Performers that were ill on cast recordings.

I'm sorry that this may seem like a strange, random question to ask, but I remember reading a rumor somewhere that William Daniels was apparently suffering from a cold the day that they recorded the 1776 OBCR, and I was listening to it a little while ago and could kind of tell that the poor guy may have not been feeling his best that day. (He still sounds good, just a bit strained.)

Either way, does anyone know of any other performers who were sick the day that a cast recording was made, whether they pushed through and did the recording or an understudy had to step in?

Len Cariou recorded the OBC of Sweeney Todd with Laryngitis.

FishermanBob said: "I've never heard the rumor about William Daniels being sick. 1776 is one of my favorite shows and I've listened to the OBCR a hundred times over the years. He sounded in perfect voice to me. Perhaps you're confusing him with Howard Da Silva who played Benjamin Franklin. Da Silva suffered a heart attack during previews and was replaced on the OBCR as well as on stage until his return, by his understudy, Rex Everhart."

Ah, you're probably right. I guess I had it in my mind that Daniels was the one who got sick since he sounds...I dunno, different on the OBCR than he does in the film. (As I said, still good, just different.)

EDIT: I was looking back through some threads, and someone mentioned both the Daniels cold and the Da Silva heart attack on this one, so maybe both are true?

Updated On: 9/9/15 at 03:44 PM

I guess the ultimate example would be David Carroll, whose cabaret performance of Love Can't Happen was included in the Grand Hotel recording.

Tyne Daly during the Gypsy recording was ill and wasn't Bernadette Peters suffering a cold when she recorded Song and Dance?

I've always thought that Barbra sounded less than her best on The Funny Girl OBC, especially when compared to her gorgeous vocals on the soundtrack. I think i read that she was hoarse that day or something.

Dick Van Dyke, not his obscure relative Dock Vam. Stupid autocorrect.

Nancy Dussault said in some interview or other that she was quite sick recording "Bajour," and begged them to change the date, but they wouldn't. She sounds good, but you do notice some ungainly head voice-chest voice transitions, especially on "Love Is a Chance."

"Tyne Daly on the cast recording of the 1989 Broadway revival of GYPSY."

That's what they say. But I saw her live and don't think the voice was ever all there.

It is funny that 1776 was brought up because before I opened the thread, it was the recording that came to mind...but not for William Daniels or DaSilva/Everhart. I had always wondered if Ronald Holgate was sick for the recording because during his big song he has two moments where he sounded VERY hoarse ("God leans a little on the side..." and then his final "Forward, ho!".

I do think Tyne Daly in Gypsy was one of the more infamous ones, and wasn't Patti LuPone also sick for hers? Although, I don't think you can really tell it with LuPone.

Gothampc said: ""Tyne Daly on the cast recording of the 1989 Broadway revival of GYPSY."

That's what they say. But I saw her live and don't think the voice was ever all there.

Yeah, I saw Daly live and she sounded exactly like she sounds on the recording.

"

Costly lands close to the mark. I don't know how much of this is standard practice anymore, but back in the day, a show was normally recorded the Sunday or Monday following the premiere, since there were no shows that day; however, that means everyone is on overtime, and even a minute into an extra hour can lead to astronomical results. As I recall, all Equity members come under the jurisdiction of the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA) when doing an original cast album. Each singer is paid one week's salary for a nine-hour work period that must include an hour break for lunch or dinner. Theoretically, five minutes of overtime means another week's pay. The Musician's Union is even stricter. The more cast and orchestra you have, the more overtime becomes a frightening prospect. This is why record labels don't often come out looking good from sales of a cast album.

Updated On: 9/10/15 at 12:02 PM