When understudies SHOULD have gone on

[binau]

Posted: 1/15/25 at 3:49am

Does anyone have any stories/anecdotes of actors you’ve seen on stage who probably should have called in sick

I don’t mean those with very mild ailments. For example, when I saw Patti in “War Paint” I saw her visibly cough a few times and then eventually she missed performances but overall she still sung and performed well so it’s not really what I’m talking about.

However, I saw Bernadette in “Old Friends” many times and one performance she was so sick her voice almost completely gone, she could barely sing on pitch and on the last note of “Losing my mind” she wasn’t able to hold “mind”, instead repeating “my mind, my mind, my mind” three times. I realised that, even if it meant breaking her practically perfect attendance record post-Gypsy, she probably should have taken the night off.

Who else? 

Updated On: 1/15/25 at 03:49 AM

[quizking101]

Posted: 1/15/25 at 5:44am

This happened a few times at A STRANGE LOOP, but the result would’ve been a cancelled show since often many were sick at the same time and the producers refused to hire more coverage (which was stupid as this was the immediate post-COVID era). Once or twice, there had to be a midway switch of roles because of illness.

[THDavis]

Posted: 1/15/25 at 9:14am

Over 15 years ago, I won the Wicked lottery and Nicole Parker was struggling with the vocals. The Wizard and I was mutually uncomfortable (especially from front row center) and I saw her whisper something to Nessa during the first classroom scene. Next entrance (or so), Jennifer DiNoia came out fully costumed and was announced at intermission. 
 

I commend Nicole for making the decision when she did, even if it meant one tough song. Having seen her since, she’s indeed a very talented performer. And Jennifer DiNoia is a FORCE!

[inception]

Posted: 1/15/25 at 9:22am

When I saw the headline I thought was going to be in response to the reports of the Met's New Year's Eve gala performance of Aida 2 weeks ago   Star Piotr Beczała was so ill he gave one of the worst performances of his career.  At intermission it was announced that he was ill, but he continued with the second act anyways even though he could barely sing.  He was replaced for subsequent performances. The biggest shame was they knew full well as reports from the dress rehearsal days before were that he was very ill.  Hopefully he will be well enough for the live film broadcast on the 25th.  When he is at his best he's a great performer. I saw him in Lohengrin in 2023 & he carries that piece on his shoulders for about 3 hours.

[Broadway61004]

Posted: 1/15/25 at 10:09am

I once saw Robert Goulet talk through South Pacific. Like, legitimately just recited the lyrics like they were poetry as he had no voice to sing them. Maybe sang 10% of the score at most and that's not an exaggeration. I would have been upset to get an understudy and not see him, but frankly I kind of feel like I didn't see him anyway....

[FANtomFollies]

Posted: 1/15/25 at 10:37am

When I saw Grey Gardens on Broadway, something was clearly wrong with Christine Ebersole. I don't know if she was sick or just 'not feeling it' but it was one of the most low-energy performances I've ever seen. Her singing was very good but all of her dialogue was just so lethargic I couldn't believe it. I know she's an incredible performer so something must have been going on with her personally I guess. 

[TheQuibbler]

Posted: 1/15/25 at 10:48am

I saw Legally Blonde a few times where Laura Bell Bundy maybe should have called out. It became commonplace for her to take a breath during the final note of “So Much Better” but one time she had to break it up into three held notes. I was frankly shocked she came back for Act II. (Love her, though!) 

[AC126748]

Posted: 1/15/25 at 12:42pm

Jessie Mueller in Waitress. She was coughing throughout the performance and sounded raspy and uncomfortable. She gave it her all in terms of acting, but she clearly was far from her best. I thought she would bow out after Act 1 but she finished the performance.

[Plannietink08]

Posted: 1/15/25 at 12:46pm

I saw the amateur premiere of Wicked in Melbourne. It was a two week run and there was no Glinda or Elphaba alternate. The actors were expected to perform every single show plus hold down a full time jobs. 
 

I saw the show on its third or fourth performance and Glinda’s voice was gone. It sounded like gravel and it must have been painful to speak. I was absolutely bewildered that they didn’t at least have a matinee Elphaba and Glinda as the professional witches rarely do that long a run without a break. 
 

She pulled it off though, and to her credit her book scenes were tremendous, she is so far the best Glinda I’ve ever seen out of the four times I’ve seen the show, but for that performance I’d have sent on an understudy/alternate if she had one and let her voice rest. 

