Why don't original cast members of a broadway show go on tour anymore?- Page 2

[all that jazz]

Posted: 5/15/13 at 10:13pm

Stars today should learn a lesson from Carol Channing. Now there's a committed performer.

[BroadwayStar4]

Posted: 5/15/13 at 10:24pm

"Referring to the understudies of all Broadway productions?
Google each individual production of a specific show to find your answer."

Why don't you jump off a roof and a land on a giant pile of dog poo if you're not willing to answer my question, dahling!!

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 5/15/13 at 10:29pm

To be fair, it was a really dumb question.

[BroadwayStar4]

Posted: 5/15/13 at 10:30pm

Not to someone who doesn't know.

[Kad]

Posted: 5/15/13 at 10:31pm

Some do, some don't. You're on the Internet, where pretty much everything you could possibly have a question for has an answer. Stop relying on a hivemind to answer things.

[BroadwayStar4]

Posted: 5/15/13 at 10:34pm

Well, dahling, asking a question can lead to having great conversations. Didn't know that answering a person's question, dumb or not, can be such a huge hassle!! Really shows how polite and well-mannered you people are!! You're all such wonderful dahlings!!

[Kad]

Posted: 5/15/13 at 10:37pm

Maybe if you put an R in "darling" people would take you seriously.

[John Adams]

Posted: 5/15/13 at 10:38pm

>> "You're on the Internet, where pretty much everything you could possibly have a question for has an answer. Stop relying on a hivemind to answer things."

>Ding!< >Ding!< >Ding!<

[BroadwayStar4]

Posted: 5/15/13 at 10:41pm

I don't think so, dahling! And John Adams, I must say your Alice Ripley posters were amazing, you're a dahling!!

[John Adams]

Posted: 5/15/13 at 10:51pm

> "And John Adams, I must say your Alice Ripley posters were amazing, you're a dahling!!


Updated On: 5/15/13 at 10:51 PM

[Someone in a Tree2]

Posted: 5/15/13 at 10:55pm

^ Nice tribute to Gwen and Damn Yankees there, John. Random as hell but always welcome.

Hope you make a living in a field related to graphics. Otherwise your employers are squandering your talons...

[John Adams]

Posted: 5/15/13 at 11:03pm

>> Hope you make a living in a field related to graphics. Otherwise your employers are squandering your talons..."

I'm currently unemployed. Officially homeless in two weeks. Any leads/takers?
(I'm not joking...)

Updated On: 5/15/13 at 11:03 PM

[BroadwayStar4]

Posted: 5/16/13 at 12:50pm

I still want to know if the understudies take their place for the tour?

[darquegk]

Posted: 5/16/13 at 12:52pm

To be fair, when it comes to the diminutive Mr. Criss, all Blaines are "little Blaines."

[veronicamae]

Posted: 5/16/13 at 2:36pm

"I still want to know if the understudies take their place for the tour?"

Some do, some don't, as someone already answered. There is no set rule. If you are curious about the casting history of a particular show, you'll need to do some googling/wikipedia-ing.

Posted: 5/16/13 at 2:45pm

I'm just glad someone finally had Carol Channing committed.

[jpbran]

Posted: 5/16/13 at 3:34pm

So many seem to gravitate toward TV... Back in "the day," there were 3-4 TV networks and a couple dozen shows, if that.

Now, there are dozens and dozens of channels cranking out HUNDREDS of shows (not to mention new content from Amazon, Netflix, etc.), so you have an always-hungry machine looking for new, somewhat-tried/recognizable talent; they throw out "new stars" right and left, with some succeeding on TV (Lea Michele, Sara Ramirez, etc.) and others coming back to the stage (Katie Finneran, Norbert, etc.).

I think it comes down to an increased amount of hard-to-resist opportunities.

[hushpuppy]

Posted: 5/16/13 at 3:40pm

Not every star toured back in the old days. Although she kicked off the CALL ME MADAM tour in Washington DC in 1952, Merman only did her first real tour with GYPSY.

I would think touring would be exhausting, for one thing. Often shows only play a week in each city and most cities no longer have Wednesday matinees (San Francisco used to be an exception), which means a 5-show weekend (Friday, Saturday matinee, Saturday evening, Sunday matinee, Sunday evening), followed by a travel day on Monday, and starting all over again on Tuesday.

Plus, if you're the star, you're expected to plug the show on the morning talk shows, local radio, etc, etc. That's a lot of hard work and very little down time.

Speaking of Carol Channing, during the 30th anniversary tour of HELLO, DOLLY!, after a Saturday night show in many of the cities, the cast performed an AIDS benefit at a local bar. I figured Channing would intoduce the cast and then scoot out the back door, but at the benefit I went to, she was right there cheering them on through the finale.

[Kad]

Posted: 5/16/13 at 3:42pm

"To be fair, when it comes to the diminutive Mr. Criss, all Blaines are "little Blaines."

Since when is like 5'9 diminutive?

[Gothampc]

Posted: 5/16/13 at 3:48pm

Also needs to be mentioned is the show that tours with its eye on Broadway. I'm not sure how recently this has been the practice, but back in 1989 Tyne Daly toured with Gypsy before bringing it to Broadway.

[BobPopa]

Posted: 5/16/13 at 4:04pm

No Broadway didn't "Close" in the summer at least not in the last 75 years. There is always LESS in the summer on Broadway, more shows stay open now then used to as we have more long runs then ever before. That's way there was more "name" stage actors who did work outside "Summer Stock" but shows that have long runs (Oklahoma et al) ran throughout the year

[Brave Sir Robin2]

Posted: 5/16/13 at 4:21pm

I mean, now they get major Broadway players to take tours, like Gavin Creel on Book of Mormon and Rachel York in Anything Goes. As long as they are talented I'm fine with it!

[GavestonPS]

Posted: 5/16/13 at 6:47pm

I still want to know if the understudies take their place for the tour?

Sometimes yes, sometimes no. If the producers feel the show needs a star to draw patrons, they are more likely to cast a new star than to promote an understudy. If they are more concerned with mounting the tour with minimal rehearsal, then an understudy may be preferable.

As far as I know, however, there is rarely a clause in an understudy's contract that guarantees him/her the part on the road.

[GavestonPS]

Posted: 5/16/13 at 7:00pm

Not every star toured back in the old days. Although she kicked off the CALL ME MADAM tour in Washington DC in 1952, Merman only did her first real tour with GYPSY.


A bit of historical trivia: IIRC, Merman was planning to tour ANNIE GET YOUR GUN after reviving it at Lincoln Center in 1966. Although the revival was a success and a brief, 10-week tour followed, critics complained that she was too old to play Annie Oakley. So she instead took CALL ME MADAM out on tour in 1967 or 68 to great success.

Updated On: 5/16/13 at 07:00 PM

[PB ENT.]

Posted: 5/16/13 at 10:00pm

Also, it depends how long the original Bd'w leads are in their prospective shows. Long running shows such as Phantom, Le Miz, Wicked, Lion King etc. tend to contract their leads no longer than 1 year with a renewable option after 6 mos. Doing 8 shows a week for a year can be taxing depending on the role. I have seen a few Bd'w phantoms such as Brad Little and Kevin Gray (RIP) tour the Broadway run as well as Craig Schulman who played ValJean on Bd'w and went on to tour Le Miz with 6 contracts over a 10 yr. period.

However, today there are too many opportunites to explore career wise to be piegion wholed into into one role too long. Not to mention the fact that that so many BIG shows are selling to non-equiety producersuity producers which knocks out the option to tour.