Performers with a(n) (almost) spotless performance record- Page 3

[Piazzaslight]

Posted: 7/9/06 at 11:40am

I don't think Cherry Jones ever missed a performance in DOUBT.

I also think that Victoria Clark was also very good with going on in LITP up until Patti Cohenour started going on for her back in February, and pre-scheduled vacations.

[Mamie]

Posted: 7/9/06 at 11:52am

WRQ is right about Greg Jbara. I don't believe he ever missed a scheduled performance. (Even after that awful accident with this hand on stage). He was out for his scheduled vacation. This was written into his contract and the fact that he was certain to take it just may be why he has a happy family life and the stars you mentioned did not. The only other times were when he was raising funds for BC/EFA (prescheduled) and a couple of days when the producers allowed him to work on screen so he could keep his SAG membership active. This didn't happen until after he had extended on his contract with DRS. After he extended past the 1 year mark, he risked losing his union membership unless he worked. The Producers accomodated him.

I don't read this as being 'soft' in any way whatsoever.

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 7/9/06 at 11:53am

Jbara was out the night I saw DRS.

[ThankstoPhantom]

Posted: 7/9/06 at 11:57am

I think actors deserve lives, too. I think two one week vacations a year is good, with some personal days thrown in there. It's not being 'soft,' it's about letting them see their families and trying to do some other things outside the box.

[Dirty Rotten Scoundrel]

Posted: 7/9/06 at 11:59am

Just wondering, how exactly do you know that a performer has never missed any performance? I mean, it's not like you're seeing every performance, right?

It's just knowledge that gets passed around. In a review that someone posts they can say "such and such was out." Or if a big actor was out, even threads are started about it.

[WickedGeek28]

Posted: 7/9/06 at 12:00pm

I remember reading a story about Channing, maybe it was here, a while ago.

It was like this: They arrived to the theatre and knew that Carol wasn't going to be perofrming in Dolly because her husband wasn't there and he always sat front row center. And she was absent.

Did someone out here in bww post that?

PS: I love Channing, I'm so angry I never got to see her perform Dolly.

[Mamie]

Posted: 7/9/06 at 12:05pm

I didn't say he was never out. I did explain those times when I knew for a fact that he was out.

For what it's worth - he has a great deal of respect and admiration for those performers who are always there - those who go out of their way to make sure they attend each performance. He's commented a number of times on this. eg - Jonthan Pryce pulled a calf muscle during a matinee performance and he had to leave the stage half way into the show. Nobody expected him that night and when he did show up, Greg was in awe - calling him the 'iron man'. People who feel this strongly about this subject aren't going to casually miss performances themselves.

[cmleidi]

Posted: 7/9/06 at 12:07pm

"I don't think anyone has mentioned Sutton Foster. During her year and half with "Millie," she very rarely missed a show, and she was out of "Little Women" once when she had the flu, and once to go to the opening of "Spamalot," which I believe had been a scheduled absence."

She missed many performances during the TMM run. I tried seven times to see her. On my eighth try, she finally showed. I know friends who tried to see her during her run in that show (on different dates than my own attempts), and they never saw her. It became a bit of a joke. She was out a lot.

I did see her in LITTLE WOMEN and DROWSY CHAPERONE, but I was not expecting to as her attendance record in TMM was so spotty.

[Rathnait62]

Posted: 7/9/06 at 12:40pm

"It's not being 'soft,' it's about letting them see their families and trying to do some other things outside the box."

The fact is, a Broadway schedule is still fewer hours per week than 99% of other jobs in this world. They get to see their families. Yes, choosing a stage career means you're going to be at work at night and on weekends. If you choose that and to have a family, there are going to be sacrifices.

But that's the performer's choice.

ETA: For the record, I am all for a week's vacation every six months.

Updated On: 7/9/06 at 12:40 PM

[TomMonster]

Posted: 7/9/06 at 12:57pm

I think Marian Seldes holds the record. She has never missed a performance in her career. In Deathtrap she never missed a performance (not sure about scheduled vacations) and it ran 1,793 perfs. Her stage career is pretty remarkable.

