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Post by Deleted on Apr 29, 2016 6:54:16 GMT
I have seen several amazing understudies/standbys/alternates over the years, in fact as a general rule the understudies have been better than the leads. In no particular order: (The incredible) Shona White - alternate Donna in Mamma Mia Ashley Day - u/s Elder Price in Book of Mormon Rachel John - alternate Felicia in Memphis Jeremy Secomb - emergency cover Phantom in Phantom Vivienne Carlyle - u/s Mrs Johnstone in Blood Brothers (she later went on to become lead, not surprised) Harriet Thorpe's understudy in Great Britain, whose name I shamefully don't know Adam Bayjou - u/s Javert and Thenardier in Les Mis (have seen him as both and he's fantastic) Katy Secombe - u/s Madame Thenardier in Les Mis Charlotte Kennedy - u/s Cosette in Les Mis Jessamy Stoddart - u/s Fantine in Les Mis (she was so good I now have no desire to see the show without her in) Scott Monello - u/s Galileo in We Will Rock You and u/s Dillamond in Wicked Emma Hatton - u/s Meat in We Will Rock You and s/b Elphaba in Wicked Laura Emmitt - u/s Elphaba in Wicked Sophie Linder-Lee - s/b Glinda in WickedLucy van Gasse - s/b Glinda in WickedCarina Gillespie - s/b Glinda in Wicked
Helen Woolf - u/s Glinda in Wicked Victoria Farley - u/s Glinda in Wicked David Gale - u/s Fiyero in Wicked Pippa Buxton - u/s Nessa in Wicked Marc McBride - u/s Boq in Wicked Lucyelle Cliffe - u/s Morrible in Wicked Kerry Enright - u/s Morrible in Wicked Sean Kearns - u/s Wizard in Wicked Paul Clarkson - u/s Wizard in Wicked Philip Childs - u/s Wizard in Wicked Russell Walker - u/s Dillamond in Wicked Marc McBride... still one of my favourite castings of Wicked ever, I really wish they had given him the role full time! I saw him twice and he was brilliant.  |
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155 posts
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Post by synchrony on Apr 29, 2016 23:25:01 GMT
I really liked the understudy playing Pennywise instead of Jenna Russell in Urinetown. I didn't buy a programme so apologies for not knowing her name, but I thought she was great. Anyone know?!
In my whole life, I've only ever been disappointed once by an understudy. And that wasn't really their fault, it was just that I had a very clear expectation of the character, as normally played by Philip Quast, whom I love so much.
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968 posts
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Post by TheatreDust on Apr 29, 2016 23:58:25 GMT
I really liked the understudy playing Pennywise instead of Jenna Russell in Urinetown. I didn't buy a programme so apologies for not knowing her name, but I thought she was great. Anyone know?! I think you probably mean Julie Jupp who normally played Mrs Strong/Old Woman. She also took on the role of Pennywise permanently from Jenna Russell for the last few weeks when JR left to do something else, but I can't remember quite what (might have been Di and Viv and Rose, but I could be wrong). |
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Post by hitmewithurbethshot on May 4, 2016 17:11:10 GMT
Broadway:
Joshua Dela Cruz as u/s Aladdin
Melissa O'Neil as u/s Fantine (Les Miserables)
Molly Jobe as u/s Katherine (Newsies)
London:
Jocasta Almgill as u/s Vanessa
Gabriela Garcia as u/s Nina
Spin as u/s Benny (In the Heights)
Carolina Gregory as u/s Eponine
Jade Davies as u/s Cosette
Adam Bayjou as alt. Valjean (Les Miserables)
Jon Robyns as alt. Huey
Rachel John as alt. Felicia (Memphis)
Tanya Manalang as alt. Kim
Julia Abueva & Sooha Kim as u/s Kim
Carolyn Maitland & Natalie Chua as u/s Ellen
Niall Sheehy, Dale Evans & Richard Carson as u/s Chris
Aaron Lee Lambert as u/s John
Christian Rey Marbella as u/s Thuy & alt. Engineer
Marsha Songcome as u/s Gigi (Miss Saigon)
Emmi Christensson as alt. Christine (Phantom)
Tour:
Hannah Grover as alt. Evita
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Post by candela on May 5, 2016 13:00:58 GMT
London:
Kimmi Edwards (U/S Felicia Memphis)
Ian Mcintosh (U/S Deco Commitments & u/s Franz Rock of Ages)
Tim Driesen (Alt Drew in Rock of Ages)
Niall Sheehy (u/s Enjolras & u/s Chris Miss Saigon)
Jodie Jacobs (u/s Sheree Rock of Ages)
Tour:
Jacqueline Hughes (Standby Elphaba)
Maria Coyne (Nessa-Rose)
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1,013 posts
