Understudies You Liked Better Than the Person Playing the Role — Page 5

#101

re: Understudies You Liked Better Than the Person Playing the Role

Posted: 4/25/08 at 10:38am

Whoever the understudy was for NYC Opera's most recent The Most Happy Fella was leaps and bounds better than Sorvino. Sorvino was painful to watch and even more painful to listen to.

#102

re: Understudies You Liked Better Than the Person Playing the Role

Posted: 4/25/08 at 11:51am

"jonathan crombie as man in chair - the drowsy chaperone"

Crombie was a replacement, not an understudy.

#103

re: Understudies You Liked Better Than the Person Playing the Role

Posted: 4/25/08 at 5:29pm

Unfortunately I never got to see Norbert Leo Butz in Dirty Rotten Scoundrels but I do have to give kudos to Jason Gillman for his performance on the night I saw the show - he was hilarious!

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Seen some shows in my time....

#104

re: Understudies You Liked Better Than the Person Playing the Role

Posted: 4/27/08 at 12:34am

I'm very aware that Lisa Brescia is the Elphaba standby, not understudy. I wasn't being literal. Other people have mentioned standbys (Maureen Moore, for example).

#105

re: Understudies You Liked Better Than the Person Playing the Role

Posted: 6/24/08 at 7:50pm

Nikki Renee Daniels as Fantine in the recent Les Mis revival.

#106

re: Understudies You Liked Better Than the Person Playing the Role

Posted: 6/24/08 at 7:52pm

I thought that Jon Patrick Walker was a better Dr. Frankenstein than Roger Bart. I think it's because I saw Roger in that role a lot that it was time for a change.

Updated On: 6/24/08 at 07:52 PM

#107

re: Understudies You Liked Better Than the Person Playing the Role

Posted: 6/24/08 at 8:04pm

Pamela Jordan as Sheila in A Chorus Line
Katie Adams as Glinda in Wicked (over Annaleigh)
Emily Rozek as Glinda (over Kendra)

#108

re: Understudies You Liked Better Than the Person Playing the Role

Posted: 6/24/08 at 8:06pm

I've seen LB both times Becky Gulsvig as Elle and I prefer her.
I enjoyed Brandi Chavonne Massey as Elphaba more than Eden Espinosa, just not a big Eden fan. Last but not least Lindsay K. Northen as Glinda!!!!! I think she's a lot better than Kendra Kassebaum. Also Lisa Brescia is amazing but Stephanie had that little edge over her.

#109

re: Understudies You Liked Better Than the Person Playing the Role

Posted: 6/24/08 at 9:22pm

Cicily Daniels as Ursula in The Little Mermaid.

She was 1000x better than Sherie.

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Goodbye

#110

re: Understudies You Liked Better Than the Person Playing the Role

Posted: 6/24/08 at 11:54pm

I saw both Donna Vivino and Carmen Cusack in the WICKED tour and I liked Donna better.

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Brian had sex, with a really dumb girl, now he's taking his friend Stewie, to get some ice cream, in his car.

#111

re: Understudies You Liked Better Than the Person Playing the Role

Posted: 6/25/08 at 2:05am

I preferred Katie Rose Clarke to Kelli O'Hara as Clara Johnson in The Light in the Piazza.

Wicked London - Cassidy Janson was a better all rounded Elphaba (taking into account acting) than Kerry Ellis, which sometimes appeared, to me at least, a tad boring.

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In Soviet Russia, Wicked hates you too!

#112

re: Understudies You Liked Better Than the Person Playing the Role

Posted: 6/25/08 at 6:00am

How UNpopular we will be about this, A Fleur De Toi...but I couldn't agree more about Katie Rose Clark over Kelli O'Hara (particularly as Katie grew in the role so much during the second half of the tour).

Katie's current Glinda in Wicked is brilliant too - she is delightful.

#113

re: Understudies You Liked Better Than the Person Playing the Role

Posted: 6/25/08 at 11:35am

ooh so great someone agrees with me :P Katie Rose Clarke is simply the cutest thing ever. You just feel like giving her a hug and her smile makes you feel all warm and nice inside haha.

She's the Glinda on tour now isnt she?

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In Soviet Russia, Wicked hates you too!

#114

re: Understudies You Liked Better Than the Person Playing the Role

Posted: 6/25/08 at 11:44am

I preferred Katie Rose Clarke to Kelli O'Hara as Clara Johnson in The Light in the Piazza.