[best12bars]

Posted: 7/9/06 at 1:07pm

TomMonster --- I remember hearing that too (about Marian).

[TomMonster]

Posted: 7/9/06 at 1:43pm

As much as I admire Marian Seldes, she's not my favorite stage actress. Sometimes, especially during Deathtrap, you wanted her to miss a few perfs... :)

[wickedrentq]

Posted: 7/9/06 at 1:46pm

Let's calm down about the vacations. It doesn't matter how many hours a week you work...don't most people with full-time jobs and benefits get vacation time? It's not like this is a special treat just for actors or anything. Everyone gets a little time off from their job written into their contract. That's the way of the market.

BTW Rath...you would definitely know more about it than me, but companies have rehearsals...I have absolutely no clue how often...it could be not much, and maybe even with them they work less than the average person. But like understudies rehearse with replacements during the day and play their ensemble track during the night, and dance captians work with especially new ensemble replacements. Again, I don't know how often or long these rehearsals are, but I'm at least defending that most actors do have to work more than just their showtimes.

Updated On: 7/9/06 at 01:46 PM

[Unknown User]

Posted: 7/9/06 at 2:17pm

The late Hermione Gingold was on THE MERV GRIFFIN SHOW in 1979 and boasted very proudly that she never missed a performance on stage. I taped that show and still have it - On Beta!

[somethingwicked]

Posted: 7/9/06 at 2:47pm

Anyone (perhaps Margo) know how Stephanie Mills attendance was when she was in "The Wiz"?

[Unknown User]

Posted: 7/9/06 at 3:18pm

Sutton was out the day I saw Millie. But I did see her in Little Women.

[KQuill]

Posted: 7/9/06 at 3:24pm

"The fact is, a Broadway schedule is still fewer hours per week than 99% of other jobs in this world."

Responsible Broadway performers spend a large portion of their day geared towards that evenings performance. True, they spend about half the time clocked in as most nine-to-five jobs do - but there's so much more to it than that. There's a chapter in the book "Making It On Broadway" about the misconception that broadway performers work only 3 hours per day.

[Rathnait62]

Posted: 7/9/06 at 3:31pm

Depends on the role and the individual actor, KQuill. And, again, they know going in that that is part of the job. Most people in the rest of our society work 8-10 hours a day.

WRQ, yes, sometimes there are extra rehearsals - and, especially with new musicals, it's possible to rehearse every day right through previews. I've worked on shows like that, and it's hardm to be sure, but at least it's not for a long period of time. Put-in rehearsals are rare and the whole company isn't there for most, if any, of that - again, depending on the show.

Updated On: 7/9/06 at 03:31 PM

[Phantom2]

Posted: 7/9/06 at 3:33pm

Gym, dance class, voice coach, etc. All of these things take time.

Updated On: 7/9/06 at 03:33 PM

[Rathnait62]

Posted: 7/9/06 at 3:37pm

Correct - but a lot of us who aren't professional performers do those things as well, in addition to our jobs/lives.

[Horton]

Posted: 7/9/06 at 4:20pm

When Christina missed in Sweet Charity did Charlotte d'Amboise go on for her, or her other understudy go on, whose name I cant recall? thanks

[Chanticleer148]

Posted: 7/9/06 at 4:39pm

Just to repeat: the great one, Ethel Merman, was known to go on almost always.


Let's Name A Theater For Ethel Merman

[Unknown User]

Posted: 7/9/06 at 4:40pm

I think ti was a bit of both. Charlotte went on in Boston, where I saw her. Another understudy did some preview performances, but mostly Charlotte. But I may be remembering wrong.

[fishergirl819]

Posted: 7/9/06 at 4:54pm

I could be mistaken, but I seem to remember reading that Jane Krakowski didn't miss a single performance in "Nine." I remember reading something about Jenna Elfman being her replacement and then not being able to do it for whatever reason, so they just bumped Jane's understudy (Sara Gettlefinger) up to full time - when she officially took over, it was her first time in the role.

[jonartdesigns]

Posted: 7/9/06 at 6:02pm

as far as i know jerry orbach was pretty spotless (there was no understudy listed for billy flynn in the ibdb entry for chicago)