Understudy Beef, Why West End Shows REALLY Close & More! | SECRETS OF THE WEST END

Why West End Shows REALLy close | SECRETS OF THE WEST END
Today I am sharing more lesser known insights and rituals about being in a West End Show, from understudies ruining shows(!) to Press night gifts and more! I hope you find it all as interesting as I do! I would LOVE to hear your thoughts so be sure to leave me a comment!
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Lead Roles I've Understudied in the West End: • Lead Roles I've Unders...
Thanks so much for the support! Absolutely no idea what I'm doing but that's the fun isn't it!

[@GeorgieAshford]

S U B S C R I B E: goo.gl/RZSBdt Thanks so much for watching! 💕What are your thoughts on some of these things?? Would love to know!! 🤗

[@SHANEPOFFICIAL22]

😍😍😍😍😍

[@teganx116]

When i saw Wicked a few weeks ago i was hoping to see Helen Woolf as Glinda but the understudy was on that night and the understudy was incredible. I didn't realize it was the understudy until a day after when i saw it on social media. Understudies are incredible

[@doyouhearthepeoplesing2]

Wrong that would have been Lisa-Anne Wood who is the stand by completely different thing

[@teganx116]

@@doyouhearthepeoplesing2 thank you I get confused between understudies and stand bys 😂

[@_Claire_Louise_]

I absolutely love seeing alts and covers on in shows! Because I'm a wheelchair user I'm almost always taken through the theatre by staff and almost every time that I ask where the cast board is so I can see it (or send my mum to take a photo of it if I can't access it) they're surprised, I always want to know exactly who I'm seeing so if I post about it I give the right people the credit for the show they just did

[@0530evan]

could you do a walking tour of the west end and show us the theatres......and what shows are currently in the west end.......

[@ella9120]

Yes please!

[@miathomas6476]

I do like seeing an understudy to see their take on a specific role sometimes it does slightly annoy me when I see an understudy but that’s usually when I really really wanted to see the principal actor but out of all of the Understudy’s I’ve seen they’ve all been really really good! Apart from my First trip to Heathers in September and my trip to Wicked last November I’ve seen an understudy in every show and they were all so good! I saw Jen as Aragon in Six in October, I saw Aimee as Jenna in Waitress in Febuary, I saw an alternate for Queen Iduna in Frozen and the understudy for Sven, I saw Eleanor as Duke and Daisy as Mac in in Heathers in July and last week I saw Elly as Vivian and Jon as Edward in Pretty Woman and I’ve really enjoyed all of their performances a lot

[@fia2458]

Ahhh I loveeeee daisys mac

[@sof_t_]

I love seeing understudies and alternatives - for one, I think they deserve way more credit than they get, especially considering they straight up save shows when principals can't perform for some reason One of my favourite actors I first encountered as an understudy and then an emergency cover and he was amazing in both shows Also it gives me more reason to come see the show again haha

[@browneyes142a]

I have been lucky enough to see several shows multiple times. I really enjoy seeing what each person has to bring to the role. I have seen Hamilton with 7 different casts. The absolute best Eliza for me, the only one who really engaged me throughout, was on the West End. After the show I found out it was an understudy and it was her first time to go on. I think that was a large part of the amazing energy she brought. And I was excited to get to be there for that night to witness it

[@yubbadubbadubba]

I go to see the show for the play/musical itself. I rarely go to see a performance for a specific actor tbh. I’m more interested in the performance as a whole. Seen plenty of understudies and never felt any kind of disappointment. Everyone works hard, are talented, and are prepared to take on those roles.

[@puddingcat1498]

I finally got to see Wicked for the first time recently, and Elphaba was being played by the second understudy. I was blown away because she was BRILLIANT, and I would love to be able to go and see her as Elphaba again!! I also went to see 2:22 at the Criterion several times, and one performance had an understudy in one role - there's only 4 roles in the play, and she was also excellent!

[@Sabrinajaine]

Understudies deserve way more praise, they've been the absolute backbone of shows during covid and have stepped in to save shows at a moment's notice! Of course it's fine to be a little disappointed if your favourite performer isn't on that night, but it's also cool to see another actor's interpretation of the role, and you can always go again if you'd really like to see that actor 😊 I did that with Legally Blonde as the first time I saw it Lucie Jones was off sick, but I love the show so much I'm very happy to go see it again in order to see Lucie's Elle, and her understudy Rebecca Stenhouse was fantastic!

[@GeorgieAshford]

Completely agree with you!

