Smallest stage time for an actor in a show?

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Smallest stage time for an actor in a show?

Posted: 5/11/08 at 12:37pm

I'm talkin about a role which a person does that requires the smallest amount of stage time, not a person who does several roles, but one person who's on for like only 2 scenes.

The only one i can think of is pharaoh in Aida, who's only on for 2 or 3 scenes and he doesn't play anyone else

re: Smallest stage time for an actor in a show?

Posted: 5/11/08 at 12:41pm

how about a more interesting question. smallest stage time for most amount of recognition:
Phantom. 22 min. sings 1 1/2 songs (as the others are part of a click track) makes about 8000/week on tour and at least 6-10000/week on broadway.

re: Smallest stage time for an actor in a show?

Posted: 5/11/08 at 12:42pm

Grania's son in The Pirate Queen. The kid was on for so little time if you blinked you missed him. Run out, hug. get taken off. Then at the end run out, hug and finish the closing song.

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re: Smallest stage time for an actor in a show?

Posted: 5/11/08 at 12:43pm

Or little Coalhouse?

"This thread reads like a series of White House memos." — Mister Matt

re: Smallest stage time for an actor in a show?

Posted: 5/11/08 at 12:43pm

Mazeppa, Tessie Tura and Electra in GYPSY. But one of them usually plays Miss Cratchitt as well.

"Oh look at the time, three more intelligent plays just closed and THE ADDAMS FAMILY made another million dollars" -Jackie Hoffman, Broadway.com Audience Awards

re: Smallest stage time for an actor in a show?

Posted: 5/11/08 at 12:43pm

so pretty much they don't need to be in rehearsal for that?

re: Smallest stage time for an actor in a show?

Posted: 5/11/08 at 12:43pm

There's Berthe in Pippin -- doesn't come onstage until she sings "No Time at All", then doesn't come on again until her rather prominently placed bow in the curtain call. Not undeservedly so, though, as that's one hell of a song.

"You mean what was the best picture of the year or what did they pick as the best picture of the year?" - California Suite

re: Smallest stage time for an actor in a show?

Posted: 5/11/08 at 12:44pm

If we're talking kids...

Little Coalhouse in Ragtime only appears during the final moments of the finale.

Not a kid, but Adrienne Lennox won a Tony for acting in a single scene at the end of Doubt.

re: Smallest stage time for an actor in a show?

Posted: 5/11/08 at 12:48pm

in lord of the rings (at least in toronto) the main bad guy(i dont know or care about his name, but he was the big main bad guy who fights with gandalf) was onstage for a grand total of 9 minutes. In a 3.5 hr show.

#10

re: Smallest stage time for an actor in a show?

Posted: 5/11/08 at 12:50pm

Young Eponine!

#11

re: Smallest stage time for an actor in a show?

Posted: 5/11/08 at 12:54pm

Andrea in Once on This Island...
But I guess shes put in the ensemble all the other time. The character itself only has about 5 mins

"I told you, NO Rodgers and Hammerstein!"- Bart Simpson

#12

re: Smallest stage time for an actor in a show?

Posted: 5/11/08 at 12:57pm

Related question: how do actors kill the hours they may have offstage?

PARTIAL SPOILER ALERT for AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY
For example, the Beverly, the patriarch, has a 10 minute monologue from 8:00 to 8:10. He never appears again in the show, but is out there for the curtain call at 11:20. How do they kill 3 hours without going crazy? I know it's not professional (or just how it's done), but if I had a role like that I'd want to just go home, screw the curtain call.

#13

re: Smallest stage time for an actor in a show?

Posted: 5/11/08 at 1:01pm

Marilyn Cooper won a Tony Award for her role in WOMAN OF THE YEAR. She was in one scene late in the second act and stopped the show with her one song.

#14

re: Smallest stage time for an actor in a show?

Posted: 5/11/08 at 1:02pm

In THE MAN WHO CAME TO DINNER, there are 3-4 characters who only have one scene.

In PETER PAN, Jane is only in the very last scene.

