Understudies You Liked Better Than the Person Playing the Role
bwaylvsong
Broadway Legend Joined: 7/28/05
#50re: Understudies You Liked Better Than the Person Playing the Role
Posted: 2/27/08 at 1:09am
A quick question for those who saw Maureen Moore in GG...
Did they use a different recording of "Girl Who Has Everything" or just Christine's?
#51re: Understudies You Liked Better Than the Person Playing the Role
Posted: 2/27/08 at 1:10amColeen Sexton in Wicked. One of the best Elphabas I have seen.
#52re: Understudies You Liked Better Than the Person Playing the Role
Posted: 2/27/08 at 1:28am
Caren Lyn Manuel as Mimi in RENT.
Becky Gulsvig as Elle in LB.
Noah Weisberg and Bryce Ryness as Emmett in LB.
Nadine as Cassie in ACL.
Krysta Rodriguez as Wendla in Spring Awakening.
Matt Doyle as pretty much everything specifically as Melchior, Otto and Georg.
Kelly Karbacz as Maureen in RENT.
#53re: Understudies You Liked Better Than the Person Playing the Role
Posted: 2/27/08 at 4:13am
bwaylvsong,
When Maureen went on, they had a recording of her singing "Girl Who Has Everything."
#54re: Understudies You Liked Better Than the Person Playing the Role
Posted: 2/27/08 at 9:47am
LOVED Katie Adams - the Glinda standby
HATED Kate Reinders - the ACTUAL Glinda
- Eeyore
#55re: Understudies You Liked Better Than the Person Playing the Role
Posted: 2/27/08 at 10:11am
Definitely Krysta Rodriguez as Wendla.
Also, too many from RENT to name. Let's just say that Tamyra grey can't even be compared to Karmine Alers and Caren Lyn Manuel .
Cages or wings? Which do you prefer? Ask the birds. Fear or love, baby? Don't say the answer Actions speak louder than words. (Tick, Tick... BOOM!)
#56re: Understudies You Liked Better Than the Person Playing the Role
Posted: 2/27/08 at 11:30amI definitely liked JJ Singleton better as Flounder in the LM then Brian, Trevor or Cody
bwayguy22089
Broadway Star Joined: 12/16/06
#57re: Understudies You Liked Better Than the Person Playing the Role
Posted: 2/27/08 at 11:54amCheyenne Jackson over Adam Pascal in Aida. Adam is great, but Cheyenne was incredible.
bwaylvsong
Broadway Legend Joined: 7/28/05
#58re: Understudies You Liked Better Than the Person Playing the Role
Posted: 2/27/08 at 12:42pmThanks, logan0215!
bwaylvsong
Broadway Legend Joined: 7/28/05
#59re: Understudies You Liked Better Than the Person Playing the Role
Posted: 2/27/08 at 12:42pmThanks, logan0215!
#60re: Understudies You Liked Better Than the Person Playing the Role
Posted: 2/27/08 at 1:06pmOh and how can i forget, Becky as Margot in Legally Blonde. Don't get my wrong, I love Haven just... LB didn't exactly bring out her best talent. (and we're talking understudy, so I'm not comparing Becky to Analeigh, just clarifying that)
Cages or wings? Which do you prefer? Ask the birds. Fear or love, baby? Don't say the answer Actions speak louder than words. (Tick, Tick... BOOM!)
Chrissy*J
Featured Actor Joined: 1/2/07
#61re: Understudies You Liked Better Than the Person Playing the Role
Posted: 2/27/08 at 9:35pm
Megan Lewis as Young "Little" Edie in Grey Gardens
and
Haviland Stillwell as Fantine in Les Miserables
Freakin' amazinggg!
jbdc
Leading Actor Joined: 3/17/07
#62re: Understudies You Liked Better Than the Person Playing the Role
Posted: 2/27/08 at 9:43pmJoey Dudding as Paul in A Chorus Line.
#63re: Understudies You Liked Better Than the Person Playing the Role
Posted: 2/27/08 at 10:29pm
-Sarich in every role he's ever understudied.
-Ben Eakeley as Anthony in the Sweeney revival.
-Matt Doyle as Melchoir in Spring Awakening.
