bb8
Auditioning
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Post by bb8 on Apr 11, 2023 20:31:17 GMT
Amy is Elphaba tonight Starting to think we’ve got a Lucie 2.0 on our hands This is history repeating itself - Ashleigh Gray was basically lead when she was standby. |
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4,361 posts
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Post by shady23 on Apr 11, 2023 20:49:58 GMT
I really do not remember that being the case at all.
Ashleigh herself was off quite a bit when she was the lead on tour if we want to carry on playing this little game...
What IS clear is that Elphaba is a very hard sing and really should have an alternative for at least a show a week.
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Post by FairyGodmother on Apr 11, 2023 20:57:25 GMT
<tongue firmly in cheek>
Unpopular!
You're going to be unpopular,
Unless you've a horrid cough,
You should not be off,
When you have just joined the show.
Ooh!
The fans will all complain,
That you're not there again
On the fourteenth time they go.
So unpopular!
You will be unpopular!
The previous Elphaba
Was barely there,
So please don't follow in her tread,
Be on stage,
And you'll be very popular instead!
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487 posts
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Post by deej4life on Apr 11, 2023 22:37:13 GMT
They should really break the mould and name an alternate Elphaba for the tour.
With the cast travelling for over a year and multiple 9 show weeks, it would really be in their best interest not to push Laura to the point of exhaustion!
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23 posts
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Post by strallenfan on Apr 11, 2023 23:57:41 GMT
I really do not remember that being the case at all. Ashleigh herself was off quite a bit when she was the lead on tour if we want to carry on playing this little game... What IS clear is that Elphaba is a very hard sing and really should have an alternative for at least a show a week. That’s cos it wasn’t the case and people are either misremembering or talking nonsense 😂 All three Elphabas were having a revolving door of sickness in September/October 2009, so much so that they had to call Shona White back as unofficial standby. We almost got Stephanie Block while she was over for a Scott Alan concert but Shona was called back instead. At the time all the Ashleigh fan girls spread the rumour that Alexia has been fired and Ashleigh had been promoted to lead but then Lexi turned up on the Monday evening like nothing had happened and her and Ashleigh split the shows for two weeks until Alexia was ready to do 8 shows a week. Other than those few months, Alexia had very good attendance. |
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19,659 posts
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Post by BurlyBeaR on Apr 12, 2023 6:52:39 GMT
I really do not remember that being the case at all. Ashleigh herself was off quite a bit when she was the lead on tour if we want to carry on playing this little game... What IS clear is that Elphaba is a very hard sing and really should have an alternative for at least a show a week. Alexia had very good attendance. And this time she started on 7th March and has hardly been on. Having an alternate for one show a week isn’t going to resolve that amount of absence. |
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101 posts
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Post by filendile on Apr 12, 2023 7:33:07 GMT
What’s interesting with Alexia and Lucie is they sound 100% when they are on, they are not struggling on stage, but still feel like they can’t go on for whatever reason. Different to someone like Kerry or Idina who had good attendance mostly but sometimes sounded tired and probably suffered vocal damage.
I bet the company manager is wishing there was no UK tour so they could have hired Laura Pick for London and not have to manage all this absence.
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23 posts
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Post by strallenfan on Apr 12, 2023 7:55:01 GMT
Alexia had very good attendance. And this time she started on 7th March and has hardly been on. Having an alternate for one show a week isn’t going to resolve that amount of absence. It is most likely she had Covid and that recovery isn’t always straightforward. I’m saying it’s too early to say it’s a repeat of Lucie. And this is actually in line with what happened in October 2009 when Alexia was quite sick. It took her about a month to recover but once recovered she was absolutely fine. |
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1,736 posts
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Post by fiyero on Apr 12, 2023 8:39:53 GMT
I really don't get why they can't share roles more. Maybe have 3 set performances each every week (which could alternate so people who can only make a Saturday can still see their favourite with planning) and the others shared - then if you want to book for a certain performer you have a good chance. Wicked already seem good at sharing official holiday dates.
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Post by cezbear on Apr 12, 2023 8:57:32 GMT
I have no idea how these things work but I suspect most performers would want a full time gig, not a job shared 3 ways? Presumably that would impact on pay?
I will never understand however why Elphaba doesn't have an alternate but other lesser roles do.
