Posted: 2/27/22 at 10:29am
Trying to see if they'll confirm who's covering Joanne for the week...I will 100% be making a return trip (hell, maybe even two) if Simard is in that role
Posted: 2/27/22 at 10:50am
I wonder if they'll alternate Simard and Anisha while Patti is out?
Posted: 2/27/22 at 10:52am
Simard has the distinction of going on the one time Bette missed Dolly, yes? A matinee, wherein she stepped in at half hour. Donna Murphy was not a standby. I've never talked to anyone who saw that performance, but believe there may have been posts. Midler's only absence.
Posted: 2/27/22 at 10:54am
Auggie27 said: "Simard has the distinction of going on the one time Bette missed Dolly, yes? A matinee, wherein she stepped in at half hour. Donna Murphy was not a standby. I've never talked to anyone who saw that performance, but believe there may have been posts. Midler's only absence."
I don’t believe it was Simmard who went on.
Posted: 2/27/22 at 12:09pm
Scott Stephen said: "Simard will be on today."
I really hope so. My husband still hasn’t seen it and Patti wasn’t really a draw for him, so this felt like a perfect time to get last minute tickets in hopes she’ll be on. No offense to any of Joanne’s other understudies or Patti, but Jennifer is one of the best musical comedy actresses working and this would just be a dream to catch if we can.
Posted: 2/27/22 at 12:10pm
You're correct; apologies.
Posted: 2/27/22 at 12:30pm
Auggie27 said: "Simard has the distinction of going on the one time Bette missed Dolly, yes? A matinee, wherein she stepped in at half hour. Donna Murphy was not a standby. I've never talked to anyone who saw that performance, but believe there may have been posts. Midler's only absence."
This was Wednesday July 19, 2017. Simard never understudied anyone in HELLO, DOLLY! She was considered a principal. 
Posted: 2/27/22 at 12:33pm
BrodyFosse123 said: "Auggie27 said: "Simard has the distinction of going on the one time Bette missed Dolly, yes? A matinee, wherein she stepped in at half hour. Donna Murphy was not a standby. I've never talked to anyone who saw that performance, but believe there may have been posts. Midler's only absence."
This was Wednesday July 19, 2017. Simard never understudied anyone in HELLO, DOLLY! She was considered a principal."
Principals u/s other roles all the time.
Posted: 2/27/22 at 12:35pm
JSquared2 said: "BrodyFosse123 said: "This was Wednesday July 19, 2017. Simard never understudied anyone in HELLO, DOLLY! She was considered a principal."
Principals u/s other roles all the time.
"
It's a particularly ironic comment in this context, since Simard is also considered a principal in Company...which certainly didn't stop her from understudying yesterday--the whole point of the thread!
Posted: 2/27/22 at 12:45pm
As for the rest of the week, I wonder if they'll keep Simard on as Joanne? She's a known Broadway name, while Anisha is making her Broadway debut. Might help with ticket sales and fewer cancellations/exchanges.
Posted: 2/27/22 at 2:05pm
Got to the box office at 2pm, and got BB107 for only $79! Simard is definitely on.
Posted: 2/27/22 at 2:10pm
It's not Nagarajan's Broadway debut; she was one of the leads of Bombay Dreams in 2004. I do agree that the characterization of Joanne in this production seems to just be "Patti LuPone", so it helps to have someone who specializes in outsized performances taking over in her absence.
Posted: 2/27/22 at 2:31pm
ACL2006 said: "As for the rest of the week, I wonder if they'll keep Simard on as Joanne? She's a known Broadway name, while Anisha is making her Broadway debut. Might help with ticket sales and fewer cancellations/exchanges."
I want to come in to town Wednesday or Thursday to see Jennifer as Joanne! I hope this is the case!
I bet it’s stunning. I’d bet anything she has Joanne inside her.
Feb. 28 - Looped, Feb. 28 - Next to Normal, March 4 - Hair, March 11 - A Little Night Music, March 24 - Time Stands Still, April 6 - La Cage Aux Folles, April 10 - Anyone Can Whistle (City Center), April 10 - Looped, May 9 - Enron, May 15 - A Little Night Music, May 15 - A Behanding In Spokane, May 30 - A Behanding In Spokane, May 30 - A Little Night Music, June 20 - A Little Night Music, June 23 - Red, June 23 - Sondheim on Sondheim, July 13 - A Little Night Music, July 18 - The Grand Manner (Lincoln Center)
Posted: 2/27/22 at 4:33pm
Nikki’s priest “box” got stuck today, instead of going down it came back up. She looked visibly scared, as the piece behind her could’ve crashed into her if it wasn’t stopped. They got her box back down quickly and she played it off very well.
