Curse Of The Understudy: Part VAs regular readers know, I’m currently vacationing in Australia. One major impetus for this trip was to take in the Australian production of
Wicked, which opened earlier this month at Melbourne’s lovely
Regent Theatre. I caught this past Sunday’s matinee performance.
While I’ll provide my SOB Revisit on the actual show shortly, I was a bit disappointed to learn that this incarnation’s Elphaba, regularly played by
Amanda Harrison, was out of the show for my performance. In Harrison’s place was her standby
Jemma Stevenson, who delivered a mostly competent take as the green witch.
Given how decent she was, I was somewhat surprised when my friends informed me that in the two times they had now seen the Melbourne production -- first in previews and then with me on Sunday afternoon -- how vastly Stevenson’s performance as Elphaba had improved. (She may have simply been getting her bearings as
it appears she has portrayed the green one in the Japanese production). What struck me even more is that they had now seen the show twice in its relatively short run, but somehow had missed out on Ms. Harrison both times.
I took Harrison’s absence in stride and enjoyed the show. Well,
most of the show.
You see, about one half hour into the first act -- right smack dab in the midst of the engagingly funny “Loathing” number -- the Regent Theatre’s ushers elected to show the latecomers seated right next to me, in the second row center, no less, to their seats. Only problem was that there were but two seats and
three people.
The whole matter was incredibly disruptive, not only for those of us in my row who needed to constantly stand up to let the offending latercomers in, but even more so for the poor ticket holders in the rows immediately behind us.
There was a lot of standing and shuffling as the three individuals made their way in and out of the row, all while the usher tried to figure out who was really supposed to be seated there. Needless to say, this fiasco took away from the performances taking place less than twenty feet in front of us for everyone seated around us.
Shame on the Regent Theatre’s ushers for not finding a more appropriate time to seat their guests, as well as for not having the tickets properly sorted before venturing down the aisle.
And shame on patrons for arriving late. I’m reminded of what
Barry Humphries as Dame Edna once (and quite possibly often) said to a couple of latecomers to his
Broadway show in 2000. “Where are you coming from dears? Oh, across town? Well, I came all the way from Australia and still made it here on time.”
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Related Stories:Feeling A Little Wicked: On The Edge Of Oz (July 25, 2008)
Something Wicked This Way Opens In Australia (July 12, 2008)
Curse Of The Understudy - Part IV (April 24, 2008)
Curse Of The Understudy - Part III (July 23, 2007)
Wicked To Finally Land In Oz During 2008 (May 16, 2007)
The Curse Of The Understudy - Part II (January 15, 2007)
The Curse Of The Understudy (October 2, 2006)
Labels: Amanda Harrison, Australia, Curse of the Understudy, Jemma Stevenson, Melbourne, Wicked
Curse Of The Understudy - Part IVSo yesterday, I took in the savagely reviewed musical version of
Gone With The Wind in London. Although the show opened here just two nights ago, its Scarlett O'Hara
Jill Paice is already gone with "a severe throat infection."
In her place was her
Vivien Leigh-looking understudy, the appropriately named
Savannah Stevenson (pictured). The actress received a standing ovation for getting through the tough slog of a show (clocking in around 3 hours and 40 minutes) with little preparation and blessedly no prompting. Good on ya, mate.
My SOB Review of the show itself, however, will be coming soon.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Click here for tickets.Related Stories:Is London's GWTW Already Went With The Wind? (April 14, 2008)
GWTW Composer: Knowin' Somethin' 'Bout Birthin' Babies (September 27, 2007)
Curse Of The Understudy - Part III (July 23, 2007)
Frankly My Dears... (July 1, 2007)
Gone With The Wind The Musical? (February 22, 2007)
The Curse Of The Understudy - Part II (January 15, 2007)
The Curse Of The Understudy (October 2, 2006)
Labels: Curse of the Understudy, Gone With The Wind, Jill Paice, Savannah Stevenson, Understudy
Curse Of The Understudy - Part IIIForget
Fantasia.
Who needs her when
Saycon Sengbloh is living up to her
own name by blowing the roof off the
Broadway Theatre as Celie in
The Color Purple?!