"The Spectacle has, indeed, an emotional attraction of its own, but, of all the parts, it is the least artistic, and connected least with the art of poetry. For the power of Tragedy, we may be sure, is felt even apart from representation and actors. Besides, the production of spectacular effects depends more on the art of the stage machinist than on that of the poet."
--Aristotle

#15

re: Smallest stage time for an actor in a show?

Posted: 5/11/08 at 1:04pm

Grizabella in CATS.

The actress basically spends the entire show in her dressing room.

One quick appearance to end Act 1, then again for a few minutes at the end of Act 2 to end the show.

Biggest paycheck, sings the hit song from the show AND gets the last bow.

Nice gig if you can get it.

#16

re: Smallest stage time for an actor in a show?

Posted: 5/11/08 at 1:05pm

How about Teen Angel in Grease..

He sings only that one song and that's it

But often die actor also plays Vince Fontane

#17

re: Smallest stage time for an actor in a show?

Posted: 5/11/08 at 1:06pm

In the recent revival of Come Back, Little Sheba, the actor who plays the Messenger literally comes on, says something like, "Here's a message" and leaves, never to be seen again. He is on stage for something like 15 seconds. And the role is not doubled, so that is the actor's entire role. Not so bad for the actor!

In the New York production of Rock n Roll, there were 13 actors playing the roles played by 11 actors in London -- some of the parts were doubled in London but were not in New York. Some of those un-doubled parts are pretty small (but more than 15 seconds!).

"What was the name of that cheese that I like?" "you can't run away forever...but there's nothing wrong with getting a good head start" "well I hope and I pray, that maybe someday, you'll walk in the room with my heart"

Updated On: 5/11/08 at 01:06 PM

#18

re: Smallest stage time for an actor in a show?

Posted: 5/11/08 at 1:14pm

Didn't Patti LuPone go out to a pub when she was Fantine in Les Mis to pass the time between her death and the curtain call? I wonder if any other actors do this...?

"Are you sorry for civilization? I am sorry for it too." ~Coast of Utopia: Shipwreck

#19

re: Smallest stage time for an actor in a show?

Posted: 5/11/08 at 1:14pm

Didn't Patti LuPone go out to a pub when she was Fantine in Les Mis to pass the time between her death and the curtain call? I wonder if any other actors do this...?

"Are you sorry for civilization? I am sorry for it too." ~Coast of Utopia: Shipwreck

#20

re: Smallest stage time for an actor in a show?

Posted: 5/11/08 at 1:16pm

The actress playing Fantine doubles as a "barricade boy" in Act 2. Don't know if they did this with LuPone, but I wouldn't doubt it.

"Sing the words, Patti!!!!" Stephen Sondheim to Patti LuPone.

#21

re: Smallest stage time for an actor in a show?

Posted: 5/11/08 at 1:17pm

that's funny

#22

re: Smallest stage time for an actor in a show?

Posted: 5/11/08 at 1:17pm

how about Morgan le Fay in Camelot. or the one lady that sings with Merlyn in the beginning?

#23

re: Smallest stage time for an actor in a show?

Posted: 5/11/08 at 1:17pm

Does "Peron's Mistress" in Evita usually play other roles as well?

#24

re: Smallest stage time for an actor in a show?

Posted: 5/11/08 at 1:18pm

I don't think she started out as one, but I'm pretty sure she eventually did the bullet boy thing. Laurie Beechman and Melba Moore didn't, though.

"This thread reads like a series of White House memos." — Mister Matt

#25

re: Smallest stage time for an actor in a show?

Posted: 5/11/08 at 1:20pm

jpbran-Yes, Peron's Mistress doubles as an ensemble member. She's usually one of the female soloists in the beginning who sing "Don't Cry For Me Argentina" at the funeral.

And whereas Morgan Le Fey probably doesn't play other roles, it kind of goes without saying that the female soloist in the beginning of Camelot doubles as a lady of the castle.

"Sing the words, Patti!!!!" Stephen Sondheim to Patti LuPone.

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