WSS Revival: Why have a Tony standby as well as an understudy?

[Tirso de Molina]

Posted: 3/19/09 at 7:58pm

I caught the Wednesday matinee of WSS with standby Matthew Hydzik taking over for Matt Cavenaugh. Sorry if this question has already been discussed (I did do a search, I swear!), but why are the WSS producers paying Hydzik a salary to be the standby for Tony when Mike Cannon (Snowboy) is also understudying the role and is presumably ready to go on? The only other standby listed in the program is necessary: Mark Zimmerman for the four older male roles. But there's no standby for Maria, Anita, Riff, Bernardo, etc., only understudies. What makes Cavenaugh's situation different? Is he already expected to miss performances regularly for some reason?

[nyubroadwayboy]

Posted: 3/19/09 at 8:09pm

Most likely because he can't vocally handle the role 8 shows a week! Was there a standby in DC?

[WishingOnlyWounds2]

Posted: 3/19/09 at 8:11pm

Glinda and Elphaba have a stand-by and understudy in WICKED. The stand-by goes on if the performer gets sick and stays backstage otherwise. The understudy performs in the ensemble and goes on if the performer and stand-by cannot go on.

Updated On: 3/19/09 at 08:11 PM

[jonartdesigns]

Posted: 3/19/09 at 8:13pm

it could be they needed 2 covers and there weren't 2 ensemble members who could play the role. The national tour of Wicked picked up an Elphaba standby when the Nessarose replacement was not a cover for Elphaba.

[Tirso de Molina]

Posted: 3/19/09 at 8:16pm

Sorry if I wasn't clear: I wasn't asking what a standby does or how that works in relation to having an understudy for a role as well. (I already know that.) I was asking if anyone knows why this production hired a standby for Tony, but not for any of the other key roles - this seems unusual to me.

[CurtainPullDowner]

Posted: 3/19/09 at 9:35pm

It's more common these days to have standbys for Big Vocal Roles. Finding an ensemble member who can sing Tony and dance the Robbins stuff as a gang member could be difficult.
I guess Mike Canon can.
They are probably still working out the understudies for Maria and Anita.

[PalJoey]

Posted: 3/19/09 at 9:38pm

The 1980 revival had two Tony understudies as well, both of whom became accomplished Broadway performers: Steve Bogardus and Brent Barrett.

[dancingthrulife04]

Posted: 3/20/09 at 11:41am

I would LOVE to see Mike Cannon as Tony.

[daredevil]

Posted: 3/20/09 at 11:48am

I can think of two serious incidents, one with the original Chorus Line, and the other with the Lincoln Center revival of Carousel, where an one understudy was hired for a role, and that understudy got sick at the same time as the principle, causing chaos. I think that producers feel that to protect their investment, their should be two covers for each major role, just in case two out of the three are not available. When I see a musical now, and look at the understudy list, most roles are covered by two people.

[nealb1]

Posted: 3/20/09 at 12:51pm

It's not unusual at all. Pretty standard operating procedures for musicals these days.

[SingingCats]

Posted: 3/20/09 at 12:58pm

I'm more interested in why Tony has a standby and an understudy and the other lead roles just have understudies. Is it because they wanted to hire Matt Hydzik and he doesn't have the dance skills to play any of the other roles?

[PalJoey]

Posted: 3/20/09 at 12:59pm

No, They always do. See my post above. Sheesh.

[SingingCats]

Posted: 3/20/09 at 1:04pm

PalJoey.

All of the roles have 2 understudies. Those understudies are either in the ensemble or swings that cover multiple roles.
Tony has an understudy in the ensemble (Mike Cannon) and a standby (Matt Hydzik) who covers ONLY Tony and is pictured on the 'lead' headshot page of the Playbill.

Is it really necessary to "sheesh"?

[Tirso de Molina]

Posted: 3/20/09 at 1:04pm

I guess I just have an accountant's mentality: I still think it's odd that the producers are paying an extra salary to the standby instead of simply having two understudies for Cavenaugh from within the company, as they're doing with every other role except the older men - unless they expect that Cavenaugh will be missing enough shows that paying Hydzik becomes a smart investment. It's not the double coverage I'm questioning, it's the hiring of an additional performer ONLY to cover a single role.

Updated On: 3/20/09 at 01:04 PM

[The Distinctive Baritone]

Posted: 3/20/09 at 3:12pm

Economically, it doesn't make that much of a difference, as you have to pay ensemble members who understudy principles an extra fee each week for understudying even if they never go on. In shows where there are particularly demanding principle roles that probably can't be properly played (as an understudy) by any of the chorus boys/girls, they'd rather pay a little extra money to have someone with the chops in the wings ready to go on if the listed player can't.

Also, the standbys are basically the "real" understudies for their roles. When there is both a standby for a role and an understudy for it in the ensemble, that ensemble member is really only a backup in case the standby is sick/taking a personal day or whatever too.


P.S.: There is now a Maria standby too.

Updated On: 3/20/09 at 03:12 PM

[dg22894]

Posted: 3/20/09 at 10:23pm

"Glinda and Elphaba have a stand-by and understudy in WICKED. The stand-by goes on if the performer gets sick and stays backstage otherwise. The understudy performs in the ensemble and goes on if the performer and stand-by cannot go on."

I heard they had stand-by because they have so many stunts like flying in a bubble or "defying gravity". I do not see that in west side story but Tony is vocally commanding so it would be a good idea for a stand-by.

[skander2]

Posted: 3/20/09 at 10:37pm

Who is the Maria standby?

[ACL2006]

Posted: 3/21/09 at 2:44am

In regards to the original A Chorus Line. The date was Jan. 31, 1976 when both Donna McKechnie & Kelly(Carole) Bishop were out sick. There was only one person(Carolyn Kirsch) that u/s both roles and Sheila's part wasn't performed that night.

[husk_charmer]

Posted: 3/21/09 at 10:02am

^ That dovetailed off the night before, and became (as I understand it), the first real use of Bennett's rule that if a person left after "At the Ballet" (or in this case immediately before), the tracks was cut for the evening.

[The Distinctive Baritone]

Posted: 3/21/09 at 10:12am

skander2--

The Maria standby is a newbie named Haley Carlucci.

[shesamarshmallow]

Posted: 3/22/09 at 10:37am

Haley Carlucci is a swing, not a standby. She covers multiple roles.
However, I believe they've just cast an Anita standby named Alena Waters, but have no rock hard confirmation on that...

[obsessedjb]

Posted: 3/22/09 at 10:47am

^^yeah Alena Waters is the Anita stand-by there were inserts in our playbill yesterday.

[The Distinctive Baritone]

Posted: 3/22/09 at 10:54am

On Playbill Carlucci is listed as "Standby Maria, u/s Fernanda" (and some other character). So I guess she's both a standby and a swing...really, they're the same thing, just swings usually cover only chorus and small supporting roles.