Matilda plague

[theatregeek6]

Posted: 1/5/14 at 2:35pm

So. Who played whom yesterday?

[mgldan]

Posted: 1/5/14 at 2:55pm

Dunno about yesterday, but at the Sunday matinee, Betsy Struxness is on as Mrs. Wormwood, Clay Thomson is on as Michael, and Natalie Venetia Belcon is the librarian. Those are the ones I don't recognizes the regulars, but I'm a little out of the loop, so if I've accidentally named a regular as an alternate, let me know!

Paige Brady is on as Matilda. It's my third time seeing the show, so I will try very hard to discern all the secrets that I haven't figured out yet...

[everythingtaboo]

Posted: 1/5/14 at 2:57pm

Plague? Are they all ill?

[RevoltingChild23]

Posted: 1/5/14 at 2:58pm

I have a friend who was at the show yesterday, and right before Loud they pulled Lesli and got Betsy to fill in for her. Before the Thripp throw Ava also left, presumably because she was ill, and Heather filled in for her. Gabriella was supposed to be on and Ben was supposed to be on as well, but before the show there was an announcement that Milly would be on, and John Arthur Greene would be on as the escape artist.

[mgldan]

Posted: 1/5/14 at 2:59pm

I guess Natalie Venetia Belcon is the regular now, my apologies. Sean Montgomery is on as the party entertainer / Sergei, and Richard H. Blake is the escapologist. So, four substitutions this afternoon. I'm particularly sad about Lesli being out.

[RevoltingChild23]

Posted: 1/5/14 at 3:01pm

Yesterday night Phillip Spaeth posted a photo on his twitter with all the cast members that are sick but he deleted it but someone has posted it on tumblr

[disneybroadwayfan22]

Posted: 1/5/14 at 3:20pm

^You beat me to it. That seriously stinks. HALF of the cast?! O_O Still, it'd be cool, seeing the show with mostly understudies and swings.

[Matt1]

Posted: 1/5/14 at 3:23pm

Yes, was told both Ava and Leslie left mid-show yesterday. Milly and Paige are only healthy Matilda's at the moment. On the off day tomorrow they really need to clean backstage. One of the swings had to play five characters in one scene last night as so many cast members were out.

[girlonbroadway]

Posted: 1/5/14 at 3:37pm

Was it Clay's debut as Michael?

[Matt1]

Posted: 1/5/14 at 3:38pm

Nope he has played it before.

[RevoltingChild23]

Posted: 1/5/14 at 3:39pm

Heather Tepe said that she had to start learning male tracks during intermission - sounds crazy!

[girlonbroadway]

Posted: 1/5/14 at 3:45pm

Yeah, the cast is talking about in on Twitter. The ensemble were changing their tracks like crazy on stage.

[JBroadway]

Posted: 1/5/14 at 4:20pm

oh my god, this is crazy. Has anything like this ever happened before?

[bwayboy22]

Posted: 1/5/14 at 5:49pm

Members of the crew have been affected as well and Milly Shapiro is also sick.

[MaddieBB12]

Posted: 1/5/14 at 5:56pm

^That would mean they have ONE healthy Matilda! I wonder if they will bring in one of the other two Newtildas in early...

[Matt1]

Posted: 1/5/14 at 6:05pm

It would depend on if they are ready. My guess is by Tuesday (or Wednesday if Paige does Tuesday) Bailey who has been sick most of the week would be ready to go back on. Also Oona lives in the city if they are really stuck.

[KathyNYC2]

Posted: 1/5/14 at 6:05pm

Healthy for now... It's a good thing there are two full days before Tuesday night. Hopefully this will be a 24-48 hour thingy and all will be almost back to normal by Tuesday night.

Matt you and I typed at the same time - so yes, I agree, I guess in an emergency they could look to a Newtilda or an Oldtilda. It would not be unheard of - I remember hearing in London that some of the Matilda kids who left still did personal appearances for the show.


Updated On: 1/5/14 at 06:05 PM

[mgldan]

Posted: 1/5/14 at 6:35pm

The GIF from Philip Spaeth shows Emma, Jared, and Sawyer crossed out, but they were all in today. So at least some of the cast is getting over it quickly.

[MCfan2]

Posted: 1/5/14 at 6:40pm

JBroadway -- it sounds a lot like what happened with the recent run of My Fair Lady at Arena Stage, here in D.C. Don't know if it's ever happened in NYC before, though.

Hope all those poor Matilda cast members are feeling better very soon!

[mikey2573]

Posted: 1/5/14 at 6:43pm

I recall something like this happening during BILLY ELLIOT. I don't think it was the entire cast, just the Billys. For some reason, during his final week of the show, Kiril Kulish had to play Billy for the entire week. Apparently one Billy was away on a scheduled vacation and the other 2 were ill or injured. Alex Ko was waiting in the wings to come in, but was not 100% ready yet, so Kiril did the whole week leading up to his final show. Anyone familiar with BILLY ELLIOT knows what a marathon playing that title role must be --it is a MUCH more physically demanding role than Matilda.