Question about pre-recorded tracks

It's a well-known secret that Phantom uses it for Christine's vocal run during the title song...and yes that's basically what they do. The other worry is that they get the correct persons vocals, I've heard stories about some Christine's lip-syncing to someone else.

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MAMMA MIA! uses backing tracks for the choruses to enhance the ABBA sound to the vocals being performed 'live' on stage.

Back in 1968, the Burt Bacharach/Hal David musical PROMISES, PROMISES recreated that Bacharach/David studio sound by having 3 female vocalists in the orchestra pit ("pit" singers) help give the songs performed on stage that Bacharach/David flavor.

The Wizard's vocals in the opening number of Wicked ("have another drink....") are pre-recorded. If you sit in the lotto seats, you can watch the conductor press a button next to his podium labeled "WIZARD" just before those vocals begin.

All very interesting. Thanks everyone!

on a similar note certain things in legally blonde were NOT pre-recorded including the "Celtic Moods" song that accompanies Paulette singing "Ireland"

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Any use of prerecorded vocals or dialogue must be approved by Equity and the rule of thumb is that if the part in question can be sung live, it must be. Typically, prerecorded bits may be used for certain 'theatre magic' moments as in Phantom as someone mentioned here or in cases where the cast is being asked to move scenery or do intense choreography and could not sing as clearly as would be liked.

my guess is it allows for the actor playing the Wizard to get to the theater later (he doesn't make his entrance until almost the end of act one after all)

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The wizard uses pre recorded vocals because it helps you connect the dots to him being Elphaba's father when they play the same bit at the end of the show. Also, they don't use the regular actor playing the wizard because during that part of the show he is supposed to be younger.

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"And... how do they work? Does someone literally press a button at the start of a song and hopefully it will be on beat with the live orchestrations? "

Practically every show in London has a click track....in answer to the above question - a clicking sound is played on every beat of the bars of the song through all different time signatures etc....The music is then recorded with the click in a studio and processed.

During a performance the MD (and sometimes drummers) wears a set of headphones which the click is played through but the click does not go through the main sound system of the theatre - the MD then conducts the live orchestra to the beat of the click hense why the vocals always lines up....not a case of pressing a button and hoping it lines up lol!

I have seen shows tho when the click track has gone horribly wrong and they've had to stop the pre recorded stuff as it was so out of time!

Unless the whole song is recorded (like buenos aires in the recent revival and tour of Evita in the UK) the click track can start at any point in the song - so the "have another drink" line in wicked is started literally 3 bars before the line is heard and as a poster said - its marked on the MD scores when to start the click track and all he does is press a little red button!

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Actually it's the guy playing Fiyero.

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...However, the Wizard could easily sing that line from offstage. He does not, for whatever reason.

Most likely because logistically, having a live mike offstage at that moment is more problematic than using a track.

Actually, the actor playing the young wizard in the opening is just an ensemble member (or at least it was in Chicago). It's definitely not Fiyero, because Fiyero is actually in a 'mob' costume with the rest of the ensemble for the opening number.