-Tim Martin Gleason as the Phantom.
LittlexFallxOfxRain
Featured Actor Joined: 2/25/08
#64re: Understudies You Liked Better Than the Person Playing the Role
Posted: 2/27/08 at 11:08pmI liked Karmine as Mimi more than Tamyra. I love Tamyra's voice, and she's a phenominal performer, but to me she just wasn't Mimi. I don't know, maybe it was the hair. I loved every Mimi I've seen (including Rosario in the movie), but to me Karmine was just a little better than Tamyra.
#65re: Understudies You Liked Better Than the Person Playing the Role
Posted: 2/27/08 at 11:32pmI saw Kevin Kern in Stepehen Lynch's place at the Wedding Singer, and really enjoyed his performance. He and Stephen are very similar in how they play the role, so I wouldn't say that Kevin was better, but he definitely gave a really nice performance.
#66re: Understudies You Liked Better Than the Person Playing the Role
Posted: 2/28/08 at 1:07amMegan Sikora was one of the best Glinda's I ever saw, so much I can't remember who she was understudying.
"Hey little girls, look at all the men in shiny shirts and no wives!" - Jackie Hoffman, Xanadu, 19 Feb 2008
jedigurl527
Swing Joined: 11/5/07
#67re: Understudies You Liked Better Than the Person Playing the Role
Posted: 4/23/08 at 10:20pm
Karmine Mimi!!!!!
Dana Dawson Mimi (2nd act, Tamyra got a migraine)
she LOOKS 19 and sings amazing. then again, karmine is in her 40s and rocks it
Krysta Wendla
Alexandra Wendla
Matt Melchior
#68re: Understudies You Liked Better Than the Person Playing the Role
Posted: 4/23/08 at 11:21pm
i can't believe no one has mentioned Fantasia in The Color Purple yet.
maybe it's because no one saw her! oops!
#69re: Understudies You Liked Better Than the Person Playing the Role
Posted: 4/23/08 at 11:25pm
Fantasia wasn't an understudy.
I'll add Tim Martin Gleason as the Phantom to my list, which is interesting because I detest his Raoul, but his Phantom is incredible.
#70re: Understudies You Liked Better Than the Person Playing the Role
Posted: 4/23/08 at 11:34pmI found Jennifer Hughes a superior Clara Johnson to both Kelli O'Hara and Katie Clarke when she covered the role in THE LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA a few years ago, though Elena Shaddow's performance on tour trumped all three.
Tony Kushner: You can sing it at my funeral.
#71re: Understudies You Liked Better Than the Person Playing the Role
Posted: 4/23/08 at 11:41pmLisa Brescia as Elphaba.
#72re: Understudies You Liked Better Than the Person Playing the Role
Posted: 4/24/08 at 12:32am
I actually saw the understudy's understudy, when I saw "Grand Hotel" ages ago. David Carroll was still listed as the Baron, but had basically left the cast because he was dying of AIDS.
I saw the show when his understudy, Brent Barrett, was not available. (Possibly because he was appearing in "Closer Than Ever" Off-Broadway at the time?) I saw the swing playing the Baron and he was incredible. (I can't remember his name at present, but he was Cornelius Hackl in the last revival of "Hello Dolly" with Carol Channing and he appears on that cast album.) He was handsome, dashing, aristocratic and an incredible singer.
I loved the show so much that I went to see it again the next night and saw Brent Barrett play the Baron and I didn't like him as much as the swing. I saw him again when he played the role on tour and he had grown into the part by then.
#73re: Understudies You Liked Better Than the Person Playing the Role
Posted: 4/24/08 at 12:34am
Susan Owen as Christine in Phantom, Drew Sarich as Javert, Elizabeth Loyacano instead of Melissa Errico in Dracula and I can't remember her name but the understudy for Toni Braxton in Aida. I saw Aida four times while Toni Braxton was in and luckily I had her understudy each time.
#74re: Understudies You Liked Better Than the Person Playing the Role
Posted: 4/24/08 at 12:50amWow. Did two people ACTUALLY say Maureen Moore over Christine Ebersole??? My heart just stopped. How can ANYONE have been better than Christine?
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