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19,659 posts
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Post by BurlyBeaR on Apr 12, 2023 9:12:56 GMT
They presumably don’t want to admit that they can’t sustain it, so everyone just carries on acting like there’s nothing wrong. It’s bizarre.
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1,736 posts
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Post by fiyero on Apr 12, 2023 10:35:59 GMT
They presumably don’t want to admit that they can’t sustain it, so everyone just carries on acting like there’s nothing wrong. It’s bizarre. I don't get why they don't change from a lead and standby to a lead and alternate or even 2 leads! There are already 2 Elphabas in the building, with no other track to cover. I'd imagine for a lot of the audience "you paid for Elphaba, you got Elphaba" is enough. |
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4,361 posts
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Post by shady23 on Apr 12, 2023 12:22:51 GMT
What’s interesting with Alexia and Lucie is they sound 100% when they are on, they are not struggling on stage, but still feel like they can’t go on for whatever reason. Different to someone like Kerry or Idina who had good attendance mostly but sometimes sounded tired and probably suffered vocal damage. I bet the company manager is wishing there was no UK tour so they could have hired Laura Pick for London and not have to manage all this absence. Yeah but in Kerry's case she missed shows because she was doing a UK Tour of her own album at the very same time she was in Wicked. |
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487 posts
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Post by deej4life on Apr 12, 2023 12:28:14 GMT
Amy Webb is on as Elphaba for both shows today (12th April, 2023).
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Post by StageyBrum on Apr 12, 2023 12:54:18 GMT
Ross Harmon is making his debut as Fiyero this afternoon (12/4)
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Post by StageyBrum on Apr 12, 2023 16:33:30 GMT
Kate Leiper will be going on as Elphaba tonight (12/4/23)
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Post by cezbear on Apr 12, 2023 16:58:14 GMT
Aren't standbys ideally meant to be a little more reliable than Amy?
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Post by dollybm on Apr 12, 2023 17:02:08 GMT
I wonder what the potential barriers are to them implementing an official alternate system or job share system going forward. I imagine a cast change would have been the ideal time to do it but I guess that ship has sailed for now…
Phantom back in 2016 (?) had the role of Christine shared equally between Robyn North and Leila Benn Harris with four shows each. I believe they flipped schedules each month so that their scheduled days wouldn’t mean one always got Saturdays and the other not. I’m surprised it never seemed to catch on with other shows but I guess perhaps not much calling for people wanting to come in for 50% of the pay.
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4,361 posts
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Post by shady23 on Apr 12, 2023 17:39:36 GMT
It is very early in a contract for a "4th Elphaba" to have four shows under her belt already. Makes me even more mad that Jennifer Tierney and Amy Goodwin (and perhaps others too) did not even get one  |
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487 posts
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Post by deej4life on Apr 12, 2023 17:49:45 GMT
Amy Webb was incredibly consistent on tour, and was always at the ready to cover when Nikki Bentley was absent.
I'm not sure what has happened since, but she has become a very unreliable standby. The show is lucky that both Kate and Nicola are able to share the responsibility of covering her frequent absences!
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282 posts
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Post by kyvai on Apr 12, 2023 18:27:02 GMT
Yeah but in Kerry's case she missed shows because she was doing a UK Tour of her own album at the very same time she was in Wicked. I somehow doubt she was pulling a sickie to do that though? So not really “missing shows” more using annual leave/permitted leave to do other work? That’s not really an attendance issue is it. (Hope the quoting works) |
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Post by filendile on Apr 12, 2023 19:35:04 GMT
Yeah but in Kerry's case she missed shows because she was doing a UK Tour of her own album at the very same time she was in Wicked. I somehow doubt she was pulling a sickie to do that though? So not really “missing shows” more using annual leave/permitted leave to do other work? That’s not really an attendance issue is it. (Hope the quoting works) Yeah it was agreed beforehand and the dates she was not performing were publicised in advance. She also seemed to miss most Thursday evening shows which was probably agreed beforehand but not announced. |
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487 posts
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Post by deej4life on Apr 12, 2023 20:16:42 GMT
Nicola Espallardo has taken over as Elphaba from Kate Leiper mid-show tonight (12th April, 2023).
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101 posts
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Post by filendile on Apr 12, 2023 20:21:23 GMT
3 women have played Elphaba in London today. Is that a first? Probably not.
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234 posts
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Post by Jane Parfitt on Apr 12, 2023 20:24:25 GMT
Bring back Laura Harrison
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