[Wick3]

Posted: 1/15/25 at 1:03pm

I saw Ben Platt multiple times on Dear Evan Hansen back in 2016-2017 and he was great though in one performance his voice was clearly not 100%. It was a bit hoarse and though he hit the notes in tune, I think he probably should have just remained in vocal rest and let his understudy perform that evening.

[jonartdesigns]

Posted: 1/15/25 at 4:03pm

Several years ago I saw Jeremy Kushnier as Riff Raff in Rocky Horror at Buck’s County Playhouse. He clearly was doing his best with the score, and basically whispered his book scenes. At the stage door afterwards I overheard him telling someone that he had laryngitis but the production had no understudies. 

[itsshowtime2]

Posted: 1/15/25 at 4:24pm

I saw Tom Wopat in Sondheim on Sondheim. He was clearly quite ill. He CROAKED through all of his songs. Having seen him in other musicals previously, he has a fantastic voice. He should have called out. Actually they should have made him. Since then when I am upset someone I want to see is out, I try and remember how awful he was due to illness and be happy I have an understudy.

[BentleyB]

Posted: 1/15/25 at 4:39pm

The second time we saw “Great Comet” Denee Benton was really struggling during act one.  We were seated on stage and she kept drinking from a pitcher of water near the entrance at the top of the stage.  At intermission, her understudy replaced her. 

[SisterGeorge]

Posted: 1/15/25 at 6:38pm

inception said: "When I saw the headline I thought was going to be in response to the reports of the Met's New Year's Eve gala performance of Aida 2 weeks ago StarPiotr Beczała was so ill he gave one of the worst performances of his career. At intermission it wasannounced that he was ill, but he continuedwith the second act anyways even though he could barely sing. He was replaced for subsequent performances. The biggest shame was they knew full well as reports from the dress rehearsal days before were that he was very ill. Hopefully he will be well enough for the live film broadcast on the 25th. When he is at his best he's a great performer. I saw him in Lohengrin in 2023 & he carries that pieceon his shoulders for about 3hours."

What's weird is that Beczala was in this exact situation a year ago during the run of  the Met's Carmen. As I recall, he opened the production on NYE, then called in sick for a couple of performances. We attended the fourth performance -- his first back in the role-- and it was one of the most painful and worrying evenings I've ever spent at the theater. He was clearly still sick from the get go, but by the final act there was simply nothing left of his voice. We were so scared he might be doing permanent damage, and he was visibly embarrassed and humiliated. And yes, when he's healthy he's one of the greats.

[Melissa25]

Posted: 1/15/25 at 6:51pm

Maleah Joi Moon 2 days after opening at the Public in Hell's Kitchen...I thought she was going to seriously damage her vocal chords. I sort of wanted them to have the understudy take over so I could stop worrying.

[The Distinctive Baritone]

Posted: 1/15/25 at 11:13pm

Interesting thread…When I saw Next to Normal on Broadway, Alice Ripley sounded like her voice was absolutely shredded. She tried to compensate by doing some weird stuff with her vowels and she sounded Irish or something. Truly a bizarre performance. I was furious that I paid $140 as a broke twentysomething to watch her struggle through when she clearly should have called out.

[jagman106]

Posted: 1/16/25 at 12:25am

In the mid-90s I saw George C. Scott in Inherit the Wind on Broadway. Scott was visibly ill - pale and unable to stand for long periods. In many of his scenes he held on to or leaned on tables to steady himself. On several occasions it appeared that he might pass out. In the scenes where his character (Drummond) was supposed to be intense, Scott was mostly tepid. Scott was obviously weak and we expected Scott's understudy to appear at any given moment. Scott performed for the entire play, but it lacked its usual punch. Scott's unfortunate and underwhelming performance from an actor who typically commanded the stage was the topic of conversation among patrons leaving the theater that night.

[Dreamboy3]

Posted: 1/16/25 at 6:14am

The Distinctive Baritone said: "Interesting thread…When I saw Next to Normal on Broadway, Alice Ripley sounded like her voice was absolutely shredded. She tried to compensate by doing some weird stuff with her vowels and she sounded Irish or something. Truly a bizarre performance. I was furious that I paid $140 as a broke twentysomething to watch her struggle through when she clearly should have called out."

Even on her best days Ripley didn’t sound great. I saw it a few times and went back for Martin Mazzie and Jason Danielly. Marin’s performance was less intense than Alice’s but the singing was emotionally transformative. 

