Why Should We Be Okay With an UNDERSTUDY? — Page 2

If you're seeing a show for the star, you can ask at the box office when buying tickets if they're going to be on vacation, and they will tell you.
And if there is a big name, and they are sick, many shows will allow you to reschedule.

I love seeing understudies - I've been disappointed only once by that white slip of paper, when I flew to NY from LA hoping to see Aaron Lazar in Les Miserables and he was out. But Drew Sarich was great and you know what I did? I sucked it up. In general that understudy board gives me a flutter - bad or good, I revel in the fact that I may be witnessing something once in a lifetime. Would you have complained if you saw Shirley MacLaine in The Pajama Game? Or Victoria Clark as Adelaide in Guys and Dolls? Or John Cullum as Arthur in Camelot? Terrence Mann in Barnum? Kelli O'Hara in Jekyll and Hyde? Most of today's most well respected names started off as an understudy. I like to think I'm discovering the Tony winners of the next ten years...

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I don't mind seeing understudies, Nina French on for Mrs Tottendale in The Drowsy Chaperone (London) was great, even though she is far too young for the role. I actually prefered the Galinda standby in Wicked (London), Annalene Beechey to Helen Dallimore.

I know the rules are different on Broadway to here but I don't like seeing an understudy unanounced, I saw the Starlight Express tour twice when it was here (The Mayflower, Southampton) and both times one of the characters was played by an understudy, both very good but I didn't know until their entrances and they were the wrong colour! (Poppa and Electra).

Well, if I had gone to see 42nd Street for Christine Ebersole way back when and got some unknown hack named Beth Leavel as Dorothy Brock instead, I can't pretend I wouldn't have been a little let down...

Seriously? As someone who has understudied roles in the past, I actually love seeing them professionally. You honestly never know where a person is going to go with their career, and you may have the chance to say that you saw them "way back when." (For example, my first time seeing Hairspray, Carly Jibson was out and some skinny chick named Leslie Kritzer was filling in. The audience totally should have gotten their money back, right?)

Chason---you're right.

As much as theatre producers want to turn Broadway into a faceless factory, there are still plenty of patrons (you and I are among them) who go to see the people advertised in the show.

YES, you can justifiably be ticked off, and YES, if it's a star in a show, you are entitled to a full refund or an exchange.

And for those of you who say "stop bitching" I say to you, "stop bitching about the bitching."

I will mourn for the day that Broadway loses the PEOPLE-factor and becomes an insert-any-name-here crap-shoot form of entertainment.

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You may get a refund if:

1) YOU HAVE NEVER BEEN SICK A DAY IN YOUR LIFE.

2) YOU HAVE NEVER HAD A DAY OFF WORK- NO VACATIONS, NO PERSONAL DAYS, NO SICK TIME.

As long as you meet both of those conditions, I'm OK with you demanding 100% attendance from your perfromers.

If all you are seeing a show for is the star, it is kind of a slap in the face to all the others connected with it. We saw Victor Victoria without Andrews & it was fine. Anne Runalfelson did not miss a beat.

What happens when an actor leaves & a replacement takes over the role? Do you stay away?

This is like someone seeing Grey Gardens 40 times because of Ebersole . The hell with anyone else or the creators of the piece. Without Ebersole, somehow it is a piece of crap not worthy of anyones time. If that is so, than maybe it was not that good.

We enjoyed it & while Ebersole was good, her replacement probably would have been just as good. Complete dolts & talentless hacks are not hired as understudies

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Updated On: 8/19/07 at 01:19 PM

What happens when an actor leaves & a replacement takes over the role? Do you stay away?

Some people want to see a show, some people want to see a person. So they'd act accordingly. Personally, I won't see Wicked again after Murney leaves. And if I'm still stateside when she does her next show, I will come just to see her.

But 98% of the time, I just want to see the show. The name is just the bonus.

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It really totally depends on the person AND the situation. For example ~ as I've said before, the first time I saw Wicked I had BEGGED for a ticket for my birthday present. To the point of calling my mom and saying "If you're going to get me the ticket for my birthday, go online NOW to this site and buy the ticket NOW because they have it! If you're not, please let me know so that I can buy it myself." I knew Jennifer Laura Thompson was in as G(a)linda, and was cool with that. Idina was still in as Elphaba and I was SO excited to see her. I went to my seminar at Princeton Seminary and could barely concentrate the final morning because I KNEW what was coming that night. I drove to the Princeton Junction train station (so I didn't have to walk a lot late at night) and took the train into NYC. It was raining, but I didn't let that get to me as I walked up to the Gershwin. I walked in and what was the very first thing I saw? "In tonight's performance the role of Elphaba will be played by Kristy Cates". I almost cried. But I knew I had a choice... Get a refund, explain to my parents why I didn't see it, and know that I was probably not going to be able to get up to see it again before Idina left or see the show with an understudy. I opted to see the show and absolutely LOVED Kristy's performance. I later found out it was her second time on as Elphaba.

Now...on the other hand, there are certain shows where I wouldn't want to see anyone other than the listed stars. Had either Julianne Moore or Bill Nighy been out one of the times I was going to see The Vertical Hour I probably wouldn't have gone because they really were the characters for me.

Then again, there's that whole discussion from back when the tentative cast of Cyrano was announced. In that case I will probably be the only one BEGGING for a ticket if Jennifer Garner's out. Girl just gets on my last nerve and would prevent me from seeing a show. However, if she's out, I'd totally see it.

It's all situational. :)

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if ive already seen the show, and im going again (common scenario for me), I love to see understudies. It instantly becomes a new show.

Plus, sometimes you dont know the whole story of WHY someone is an understudy. Maybe someone with a bigger name (and less talent) got the part. Its not fair but it happens all the time....

only when the understudy finally gets to go on does everything become clear.

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"Shouldn't you be informed upon buying a ticket to a Broadway show that the lead of the show will be "on vacation" at the performance you're buying tickets to?"

Many times ticketbuyers are informed if a lead in a show will be on vacation. For example, when Patti left Sweeney Todd to do Gypsy at Ravinia, there was a lot of notice on telecharge and at the box office. I even remember when Heather Headley went on vacation from Aida, there was a lot of notice about it.

Also, why are you (Chason) so against understudies? Are the regular performers supposed to be like robots and never get sick? Would you rather have a subpar performance by the regular lead actor because of a sickness or an outstanding one from an understudy?

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"I would much rather see a half-drunk Cyndi Lauper than Madonna!"

I was thinking this exact thing!



Hm, when I saw Hairspray a few months ago Darlene wasn't there and the Understudy wasn't very good. Kinda upset me.