In the wake of all the great reviews the former American Idol star has garnered, I revisited
The Color Purple in hopes of seeing yet another
Reba McEntire-like performance where the replacement star was actually better than the original. And although Fantasia was a no-show -- creating havoc outside the theatre as scores of disappointed fans demanded their money back -- the audience that hung around was treated to exactly that: a bravura performance by an absolutely gorgeous actress who is making a name on Broadway as its most dependable standby.
I first caught Sengbloh a couple years back when I returned to
Wicked on Broadway. At that time, my heart sank when I found that dreaded slip in my program that carried the words, "At this performance, the role of Elphaba will be played by..." The name attached was Saycon Sengbloh, who not only managed to lift my heart with her touching performance, but made it soar.
So as much as I was naturally disappointed last night when I learned that Fantasia was out, after I saw that
other unusual name on the board, I reassured my friend that all was not lost. And by the time the last strains of the pivotal "I'm Here" was sung, Saycon Sengbloh had not only won over my heart once again, she brought tears to my eyes. She triumphed over the audience as well.
I certainly hope we'll be seeing this gifted young actress in a role of her own. Enough standing by, already. This lady's deserving of the real deal!
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Related Stories:The Curse Of The Understudy - Part II (January 15, 2007)
The Curse Of The Understudy (October 2, 2006)
Labels: Broadway, Curse of the Understudy, Fantasia, Musical, Saycon Sengbloh, The Color Purple, Understudy
The Curse Of The Understudy - Part II
In case you've read my review of
The Apple Tree and wondered why there were absolutely no references to the performance of
Marc Kudisch, there's a simple rationale: He was out when I saw the show.
Fortunately for me, I've had the opportunity to see Kudisch perform elsewhere before. But it's always a disappointment whenever one of the lead actors in any show is out for whatever reason. To be honest, I was very surprised that he was already absent for a production that had only officially opened one month earlier to the day.
However, much to my pleasant surprise, Kudisch has a stellar understudy. Although he regularly plays the second act's Tiger, as well as handling ensemble duties,
Sean Palmer (pictured) -- perhaps best known to television audiences for his portrayal of Stanford Blatch's long-suffering boyfriend Marcus on "
Sex And The City" -- expertly assumed Kudisch's responsibilities. What a revelation!
Yes, I knew that this Reno native had once portrayed Tony Manero in the stage version of
Saturday Night Fever, and yes, I recall seeing him in the film version of "
Chicago," but I had no idea just how talented he really is...until now. With a wonderful set of pipes, suave dance moves and seductive acting style, Palmer more than holds his own opposite
Kristin Chenoweth and
Brian d'Arcy James.
Here's hoping that Palmer's star is only begining to truly shine.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Related Stories:
Labels: Broadway, Curse of the Understudy, Marc Kudisch, Musical, Revival, Sean Palmer, The Apple Tree, Understudy
The Curse Of The UnderstudyHave you ever purchased a ticket for a show, long in advance of the performance, only to be disappointed with the words, “In the role regularly played by [insert name here], tonight’s performance of [insert character’s name here] will be played by [insert name of understudy/standby/swing here]”? Has that frustration only been compounded knowing it was the star or one of the stars whom you specifically paid to see in the first place?
If your answers to either or both those questions were yes, I invite you to share with me the name of the show and the performers who skipped the performance. I also invite you to share what your reaction was to that news and whether you thought the understudy/standby/swing adequately measured up to your expectations of the show….that is, aside from your initial disappointment.
Why do I ask? Well, my reasons are twofold.
One is that it used to be the mark of a consummate professional if the thought of missing a performance was anathema to the actor's fundamental make-up. There is plenty of lore about very ill stars who heeded the call that “The show must go on.”
Ethel Merman certainly comes to mind as one trouper who'd never miss a performance -- in fact, the great
Elaine Stritch worked a vignette into her eponymous one woman show (
Elaine Stritch: At Liberty) about her role as Merman’s standby during the run of
Call Me Madam back in 1950. So confident was she that Merman would never let anything keep her away from performing that Stritch confidently took on a concurrent role in another show at the same time all the way up in Connecticut.
My second reason is that I finally took in a performance of
The Drowsy Chaperone this past weekend only to learn that
Sutton Foster was temporarily out. I inquired why she was out and learned that she had just married actor
Christian Borle (
Monty Python's Spamalot) a week or so earlier. While I’m certainly thrilled for Foster, I wasn’t thrilled by the fact that
this was not the only time I had paid to see this Tony-winning actress perform only to be disappointed when I arrived at the theatre.