[rosscoe(au)]

Posted: 1/16/25 at 8:50am

A Chorus Line August 1988, the entire company should called out, it’s was a painful, dull evening of theatre. It was like no one wanted to be there. 

[Marway44]

Posted: 1/16/25 at 9:18am

Interesting one for you guys. David Cassidy didn’t like getting notes in Blood Brothers and he received a few before a matinee. He was so angry that he literally walked through the performance. I was talking to Petula afterwards and she said he received notes and was upset. 
 

I don’t quite know if that qualifies as an understudy should have gone on, but it was interesting to see how he dealt with the situation. I know an understudy would’ve done a better job at that particular performance that day, though!

[sorano916]

Posted: 1/16/25 at 12:42pm

This was a time when an understudy went on... and maybe there could have been another way...

There was a performance of American Idiot where Alysha Umphress was out as well as Aspen Vincent, who was a swing and did Alyssa's part in "Too Much Too Soon" if Alysha was out. So, Lorin Latarro, who was the other swing as well as associate choreographer & dance captain, had to go on in that role. It was not pretty, unfortunately. Especially the final riffs that ended the song as she just couldn't do it and tried something else that didn't work.

Don't know what they could have done differently since they didn't have a lot of female cast members at that point. But yeah... it was a rough one. And luckily it's only happened once. 

[ChiDoc]

Posted: 1/16/25 at 12:57pm

Dreamboy3 said: "The Distinctive Baritone said: "Interesting thread…When I saw Next to Normal on Broadway, Alice Ripley sounded like her voice was absolutely shredded. She tried to compensate by doing some weird stuff with her vowels and she sounded Irish or something. Truly a bizarre performance. I was furious that I paid $140 as a broke twentysomething to watch her struggle through when she clearly should have called out."

Even on her best days Ripley didn’t sound great. I saw it a few times and went back for Martin Mazzie and Jason Danielly. Marin’s performance was less intense than Alice’s but the singing was emotionally transformative."

I heard plenty of friends have this same experience when she went on tour with the show.  However, not in the theme of this thread, the day I saw her she was in full voice and made the show roar.  I feel lucky to have gotten one of Ripley's better performances!

[The Distinctive Baritone]

Posted: 1/16/25 at 1:58pm

Adding to the convo about actors not being sick but "walking through" a performance...without naming names, there were two leading men who I idolized as a high school kid in the late 1990s/early 2000s that I each saw in their respective musicals on Broadway once near the beginning of their runs, and again near the end of their contracts a year or so later. Both experiences were really disappointing. The energy and theatrical electricity was gone, and both men looked bored and exhausted. I remember thinking, "How can you go onstage as the lead in a Broadway musical in front of a thousand people who are each paying tons of money to see you, and treat it like you are clocking in for your shift at the local factory?" I get that playing the same role eight times a week for a year must be tiring, but...yeah, it really opened my eyes to reality of performing on Broadway in a long run. I think Wicked has it right offering Elphabas and Glindas only relatively short contracts of eight or nine months. Most actors just can't sustain the same level of performance for over a year.

[Tsao5]

Posted: 1/16/25 at 2:11pm

1776; poor Lauren Ward as Martha Jefferson. She was clearly very sick. Just totally could not sing He Plays the Violin the night I saw the show. It was indeed, very distracting and not so pleasant to listen to. That same performance, the late Merwin Foard was also mightily struggling with My Name is Richard Henry Lee. So, perhaps something was going through the cast....both were YIKES!!

Les Mis 10th Anniversary; Canadian Robert Marian as Valjean. Cracking everywhere including places you would NOT expect one to crack. I thought he was sick. LATER, I found out he was NOT sick. He was/is a heavy smoker, and that was/is just how he sounds and he regularly cracked. On the Paris recording, I think he sounded fantastic. But a cast member who was also in the production at the time told me, "Not Anymore".  I was just hoping he would get through Bring Him Home without issue. He. a-Did. a-Not.

 

 

[singer234]

Posted: 1/16/25 at 5:24pm

This was in London, but Miriam Tee Leak in & Juliet. The voice was just completely gone-it was horrifyingly uncomfortable to watch her attempt to go thru 2.5 hours of that role. The voice was gone by the first number-by the end of the show she was almost unable to make any sound at all. It felt irresponsible of the show to not put a cover on. It was like watching someone run a marathon with two broken legs.