When the Understudy/Standby is better than the lead- Page 2

[broadwayguy2]

Posted: 10/20/04 at 6:55am

So true, Stokes! Shoshana was a FABULOUS Tracy! That girl has a voice that just doesn't end.

[broadwaystar2b]

Posted: 10/20/04 at 7:46am

Understudies are some of the hardest working and most underappreciated people in show business
I've seen some truly terrific understudies that I feel should be listed by name to give credit where it's due:
Peter Matthew Smith (u/s Mark in Nat'l Rent Tour)
Brooke Tansley (u/s Penny in Hairspray)
Hollie Howard (u/s Amber in Hairspray)
Linda Muggleston (u/s Ruth in Wonderful Town)
Eden Espinosa (u/s Elphaba in Wicked)
Aymee Garcia (u/s Kate/Lucy in Avenue Q)
Carmen Ruby Floyd (u/s Gary Coleman in Avenue Q)

[Broadwaylady]

Posted: 10/20/04 at 9:16am

The understudy for Alfred Molina was much better than he was in Fiddler.

[pab]

Posted: 10/20/04 at 10:57am

I wondered about that. I saw Alfred Molina's understudy in Fiddler as well and I thought "wow, Molina must be something really special if his understudy is this good". Having not seen Molina do the role, I did not feel that I missed out on anything the afternoon that I saw the show with his understudy.

[Belle-arina]

Posted: 10/20/04 at 11:43am

I saw Jesus Christ Superstar when it was still in previews and Tony Vincent was the understudy for Judas. He was incredible, and they wound up firing the other guy and giving him the part.

[greenifyed]

Posted: 10/20/04 at 11:48am

While I've got nothing to compare it to -

Ta'Rea Campbell as Aida (in for Deborah Cox) was absolutely amazing.

And here's a cheap shot - Matt Caplan filling in for Drew Lachey last week in RENT.

[Corine2]

Posted: 10/20/04 at 11:51am

John Tags is faboo kids.

[broadwaystar2b]

Posted: 10/20/04 at 11:53am

of course he is!!!!!!!!!!!!
<------Just look at this pic. As gorgeous as he is, he is that talented and sweethearted

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 10/20/04 at 12:00pm

I've seen so many understudies for leads, but don't know how many I'd consider "better," but that's because we're talking about understudies for people like Stokes.

That said, I really (shocker, isn't it?) would've like to see Cheyenne Jackson as Radames. No, he's not my Adam, but I love this guy. I know he was wonderful.

[pab]

Posted: 10/20/04 at 2:20pm

I'm trying to think of what it must have been like for people like Sheila Ellis who was the understudy for Jennifer Holliday in "Dreamgirls" or Maggie Task who understudied for Angela Lansbury in "Sweeney Todd" when the announcement was made (as they used to do back then) and there the was the audible groan of disappointment from the audience. Maybe that's why they don't make those announcements any more.

[pab]

Posted: 10/20/04 at 5:17pm

By the way, when exactly did they stop announcing (during the no cameras etc. section) who would be substituting and strictly go to stuffing the information into the Playbills?

[rmposey]

Posted: 10/21/04 at 10:41am

I thought Sean McCourt was fabulous as the Wizard in Wicked! Aymee Garcia was very good in Avenue Q as Mrs. T, Bear, ect.

[jonartdesigns]

Posted: 10/21/04 at 9:45pm

pab- i think it was out of courtesy to the understudies, i remember reading a story that people booed at an announcement theat melissa chait was in for kristin chenoweth in wicked once

[N0tThatGirl213]

Posted: 10/21/04 at 9:57pm

Saycon Sengbloh for Deborah Cox in Aida.

[pab]

Posted: 10/21/04 at 10:01pm

Oh, I did not realize that the change happened just recently. I remember on one trip sitting there and hearing the announcement and it was all about candy wrappers, cell phones and cameras. I then remembered how sometimes they had a long list to read about who was not on that night. I tried to remember how long it had been like that but if you say that they were still making announcements up to the time of "Wicked" then I guess the change has happened only within the last year.

[krolockskid]

Posted: 10/21/04 at 10:15pm

This is kinda funny, but everytime I've seen Phantom, the Christine is always the understudy or alternate. It's also funny because I've only seen Phantom 3 times, and all 3 times, the Christine was Julie Hanson. I believe she is the alternate now, but the first time I saw her was on the Phantom tour when she was the alternate. I think she is one of the best Christine's out there.

[Dulcinea]

Posted: 11/29/04 at 4:06am

In the original production of "Funny Girl" Barbra Streisand only missed on performance I think. And at that performance when they announced that Lainie Kazan was going on the audience screamed and yelled and many of them stormed out of the theatre demanding their money back.

[munkustrap178]

Posted: 11/29/04 at 4:17am

They didn't change it recently - it's been that way for atleast 15 years. It has to be announced that the understudy is going on in both the lobby AND in the playbill. Sometimes things happen at the last minute and they don't have time to do one, or both of them and in that case, the must make the announcement.

[Booming Baritone]

Posted: 11/29/04 at 4:42am

Susan Derry in the role of Eileen at WT was much better all around than Jennifer Westvelt, I thought. She has a beautiful voice and acted the part charmingly (the fact that she is a stunningly beautiful woman doesn't hurt eitha!)

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 11/29/04 at 6:08am

John Hillner as Georges in La Cage

[wicked4life51]

Posted: 11/29/04 at 8:58am

i liked eden espinosa and shoshana bean in for elphaba better than idina menzel, and for hairspray i liked shoshana bean better than katy grenfell but no one compares to marissa. I liked randy harisson in for micheal fitzgerald as boq for wicked.

Posted: 11/29/04 at 1:56pm

Who is Alfred Molina's understudy?

[Sant]

Posted: 11/29/04 at 2:38pm

Kelly Fournier sung the part of Amneris in Aida so much better than Sherie Renee Scott.

[GirlfriendFromCanada]

Posted: 11/29/04 at 2:50pm

I've seen what is probably considered an obscene amount of Rogers in Rent, and my two favorites were both understudies. Joshua Kobak, who I think owns the part, and Colin Hanlon, who hardly ever even gets to go ON in the part, really impressed me and are my top two out of many (including Jeremy Kushnier, Cary Shields, Sebastian Arclelus, etc.). In fact, I still think that Joshua Kobak is one of THE most talented people I've ever seen on stage, and can never understand why he's been a swing all this time.

[ReNtHeAd04]

Posted: 11/29/04 at 4:08pm

i liked joshua kobak better than manley pope in rent..