: 2/2/11 at 3:24am

Scott Wise missed the closing performance of "Jerome Robbins' Broadway" because he was (I think) out with a foot injury. But he was there, because I saw him leaving the theater with all his stuff after the show. I was told that he was really sad about not being able to perform, and that the cast really missed his presence on the stage.
#12

Has anyone ever missed their first or last performance?

Posted: 2/2/11 at 7:06am

If I'm remembering correctly, Randal Keith was pretty sick the last week of Les Mis

On the final weekend, he was off for the Sat matinee, to save his voice for Sat nite and Sun

Andrew Varela went on for him, and Andrew's wife, who was the understudy for Fantine, went on as well, so they did that near-last show together (and brought their baby son out at the stagedoor, which was fun)
You don't go to the dragon without a present - Mark Rylance
#13

Has anyone ever missed their first or last performance?

Posted: 2/2/11 at 8:07am

Not positive of this, but I believe Natasha Richardson missed her last week's worth of performances when Henry Miller's Theatre suffered structural damage and CABARET had to be moved to Studio 54.

Updated On: 2/2/11 at 08:07 AM

#14

Has anyone ever missed their first or last performance?

Posted: 2/2/11 at 10:10am

"Whoever was playing Gaston at the end of BATB's run missed the last performance because Disney brought Donny Osmond back just for that performance."

That was actually planned. Just an extra catch for the people coming to closing night. It must've sucked for the guy who was contracted to play Gaston originally though!
#15

Has anyone ever missed their first or last performance?

Posted: 2/2/11 at 10:26am

Going back many years, David Burns missed the opening night of Arthur Miller's THE PRICE. His u/s, Harold Gould went on.
"Long live God!" (GODSPELL)
#18

Has anyone ever missed their first or last performance?

Posted: 2/2/11 at 11:59am

If i'm remembering correctly both Stephanie J. Block and LaChanze missed several press performances for Pirate Queen and Color Purple respectively. In fact i believe that Color purple was initially reviewed with the understudy and the show was re-reviewed with LaChanze.

Also let's not forget that Roger Bart missed 2 or 3 weeks of previews for Young Frank because he had "hurt his back"
#19

Has anyone ever missed their first or last performance?

Posted: 2/2/11 at 12:18pm

Wasn't Maureen McGovern supposed to be in 3 penny opera or something and missed her opening night due to illness. (I think I recall something like that...)

Also the comment about Liza made me laugh.. She has missed a bunch of shows (even if she was there... if you know what I mean)
"Whenever I get gloomy with the state of the world, I think about the arrivals gate at Heathrow Airport. General opinion's starting to make out that we live in a world of hatred and greed, but I don't see that. It seems to me that love is everywhere. Often it's not particularly dignified or newsworthy, but it's always there - fathers and sons, mothers and daughters, husbands and wives, boyfriends, girlfriends, old friends. When the planes hit the Twin Towers, as far as I know none of the phone calls from the people on board were messages of hate or revenge - they were all messages of love. If you look for it, I've got a sneaky feeling you'll find that love actually is all around."
#21

Has anyone ever missed their first or last performance?

Posted: 2/2/11 at 12:34pm

Didn't Alice Ripley miss closing night of Sunset Boulevard? I seem to remember Kristen Behrendt went on as Betty.
"This thread reads like a series of White House memos." — Mister Matt
#22

Has anyone ever missed their first or last performance?

Posted: 2/2/11 at 12:40pm

Fosca 3,
I was at that matinee performance of Les Mis the day before it closed too!
There were SO many understudies on! You're right about Andrew Varella and his wife, for Valjean and Fantine. I think there were understudies for Enjolras and Marius and possibly Eponine as well

It was a great show. The energy was so high (probably because it was there were only 2 performances left!)
#24

Has anyone ever missed their first or last performance?

Posted: 2/2/11 at 7:54pm

More like Nina Lafarge for the whole run of WOTV. Noah Rivera had to miss the last ITH shows. I remember because at the Saturday matinee Antuan Raimone was on for the other guy who works at Rosario's, and Rivera was on crutches for the final curtain call.
#25

Has anyone ever missed their first or last performance?

Posted: 2/2/11 at 10:32pm

Sami Gayle missed her first performances as Baby June, but she did go on as the Balloon Girl for a few weeks.
When I see the phrase "the ____ estate", I imagine a vast mansion in the country full of monocled men and high-collared women receiving letters about productions across the country and doing spit-takes at whatever they contain. -Kad

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