Which role has the shortest on stage time?

[Fiyero13]

Posted: 10/1/18 at 2:56pm

The longest time span got me thinking, which acting role has the shortest onstage time. Not including musicians who come on stage for a short time, or an ensemble member playing several roles.



I'm taking about somebody who gets an equity check for appearing on stage for a very short amount of time

I'm thinking beauty school drop out singer from grease, the pharaoh from Aida, or King George from hamilton

Posted: 10/1/18 at 3:05pm

Whoever played Matthew Broderick's mother in Nice Work If You Can Get It (I saw Blythe Danner), only came on for the final couple scenes for about five minutes of stage time.

[darquegk]

Posted: 10/1/18 at 3:06pm

Mr. Goldstone in Gypsy not only has one scene, but he has no blocking or lines in his scene, AND gets a whole song dedicated to him just for showing up and doing nothing.

[TexanAddams18]

Posted: 10/1/18 at 3:11pm

The mother in The Wolves. I was literally in shock that they spent the money for her to come out and say what, 4 sentences?

[PridelandsNYC]

Posted: 10/1/18 at 3:15pm

Little Coalhouse!

[bfreak]

Posted: 10/1/18 at 3:18pm

The adults in West Side Story (except maybe Doc) and Mrs. Higgins in My Fair Lady do not have a lot of stage time.

[TonyVincent]

Posted: 10/1/18 at 3:29pm

This wouldn't win the category posed, but I found it interesting that Beverly Weston, the patriarch of August: Osage County, leads the prologue, then doesn't appear again in the show, except to come out for the curtain call 3 hours later.

I didn't realize that playwright Tracy Letts's dad played the role until he died of cancer a couple months into the NY transfer.

[BrodyFosse123]

Posted: 10/1/18 at 3:51pm

Bruiser in LEGALLY BLONDE
Sandy in ANNIE
Chowsie in GYPSY

[bradwalt]

Posted: 10/1/18 at 3:51pm

Fiddler on the Roof script has a scene near the end where Yente brings out two very young boys as future husbands for Tevye's two youngest girls.   The boys are only on stage for less than a minute and have no lines.   I have never seen a production where these boys actually appear; usually Yente just refers to the boys.  Does anybody know if they appeared in the original Broadway production? 

[degrassifan]

Posted: 10/1/18 at 4:00pm

Ursula the maid in The Sound of Music has one line and is in one scene. However, various productions usually have her in the background of other scene in the Von Trapp home. 

 

A New Postulant in The Sound of Music also has an extremely short stage time, but she has no lines. 

[BrodyFosse123]

Posted: 10/1/18 at 4:15pm

Rosie in SWEET CHARITY

[haterobics]

Posted: 10/1/18 at 4:17pm

Didn't Groff say King George is onstage for nine minutes in Hamilton?

[Kitsune]

Posted: 10/1/18 at 4:19pm

Jenbender76 said: "Little Coalhouse!"

I was just thinking the same thing. When I saw the Ragtime non-equity tour in the early 2000s, I think they actually recruited a Little Coalhouse from each city to do that part.

(That being said, I think it's worth bringing in a kid just for that small appearance. I'm always moved to see Little Coalhouse grown up)

[SomethingPeculiar]

Posted: 10/1/18 at 4:32pm

Kaufman & Hart were talented, but they were NOT economical! Man Who Came To Dinner and You Can't Take It With You each have two one-scene cameo roles (Beverly Carlton & Banjo in Dinner and the Grand Duchess & Gay Wellington in Can't Take It), plus some ancillary "ensemble" characters with ~1-2 mins of stage time.

It's also the impact that a role has. Norbert Leo Butz is probably onstage less than 20 minutes in My Fair Lady, but it's a crowdpleasing role with 2 big showstoppers. Anthony Hopkins famously had only ~15 minutes of screen time in SILENCE OF THE LAMBS, but his character has so much impact on the film and nobody would question that he's the male lead.

[adamgreer]

Posted: 10/1/18 at 4:39pm

Marge McDougal in Promises Promises is one of those very small (less than 10 minutes onstage I believve) but extremely impactful roles. It’s won a couple of ladies the Tony.

[TheSassySam]

Posted: 10/1/18 at 4:44pm

The end of Blackbird has a character who isn't on stage for long. 

 

Same with the little girl in The Rink. 

[Elegance101]

Posted: 10/1/18 at 5:07pm

BrodyFosse123 said: "Bruiser in LEGALLY BLONDE
Sandy in ANNIE
Chowsie in GYPSY"

Those dogs are working very hard! Those roles are onstage for a lot of the show, when you think about it.

[SomethingPeculiar]

Posted: 10/1/18 at 5:11pm

TheSassySam said: "The end of Blackbird has a character who isn't on stage for long."

That reminds me of the guy at the end of THREE TALL WOMEN. And the 3TW guy and Blackbird girl don't even get credited in the program/advertising!

[Loopin’theloop]

Posted: 10/1/18 at 5:24pm

Interestingly, the double for the smaller roles in ‘Gypsy’ has been slightly different with each Broadway production. Sometimes Mr Goldestone has doubled with Uncle Jocko, sometimes Kringelein etc

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 10/1/18 at 5:29pm

Mother in Crazy for You.

[VotePeron]

Posted: 10/1/18 at 5:34pm

SomethingPeculiar said: "TheSassySam said: "The end of Blackbird has a character who isn't on stage for long."

That reminds me of the guy at the end of THREE TALL WOMEN. And the 3TW guy andBlackbirdgirl don't even get credited in the program/advertising!"

(For the record, we did get a full Playbill insert with their headshots and bios as you exit the theater. Since not crediting people properly is against Equity, I'm sure $ they $ came $ to $ some $ agreement $ with Mr. Rudin).

In terms of roles, I cannot believe the boys in the opening scene of Kinky Boots, or Lulu in Waitress are being used. All are on stage for a very short amount of time, and I believe the boys were cut from Kinky Boots in an international production?

There was a mother figure in Joan of Arc: Into The Fire that appeared for only the final 2.5 minutes to sing one song. 

Also, wasn't an entire ensemble of children cut after the 2nd or 3rd preview of the most recent OOTI? They walked onstage during the finale for less than a minute, then left. Can't believe Ken Davenport ever entertained that idea (except yes I can).

Updated On: 10/1/18 at 05:34 PM

[Huss417]

Posted: 10/1/18 at 6:13pm

Marilyn Cooper in Woman of the Year. For which she won a Tony.

[Swiss Miss]

Posted: 10/1/18 at 6:24pm

Snow White and Sleeping Beauty in Into the Woods

[Dollypop]

Posted: 10/1/18 at 6:46pm

The role Marilyn Cooper played in WOMAN OF THE YEAR. One scene and song and she steals the show

[dramamama611]

Posted: 10/1/18 at 6:50pm

I'm fairly certain they did...but theyd also be in the opening song (tradition) and possibly the wedding.

The production currently running has them. It's written for actors to play.