But she wasn't the understudy.

CAN NO ONE FOLLOW DIRECTIONS ANYMORE?!

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

#115

re: Understudies You Liked Better Than the Person Playing the Role

Posted: 6/25/08 at 11:47am

aww easy sugar.

so she wasnt the understudy, my bad. Just pointing out someone who did the show later and whom i feel was better than the original broadway cast. sorry if that offends so bad. :)

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In Soviet Russia, Wicked hates you too!

#116

re: Understudies You Liked Better Than the Person Playing the Role

Posted: 6/25/08 at 12:10pm

Are you kidding? Katie was terrible vocally on Broadway.

She was MUCH better in the tour, though.

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Jimmy, what are you doing here in the middle of the night? It's almost 9 PM!

#117

re: Understudies You Liked Better Than the Person Playing the Role

Posted: 6/25/08 at 12:53pm

I would have liked to see Katie on the tour, but I have no complaints about Elena Shaddow, who was excellent. But when I saw the show on Broadway, Laura Griffiths (later the tour Franca) was on for Clara. It was her first time and she was superb.

When I saw Spring Awakening, the Wendla understudy, Phoebe Strole, was one of the best (only good?) things about the show.

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I chose, and my world was shaken. So what? The choice may have been mistaken. The choosing was not.

#118

re: Understudies You Liked Better Than the Person Playing the Role

Posted: 6/25/08 at 2:06pm

Jenn Damiano was a far superior Ilse in every way than Lauren Pritchard was.

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<------ Me and my friends with patti Lupone at my friends afterparty for her concert with audra mcdonald during the summer of 2007.
"I am sorry but it is an unjust world and virtue is only triumphant in theatricle performances" The Mikado

#119

re: Understudies You Liked Better Than the Person Playing the Role

Posted: 6/25/08 at 5:23pm

Speaking of Randal Keith pre-Valjean, you can see him in the ensemble in a Sutton Foster video that shall not be named on the site that shall not be named.

#120

re: Understudies You Liked Better Than the Person Playing the Role

Posted: 6/25/08 at 6:46pm

^^"I saw Jon Walker Patrick in for Roger Bart in YF and thought he did a great job. I have not seen Roger Bart's performance so I don't have a point of comparison."

I also saw JWP in for Roger Bart in Young Frankenstein, and Heather Ayers in for Megan Mullally in the same performance. I thought both were outstanding and much preferred their live performances to the cast recording (haven't seen either RB or MM live).

(Offthread: can someone tell me how to italicize? because I simply cannot figure it out and the ^^ and quotation marks drive me a bit mad. Thanks.)

#121

re: Understudies You Liked Better Than the Person Playing the Role

Posted: 6/25/08 at 8:17pm

Ana Maria Andricain as Eva in the "Evita" tour
Alice Ripley as Mrs. Walker in "Tommy"
Shayna Steele as Mary Magdalene in "JCS"

#122

re: Understudies You Liked Better Than the Person Playing the Role

Posted: 6/25/08 at 8:32pm

Jon Patrick Walker > Roger Bart.

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The Best Thing Right Now: Hair Revival!

#123

re: Understudies You Liked Better Than the Person Playing the Role

Posted: 6/25/08 at 9:11pm

Patti Murin as Clio/Kira in Xanadu

I was disappointed when that slip of paper fell out of my playbill, but I loved her performance and she has a killer voice that I prefer to Kerry on the cast recording.

#124

re: Understudies You Liked Better Than the Person Playing the Role

Posted: 6/25/08 at 9:13pm

(Offthread: can someone tell me how to italicize? because I simply cannot figure it out and the ^^ and quotation marks drive me a bit mad. Thanks.)

http://www.ncsu.edu/cc/edu/html_trng/basic_commands.html

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

#125

re: Understudies You Liked Better Than the Person Playing the Role

Posted: 6/26/08 at 8:47am

Here's one that hasn't been mentioned -- Many years ago, when it was still fairly early in its run, I saw "Miss Saigon" on a Wednesday night and Jarrod Emick, who was then also part of the ensemble, went on as Chris. I don't know who actually had the role at the time (I know it wasn't the original actor), but his performance was so wonderful that I couldn't imagine anyone doing a better job than he did. I thought to myself "this guy won't be stuck in ensembles for very long". I guess I was right!

Updated On: 6/26/08 at 08:47 AM