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Post by talkstageytome on May 5, 2016 16:40:47 GMT
London: Kimmi Edwards (U/S Felicia Memphis) Ian Mcintosh (U/S Deco Commitments & u/s Franz Rock of Ages) Tim Driesen (Alt Drew in Rock of Ages) Niall Sheehy (u/s Enjolras & u/s Chris Miss Saigon) Jodie Jacobs (u/s Sheree Rock of Ages) Tour: Jacqueline Hughes (Standby Elphaba) Maria Coyne (Nessa-Rose) Oooh I'm very jealous you got to see Kimmy Edwards in Memphis! I'd have loved to see her but as far as I know she never had any confirmed dates and I'm too far from London to make a last min trip down. |
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Post by Deleted on May 5, 2016 16:58:21 GMT
Laura Emmitt as Elphaba. She's a lot better than Emma Hatton. Natalie Andreou was amazing as well, but Laura is my favourite of the 3 Elphaba's I've seen live so far
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51 posts
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Post by easilypleased on May 8, 2016 21:23:43 GMT
Slightly off topic maybe but I often wonder how understudies stay fit and ready to go on at a couple of hours notice. They can learn the lines and the songs but they need to know where to be on the stage and that might need the whole company to rehearse - when would they do that when a show is on 8 times a week? Shows also have a second understudy in case things go really wrong, it must be even worse for them. It's not as if understudies get a regular go, say every Wednesday that is publicised in advance. It sounds like a tough job to me. Has anyone ever seen an understudy screw it up because they were under-rehearsed? Or maybe it's not as tough for experienced pros as I am thinking?
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Post by Deleted on May 8, 2016 21:36:14 GMT
Slightly off topic maybe but I often wonder how understudies stay fit and ready to go on at a couple of hours notice. They can learn the lines and the songs but they need to know where to be on the stage and that might need the whole company to rehearse - when would they do that when a show is on 8 times a week? Shows also have a second understudy in case things go really wrong, it must be even worse for them. It's not as if understudies get a regular go, say every Wednesday that is publicised in advance. It sounds like a tough job to me. Has anyone ever seen an understudy screw it up because they were under-rehearsed? Or maybe it's not as tough for experienced pros as I am thinking? They have regular understudy rehearsals with a mostly complete cast. I've never seen an understudy screw up. They're all such pros that many of them could go on without a single rehearsal if need be. For example, I know Savannah Stevenson once went one for a lead role without having had a single rehearsal for that role because the show had just opened and understudies only get rehearsed after the show has opened |
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Post by Deleted on May 8, 2016 21:47:01 GMT
Slightly off topic maybe but I often wonder how understudies stay fit and ready to go on at a couple of hours notice. They can learn the lines and the songs but they need to know where to be on the stage and that might need the whole company to rehearse - when would they do that when a show is on 8 times a week? Shows also have a second understudy in case things go really wrong, it must be even worse for them. It's not as if understudies get a regular go, say every Wednesday that is publicised in advance. It sounds like a tough job to me. Has anyone ever seen an understudy screw it up because they were under-rehearsed? Or maybe it's not as tough for experienced pros as I am thinking? I suggest you watch this |
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840 posts
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Post by Steffi on May 9, 2016 6:48:03 GMT