[@samuelblachon95130]

My heart is Still broken after ALW Cinderella closed 2 months ago i'm Still crying when i'm listening the cast recording

[@willeamer]

Going to first preview of into the woods on Wednesday

[@howverynovelofyou]

Six is currently touring here in Australia and I'm always so excited when the swings are on because they don't always go on so it's a real treat. They also have the most amazing swings so it's really exciting to see their takes on the roles.

[@GeorgieAshford]

Oh wow amazing wish I could see! x

[@petawaincorporated3803]

I am a new subscriber from Perth, Western Australia. I truly am enjoying the inside goss and updates. I am the Artistic Director of a non Profit Community Theatre group here in Perth- called PETAWA- ( Philippine Educational Theatre Artists of Western Australia ) Incorporation. Thank you for your informative vlogs. Can you spill the tea on how you deal with backlashes, and negative reviews. Does it affects your performances at all? How do you cope with them, aside from just ignoring, any tricks or tips??

[@samuelblachon95130]

I think a lot of CHF fans should watch this video

[@doyouhearthepeoplesing2]

Lol they should

[@Infinityman-hh1qp]

I saw dear Evan Hansen on west end and everyone but 2 cast were understudy’s

[@StanGoldenberg]

As you mentioned - having an understudy even in a lead role is not a bad thing. Shirley MacClane (sp?) got her big start as understudy in the Pajama Game early on and it launched her to stardom. And on personal note, the mother of a friend of mine stepped in for the female lead early on with Finian’s Rainbow (both on Broadway) and it got her a lot of attention. In general some understudies can be amazing since they will Make the most of their big Chance!

[@frenchriver9878]

It seems more common recently that, by design, some shows have two performers who routinely share a lead role. Or maybe that's just touring productions? I see six or seven Broadway touring shows in the United States each year, and I recall this being the case in a couple of recent shows. In Hadestown, two sets of actors were cast as the male and female leads. In the Who's Who section of Playbill, the four actors were designated as "alternate" for the lead roles, plus as another character or chorus member. The same was true in Moulin Rouge for the role of Satine. In the Playbill, two women were listed as portraying Satine. I recall years ago that if a role-just about any role-was going to be performed by a different actor on a particular night, there would be a slip of paper tucked into each Playbill (THAT must have been a lot of work) specifying who would be playing a particular role that particular evening. I haven't seen one of those slips in years. And I certainly have not been disappointed with the quality of performances given by any alternate.

[@browneyes142a]

I haven't seen a tour in awhile but they do still do the slips on Broadway.

[@frenchriver9878]

@@browneyes142a Interesting. Maybe tour shows are structured differently.

[@annacalstone610]

I love seeing an understudy. Quite often you could be seeing the next big star early in their career. Also it gives you an excuse to go and see a show again. Seen &juliet 5 times and loved that last time I saw collette guitart who was brilliant, even though I've loved cassidy janson for years. There have been times the lead name was a 'celeb' and sometime their understudy is actually better than them. This happened with shrek years ago, I saw Fiona's understudy and she was incredible, my friend said better than the named 'celeb' who usually played the role. Honestly understudies and swings deserve so much credit for being able to play multiple roles in a production, they are true superstars

[@callumbowyer1043]

Only time I’ve had a full cast in a big show is Cabaret NYE gala performance, every other show has had understudies/swings/etc

[@Rebecca_Fish]

Last week I went to see Dear Evan Hansen and six out of the eight roles were being played by understudies - it was wonderful!

[@musicallou4900]

Dreamy

[@samuelblachon95130]

ALW Cinderella was my first Time watching a West end show and i Saw 2 understudies and they were awesome

[@robertsavage122]

I have seen some brilliant understudies over the years, so now if I book to see a show, I do just that - to see the show, not to se the so-called 'star'.

[@paulotoole4950]

The only one that springs to mind is One Man, Two Governors which I have seen twice. The understudy had amazing reviews as James Cordon must have missed a lot as people were complaining however everyone who saw the show was like the understudy is better. I have had the reverse happen twice I saw Wizard Of Oz thinking we were getting understudies and got Michael Crawford and the star. Also had the same happen with Funny Girl. Have also seen the replacement thing happen at Matilda (Trailer out there for film which looks good) as after intermission they announced someone is now being played by someone else.

