Strange understudy role pairings
Strange understudy role pairings
jonartdesigns
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/15/04
#0Strange understudy role pairings
Posted: 3/24/05 at 8:57pm
i was just reading on ibdb.com that one of the (female) understudies for the original production of chicago covered for mama morton and MARY SUNSHINE. I found that to be kinda weird since it must have really screwed up billy flynn's closing arguement. So the end of this long winded post is;
Is there any understudy role pairings that you have found to be strange or rather suprising? (i.e. Shoshana Bean covering Tracy and Velma in hairspray)
#1re: Strange understudy role pairings
Posted: 3/24/05 at 9:04pmOwen Johnston II covering Roger and Angel in Rent on Broadway.
#2re: Strange understudy role pairings
Posted: 3/24/05 at 9:18pmWhen I just saw Chicago, Colleen Sexton was the understudy for Mama. Now granted she woul have be awsome vocally and belted the hell outta that number, but she's this tiny thing with a gorgeous body. Doesn't really work. I could see her as Roxy.
#3re: Strange understudy role pairings
Posted: 3/24/05 at 9:23pmAlthough she was wonderful in the part (as she always is), I always found Emily Skinner as Linda Eder's understudy in "Jekyll and Hyde" to be a somewhat odd pairing.
Gothampc
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/20/03
#4re: Strange understudy role pairings
Posted: 3/24/05 at 9:23pmGlenn Close, at the age of 28, understudied the role of Frankie, age 12, in a Broadway revival of Member of the Wedding. (Of course, Julie Harris was about 25 when she played the role). Weren't there any teenage actors in those days?
ThisIsMyYouth
Swing Joined: 12/7/04
#5re: Strange understudy role pairings
Posted: 3/24/05 at 9:43pmBack in the day, in Les Mis, the same actress(es) would cover both Eponine and Cosette, which was weird since one's a high soprano and one's a belt alto.
#6re: Strange understudy role pairings
Posted: 3/24/05 at 9:45pmYeah, they did that regularly up until about 1999. Dana Meller was the last actress to understudy both Cosette and Eponine.
#7re: Strange understudy role pairings
Posted: 3/24/05 at 10:35pmIt's amazing how many people have played both those roles. Granted the gal currently playing Cosette in London played Eponine originally. She was awsome as Cosette, but could barely hit the high note at the end of A Heart Full of Love.
ashley0139
Broadway Legend Joined: 1/3/05
#8re: Strange understudy role pairings
Posted: 3/24/05 at 10:39pmI don't think it's that odd for people to cover both Eponine and Cosette. I mean, I don't think it was uncommon.
timote316
Broadway Legend Joined: 7/20/04
#9re: Strange understudy role pairings
Posted: 3/24/05 at 10:46pmA saw the latest tour of Fiddler (non-Equity), and there were understudies listed for every named character. Seriously, Shaindel had an understudy.
#10re: Strange understudy role pairings
Posted: 3/25/05 at 1:19amWhen I saw "Peter Pan" w/ Cathy Rigby, the actress playing Tootles (the film "Annie", Aileen Quinn) understudied Wendy, while the actress playing Wendy udnerstudied Tootles. I've looked at the Playbill many times, and I still haven't figured it out.
#11re: Strange understudy role pairings
Posted: 3/25/05 at 1:23am
That's what I was thinking. It drove me nuts!
PS - Love your avatar.
Updated On: 3/25/05 at 01:23 AM
jonartdesigns
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/15/04
#12re: Strange understudy role pairings
Posted: 3/25/05 at 12:32pmanother I thought of-when i saw millie on b'way it listed the woman playing miss flannery (the one from taboo, now of mamma mia) as covering muzzy and meers. meers i could see, but wouldn't a white muzzy ruin the joke/ suprise at the end?
Sluggy
Featured Actor Joined: 7/15/04
#13re: Strange understudy role pairings
Posted: 3/25/05 at 12:49pm
In the "Into The Woods" revival, Linda Mugleston covered The Witch, The Baker's Wife, Jack's Mother, Cinderella's Stepmother, and Granny!
It's a wonder she wasn't a Prince!
#14re: Strange understudy role pairings
Posted: 3/25/05 at 1:15pmI believe that one of the understudies for Bun Foo in the Equity national tour of "Millie" is a woman.
#15re: Strange understudy role pairings
Posted: 3/25/05 at 1:30pm
the first time I saw the original CHICAGO on Broadway, M O'Haughey was out. Mary Sunshine was played by a female and as a female throughout...........When the part came where Billy Flynn says something to the effect of "things aren't always what they seem to be," a guy in drag simply walked from the wings right over to Billy Flynn and Jerry Orbach (Flynn) proceeded to open the drag queen's coat, showing the dragqueen was a man. The drag queen made a shocked like looking face and quickly exited.
It was pretty lame. Actually, I always thought the whole Mary Sunshine thing in CHICAGO pretty lame and "her song," A Little Bit Of Good, clearly the weakest in the score. I also thought it was pretty awful and very "high school," the lame "man of a thousand faces" as the whole jury. Maybe it plays better now, but it was always pretty dorky in the otherwise, dazzling original Broadway production.
I love the fact that in the original BYE BYE BIRDIE, Gene Rayburn understudied Dick Van Dyke as Albert and Charles Nelson Reilly understudied Paul Lynde as Mr. MCAfee.....and of course years later Rayburn and Reilly were together on the revised "celebrity version" of THE MATCH GAME.
#16re: Strange understudy role pairings
Posted: 3/25/05 at 3:21pm
"I believe that one of the understudies for Bun Foo in the Equity national tour of "Millie" is a woman."
It was like that in La Jolla, too. When she went on, the brothers were just changed to brother and sister.
jonartdesigns
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/15/04
#17re: Strange understudy role pairings
Posted: 3/25/05 at 3:53pmVasthy Mompoint, who according to ibdb.com is a male covers "Bikini Girl" in Good Vibrations
#18re: Strange understudy role pairings
Posted: 3/25/05 at 4:02pmtommar wilson and territe reed understudy the dynamites in hairspray. one is well a guy and the other well has really big boobs and i dont think they would be able to fit in the poster with 2 other girls. and im not joking or trying to be mean. also when brooke tansley was in the cast she understudied a dynamite and well shes white.
LesMizazz
Stand-by Joined: 5/22/04
#19re: Strange understudy role pairings
Posted: 3/25/05 at 4:39pmVasthy's a black female, I guess ibdb got it messed up
#20re: Strange understudy role pairings
Posted: 3/25/05 at 4:48pmWish. That Mary Sunshine story is quite interesting. In the Revival, the jury is still played by one man. Have you seen the Revival?
jonartdesigns
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/15/04
#21re: Strange understudy role pairings
Posted: 3/25/05 at 8:00pmLesMizazz- thanks for clearing that up... thats a big ass oops on ibdb's part
#22re: Strange understudy role pairings
Posted: 3/25/05 at 8:50pmljay889, I have not seen the revival.
wildcat
Broadway Legend Joined: 12/4/04
#23re: Strange understudy role pairings
Posted: 3/25/05 at 8:54pmIn the original 1966 MAME, the role of Ito was covered by a caucasian woman, Eleanor Treiber.
sassypanz
Broadway Star Joined: 1/20/05
#24re: Strange understudy role pairings
Posted: 3/25/05 at 10:53pmJoann Hunter (looka lika woman)covering for Bun foo in TMM.
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