Katrina is on FIRE, I cannot believe how much she keeps growing in the role.
Kathryn Allison was fantastic as Sarah. A Fresh take on the role.
Simard is good so far but I wish she’d sing in her natural voice, she seems to be using a Betty Buckley like inflection. Act two will be the real test.
Posted: 2/27/22 at 4:36pm
At the same show. That flub at the beginning of getting married today was hilarious and Nikki played it off so well. Jennifer Simard is a wonderful Joanne, I’m so excited to see her Ladies Who Lunch!
Posted: 2/27/22 at 5:13pm
There was an audio floating around last night on Twitter of Simard's "The Ladies Who Lunch." She got a nice round of applause after the iconic lead-in to the song ("I'd like to propose a toast"
and the high D (!) she hit on "AAAAAAAAAAAAAI'll drink to that." She also ran out of breath control pretty quickly on that last "rise," but I'm sure she'll improve that with more reps.
Overall, a rock-solid LWL - reminded me of LuPone with an echo of Cher for some reason.
Posted: 2/27/22 at 5:16pm
ljay889 said: "Got to the box office at 2pm, and got BB107 for only $79! Simard is definitely on."
I couldn't possibly be more jealous.
Posted: 2/27/22 at 6:23pm
I think Simard did an admirable job this afternoon. But I agree with those saying that Patti is Joanne and Joanne is Patti in this production. Patti’s influence is felt throughout her performance. Her club scene dress and fur is different from Patti’s but still looks nice.
She doesn’t hold the final “rise” nearly as long as Patti. She did a good job, and I think she’ll be even better by the end of the week.
I am still blown away by Lenk. It’s been one month since I’ve seen the production and she’s grown so much in even that time period. This was the funniest and even goofiest I’ve seen her. She is so comfortable and confident with all of the music, it just flows out of her so naturally now.
Her “Being Alive” is such a journey now, you can see her thinking and deciding through every lyric. She belts it flawlessly with such confidence. The newer orchestration (it was changed sometime after the first few previews) sounds tailored to her interpretation and it’s lovely.
if you weren’t a fan of her performance or vocals in previews, I URGE you to give her performance another chance. It’s such a different and improved performance, and I hope she’ll become a Tony contender.
Updated On: 2/27/22 at 06:23 PM
Posted: 2/27/22 at 7:02pm
EDSOSLO858 said: "There was an audio floating around last night on Twitter of Simard's "The Ladies Who Lunch." She got a nice round of applause after the iconic lead-in to the song ("I'd like to propose a toast" and the high D (!) she hit on "AAAAAAAAAAAAAI'll drink to that." She also ran out of breath control pretty quickly on that last "rise," but I'm sure she'll improve that with more reps.
Overall, a rock-solid LWL - reminded me of LuPone with an echo of Cher for some reason."
That audio is still out on Twitter. I'd love to know the Joanne schedule for this week.
Posted: 2/27/22 at 7:09pm
I also hope they announce something because I’ll be in the city on Sunday and if she’s in, I am THERE.
Posted: 2/27/22 at 7:20pm
Most likely Simard will be doing Patti’s absence this time
Posted: 2/27/22 at 8:08pm
It's really the only thing that makes sense. Even though Anisha was scheduled to go on as Susan on Saturday, once they knew Patti was out, it seems like it would have been easier to have Anisha go on as Joanne (a part she already played when Patti was out in December), have Kathryn go on as Susan (a part she already went on as in December), and leave Jennifer as Sarah. Instead they went to the trouble of having Jennifer and Kathryn go on for the first time in parts they'd never played, which is a lot of effort at the last-minute, especially just for the weekend. That kind of effort seems like longer-range planning when they knew Patti's positive test meant she'd be out for ten days.
I'm risking it. I bought a ticket for this week. Hoping for the best.
Updated On: 2/27/22 at 08:08 PM
Posted: 2/28/22 at 1:10am