Shortly after she won her 2002 Tony for
Thoroughly Modern Millie, I made tracks to the very same
Marquis Theatre to see her perform. I even bought a ticket for a sure-to-be-there Friday night performance. But when I arrived, she was out and her understudy was in. While I enjoyed the show, I couldn’t help but wonder if I would have enjoyed it more with Foster.
Fast forward to March 2005 when I went to see
Little Women. My desire to see the show was completely founded on the hope I’d be able to see Sutton Foster finally perform (OK, I also wanted to see the incomparable
Maureen McGovern). But when I arrived, I learned once again that Foster was a no-show (in her defense, I later learned that she was ill). Regardless of the reason for her absence, I was underwhelmed by the show. However, when Foster was subsequently nominated for her second Tony, I couldn’t help but feel cheated in missing this rising star once more.
So it was with a bit of trepidation that I entered the Marquis Theatre on Sunday afternoon. I knew that Sutton Foster was portraying Jane Roberts/ Janet Van De Graaff and had earned a
third Tony nomination for the role. So when I saw those dreaded words on the board, “In this performance, the role of Janet Van De Graaff will be portrayed by…” my heart sank. I had even joked in advance about the possibility of her being out. At the Marquis, I was told that she and Borle tied the knot and were now vacationing for two weeks in Hawaii.
The additional irony is that Foster's character in
The Drowsy Chaperone is contemplating leaving the stage to marry her beau, Robert Martin. I couldn't help but wonder if that irony wasn't lost on Foster.
Now, I don’t necessarily hold Foster responsible -- I mean she did get married, after all. Yet when you’re paying good money to see a thrice Tony-nominated star only to find her away from each of the shows for which she was nominated and for which you’ve paid
specifically to see her, I think you can be forgiven for starting to wonder what the deal is with her or the show or the ticketing companies.
Personally, I track sites like
Playbill and
Broadway.com on a daily basis, not only for the latest theatrical news, but also to ensure I’m not disappointed when I step foot into the theatre and learn that a star is out. It would have informed my decision when I purchased my ticket on June 15 if her absence had been announced or if Ticketmaster had listed key dates when Foster would be absent from the production (of course, that’s assuming that the impending Foster/Borle nuptials were already set). I certainly would have planned appropriately.
Fortunately, I have found myself disappointed only a few other times:
John Lloyd Young was out of
Jersey Boys one Friday night in advance of the Tony Awards. I thought his understudy
Michael Longoria was excellent. But
not seeing the much ballyhooed star of the show certainly dampened my appreciation for what was ultimately named Best Musical.
Another huge disappointment was when
Nathan Lane began his serial absences from
The Producers in early 2002, reportedly due to strained vocal chords. Of course, I had purchased my tickets for that show way back in May 2001 and anxiously awaited my turn in seeing the dynamic duo of Lane and
Matthew Broderick. They were
the reasons why I wanted to see the acclaimed show (as good as
Brad Oscar was, it wasn't the same). Fortunately, in early 2004, I finally got to see the real deal Lane/Broderick team as they celebrated their triumphant return to the show.
Did Sutton Foster’s absence make me enjoy
The Drowsy Chaperone any less? Well, yes, strictly from the point of view that I’ve yet to be able to see her perform. I keep hearing how great she is, but I wouldn’t be able to tell anyone with my own first-hand knowledge. Thankfully, she has an exceptional understudy in
Andrea Chamberlain, who is very ably filling her shoes (my personal review will be posted soon). But will it give me pause the next time Foster’s in a show when I decided whether or not to see it? You bet.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Click here for tickets, and hopefully you’ll have better luck in seeing Foster! Related Stories:Jersey Boys' Valli Understudy Gets Spotlight (June 15, 2006)
Is It Just Me, Or... (June 14, 2006)
The Tonys: If I Could Vote...for Best Musical (May 31, 2006)
Labels: Broadway, Curse of the Understudy, Elaine Stritch, Ethel Merman, Jersey Boys, John Lloyd Young, Nathan Lane, Sutton Foster, The Drowsy Chaperone, The Producers, Understudy
