Question about Hairspray today.

Posted: 8/13/08 at 8:39pm

At today's matinee performance, Marissa Pery (Tracy) was replaced by her understudy after intermission. I'd never actually seen this happen, and it was a little disconcerting.(Especially since both girls looked quite different.)
Was anyone at the show, and does anyone know what happened?

[DRSisLove]

Posted: 8/13/08 at 8:43pm

Actors leaving mid-show is not uncommon. While it does not happen a lot, I have been to over ten performances of shows where it has happened.

[dramamama611]

Posted: 8/13/08 at 8:43pm

I can't answer to your specific question, and I've never been at a show at which it has happened, but it is not as rare as you might think.

It's like leaving the office early because you got sick or hurt. That's why understudies have to stay at the theater -- just in case.

[blueq123]

Posted: 8/13/08 at 8:44pm

Marissa is sick and decided to still go on today, but discovered mid-performance that she was too ill to continue.
Updated On: 8/13/08 at 08:44 PM

[winston89]

Posted: 8/14/08 at 1:11am

I was at a performance of In The Heights where Seth Stewart left the show towards the end of act one. He wasn't on there doing Graffiti Pete's bit in the club scene nor was he onstage singing his part in Blackout. The understudy went on mid performance. There was an announcement right before act two started that said "the role of Graffiti Pete will be played by (name of understudy who's name currently escapes me)."

This was during the post show collection for BC/EFA so I asked Christopher Jackson what happened and he told me that Stewart pulled a muscle during one of the dance moves and had to leave the show early.

I have been told that it is not an uncommon thing to happen and I buy that. However, I have been going to the theatre for 15 years and that was the first time that I have ever been to a performance where an actor left mid way through the show.

[singingbackup]

Posted: 8/14/08 at 1:28am

The Music Man revival. Girl playing Zenita (sp?) looked to have pulled something midway through 76 Trombones, cirled round and left the stage and an understudy picked up the part the next scene she was in.

[Wanna Be A Foster]

Posted: 8/14/08 at 1:34am

However, I have been going to the theatre for 15 years

Winston, aren't you 15 years old?

[wicked_beast4]

Posted: 8/14/08 at 1:37am

He's gonna be a college freshman, don't always be such of an as* to hum, WBaF.

[Wanna Be A Foster]

Posted: 8/14/08 at 1:38am

OK, so he's 17.

There's a two year difference.

How does that make me an as*?

[wicked_beast4]

Posted: 8/14/08 at 1:39am

It's just you always mock him, or call him a child on these boards, when it seems he has done nothing.

[Wanna Be A Foster]

Posted: 8/14/08 at 1:41am

Well, you obviously don't read the posts of his that I comment on.

[yankees1253]

Posted: 8/14/08 at 1:43am

i was at spray today and going to answer your question. marissa was under the weather and felt she could not go on after intermission thats why anne funke went on as tracy. anne went on as tracy for the night performance as well. it has happended in the show about three weeks ago clarke left the show at intermission for medical reasons but he was fine after a couple of days, i forgot who replaced him during act 2.

by the way the other tracy u/s lori needs lots on her fat suit but she is a great dancer, singer and actress. hope she goes on as tracy.

[wicked_beast4]

Posted: 8/14/08 at 1:46am

Sorry. I didn't mean to be rude. There just seems to be an ongoing feud between you two.

Anyway, when I saw BatB, our Gaston was switched for the second act. I forget the names.

[winston89]

Posted: 8/14/08 at 8:57am

Wicked_beast4,

You have done nothing wrong. Foster just likes to find ways to insult me and also find ways to justify the attacks. No matter how bad those justifications seem to be.

For the record I am 18 not 17 so there is only a one year difference between me and foster.

He likes to think that because this is a message board my comments must be written as if they are going to be in a formal essay rather then ones used for general discussion.

That being said I did the math incorrectly last night. My first Broadway show that I saw was Big at the Shubert in 96 making it 12 years I have been going to the theatre not 15.

[DottieD'Luscia]

Posted: 8/14/08 at 9:18am

yankees1253, was that Anne's first time on as Tracy? How is she? Thanks.

[Fosse76]

Posted: 8/14/08 at 10:28am

"yankees1253, was that Anne's first time on as Tracy? How is she? Thanks."

No. She went on for the first time a few months ago. Marissa doesn't have the attendance record of her predecessor, Shannon Durig.

[yankees1253]

Posted: 8/14/08 at 12:13pm

"yankees1253, was that Anne's first time on as Tracy? How is she? Thanks."

No. She went on for the first time a few months ago. Marissa doesn't have the attendance record of her predecessor, Shannon Durig.

fosse76 is right, i think anne has been on as tracy so far about eight times and lori once so far as tracy.
it seems like apa doesnt have chemistry with ether three of them.

[Princeton78]

Posted: 8/14/08 at 12:55pm

"For the record I am 18 not 17 so there is only a one year difference between me and foster. "

Ummmm....
Sure.

[DottieD'Luscia]

Posted: 8/14/08 at 3:54pm

yankees1253, so how is Anne?

[blueq123]

Posted: 8/14/08 at 5:25pm

I believe uses Annie, not Anne.

Posted: 8/14/08 at 8:59pm

Thanks for all the answers! Interesting to hear that it isn't that uncommon.

Dottie- I thought Annie was wonderful! It can't be easy to come in at the middle of a performance, and she did a great job. The whole audience started to mumble when they announced that she would be replacing Marissa, but at the end of her first solo (Good Morning Baltimore reprise), everyone gave her a REALLY big round of applause. She seemed a lot better than Marissa, but I don't want to judge Marissa on this 1/2 of a performance, since she was sick. I'm actually glad to hear that she was sick, and that wasn't her usual self. She just wasn't performing with any energy or excitement- not at all Tracy.