Slightly off topic maybe but I often wonder how understudies stay fit and ready to go on at a couple of hours notice. They can learn the lines and the songs but they need to know where to be on the stage and that might need the whole company to rehearse - when would they do that when a show is on 8 times a week? Shows also have a second understudy in case things go really wrong, it must be even worse for them. It's not as if understudies get a regular go, say every Wednesday that is publicised in advance. It sounds like a tough job to me. Has anyone ever seen an understudy screw it up because they were under-rehearsed? Or maybe it's not as tough for experienced pros as I am thinking? Of course it's tough. Which is why in my opinion swings deserve so much more praise than they usually get. As for rehearsals: Understudies rehearse the full show with the rest of the company. That's what daytime is for. Obviously it's not uncommon for an understudy to go on before they've had a full run through. On every occasion I've seen it happen it has been absolutely fine bar some minor mistakes (but it's live theatre after all). |
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Post by DuchessConstance on May 9, 2016 9:25:56 GMT
It's not absolutely unheard of for understudies to have to go on with the script in hand, if the lead goes off during previews.
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1,103 posts
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Post by mallardo on May 9, 2016 10:45:27 GMT
A shout out to Rhiannon Chesterman who was on recently for Emma Williams in Mrs. Henderson - one of the more exposed roles for any understudy to step into.
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Post by pixypixy on May 9, 2016 10:45:44 GMT
War Horse had an interesting way of understudying for the ensemble called the knock on where instead of having people covering one track they had different people covering different part depending on what they were doing in that scene or the next and then somebody might cover for something they would usually do. That's because they didn't really have swings. Everyday every department would receive a long list of who was playing what when. It sometimes just was a line said by somebody else. But it meant every department had to work out how to amend their plot to make sure everyone was on stage with everything they needed at the right time.
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155 posts
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Post by synchrony on May 11, 2016 12:50:26 GMT
I did recently see an understudy in the West End forget his lines. It is a fairly minor role in the show, so he doesn't actually have many lines to remember, and I guess everyone brain freezes at some point. But unfortunately these particular lines were quite important as all the other characters in the on-stage crowd were meant cheer and react to them. Instead, there was a long and totally awkward silence, after which the other characters all cheered loudly at nothing :-$
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Post by vickster51 on May 11, 2016 15:47:14 GMT
The ones I can remember:
- Donna Steele in Thoroughly Modern Millie. I'm not surprised to hear from Steffi that Miles was better than Amanda Holden.
- Edward Bennett on London Press Night in the RSC's Hamlet. I'd already seen Tennant, but anxiously watched praying Ed would get through it okay (which of course he did).
- John Hastings in The Homecoming (in place of John Simm). I went back to see Simm and thought they were both excellent in that role.
- I've been to a few understudy performances at the RSC, which can be a fascinating alternative. During a season where I grew tired of Greg Hicks, I chose to see the understudy version of Lear. I also loved the understudy RII in 2013 with Oliver Rix as Richard.
It's a tough one. If I'd booked for a specific actor and had no other opportunity to go back then I'd likely to gutted. I'm lucky to have more chance of going again living in London. |
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Post by loureviews on May 11, 2016 17:07:17 GMT
Jeremy Northam as Hamlet as the National in 1989 at the start of his career. Replacing two leads, in difficult circumstances.
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Post by londonmzfitz on May 12, 2016 9:03:41 GMT
Yes to Rachel John in Memphis
Yes to Niall Sheehy as Chris in Miss Saigon
And I'll throw in a Fra Fee as Marius in Les Mis, standing in for Craig Mather. I liked both of them in the role, saw Craig a couple of times during his run, interesting to see he's back in it this cast change. May need to go again.
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Post by basdfg on May 21, 2016 21:47:28 GMT
Aiesha Pierce and Rosie O'Hare both amazing in Hairspray today.
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