[@doyouhearthepeoplesing2]

For me I don’t care if who plays a role unless I’m only seeing a show because a person I like is in it eg CFA when Rachel Tucker was in it also it depends on wether I like the person who is the stand by/ understudy at the time

[@laraoetiker1979]

I love seeing understudies/alternates.🥰I think it's amazing to watch them. I can't even imagine all the work that goes into rehearsing the role

[@GeorgieAshford]

It's brilliant isn't it! So much extra work!

[@corinnadallmann5127]

When a show close could it open after some time? or will it never be in theatre?

[@impastomusic]

Even if a show closes in the West End or Broadway, if it’s popular enough it can go on tour, and it will probably also eventually be licensed, so regional/local theatres can stage it. Revivals are also common, so it’s not always goodbye forever!

[@emmermayonegg]

I went to see Les Mis when Alfie was in it and got Chris Jacobsen instead (who I think was 2nd cover back then?) and he was amazing and now my favourite Valjean

[@emmermayonegg]

Also in general I really liked seeing the understudies of that cast, and almost got annoyed when the principal was on when I’d already seen them as principal haha as I liked the variety

[@joegreenslade7577]

Genuine interaction working as a theatre usher at ALW’s Cinderella: (End of the show, audience leaving) Audience Member: Which understudies were on today? Me: Both the Stepsisters. Audience Member: They were understudies? Me: Yeah Audience Member: But they were really good. Me: (Inwardly rolling my eyes) Being an understudy, or swing, does not mean you are less talented then the main actors. In fact, in some cases, I think understudies can be better then the main performers.

[@GeorgieAshford]

Haha a classic! Hopefully this will become more and more widely known now that people have more info!

[@edwardrugg4225]

I'm reckon the beef is even greater in ENO audiences, remember going to see a show where the Sir thingummy doing the popular baritone role had flu, understudy was amazing but one old couple behind me who probably had been patrons since the stone age kept imagining things the stand-in was doing wrong and tutting and harrumphing for the whole night, including "Oh Sir thingummy never does that..." you mean sing in the right key?!?

[@cutiekika]

Hi Georgie! Is there a way to find who played a role on a specific night? I went to Broadway with my family some years ago when I didn't really understand how theater worked and I keep wondering if I saw Dove Cameron as Sophie on Mamma Mia. Does anyone know if there's a list of who was on? Thank you!

[@timnco2752]

Sadly, I think there is no way to find out a specific cast for a specific day especially if it has been some years ago as you said ...But if you want to know if an actor will perform on future performances, here's some tips: It depends of the show and the production. For exemple, for the westend prod of Wicked, they give you the "Cast holidays" on the website, under the cast headshots. Personally, I use to follow every actors of my favorite shows on Instagram. Sometimes actors post about their absences or mentionne the days they wont performing. Understudies sometimes announce when they're on for a principale role. I'm also subscribed to "Westendcovers" where they keep you informed on time of which understudy/swing is on for which role for every shows of the westend and on tour. Finally, I've already send a DM to actors to demand if they will perform on the day I'll be in the theatre. They usually respond but sometimes they don't see your message because they aren't subscribed to you. Of course they cannot guarantee their appearance which is always subject to illness, injury and statutory holiday entitlement. Hope it helped :D

[@TheGadgetPanda]

Generally I'm fine seeing understudies, hell most of the time you don't even know. The only time I was a little upset was probably my third visit to Mary Poppins. I'd hyped up Charlie Stemp's amazing dancing to my date (she was not a musical fan like myself) but then he was out and the understudy was not quite so spellbinding. Oh well.

[@thomasconnolly6742]

But im sure they were still incredibly talented like all are

[@1323shona]

The only time I’ve been disappointed was seeing 9to5 tour, the only song I really knew from the show was Get out, and it just had no power and was a bit.. meh. Looked like nerves, which I guess is a downside to seeing an understudy etc if it’s their first time, they might fluff their first performance but if it’s the only performance you’re going to see it’s a bit of a disappointment. Guess everyone’s got to have a first show though, and that was only one out of tons of understudy’s I have seen who’ve all been amazing x

[@Sean-ff9rh]

I recently saw Frozen a few times in Adelaide Australia. I actually thought a lot of the understudies were just as good if not better than the main cast. Apart from one performance where there was a different Elsa and for me it kind of ruined the show as her voice although good wasn't suitable for the role and you could tell that they were really fiddling with her microphone particularly in let it go and monster, which sounded as if they really turned it up and made it echo, to make her sound more powerful

[@GeorgieAshford]

Oh that's so interesting! Thanks for sharing!

[@supercoolbrian5929]

nice info but your title really doesn't fit all the topics you discuss in the video