Question about Broadway musicals when they go on tour

donaldsgal

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Is it the same cast (more or less - I know sometimes understudies step in) in each city? We saw Wicked in Dayton, Ohio in February and are seeing it again in Columbus, Ohio in two weeks. They obviously did other cities in other states in the meantime, so I wasn't sure.

The woman who played Glinda in Dayton was AMAZING! I think I prefer her to Kristin Chenoweth, the original Glinda. She brought so much humor to the part.

Anyways, if anyone knows the answer to my question, I'd appreciate your response!
 
I saw Spamalot on Broadway and earlier on Tour

Different cast-both great

Nothing was noticable=EXCEPT the "Lady of the Lake"-each woman was wonderful-but very different in their take of the role.:)
 
Yes. Oviously the touring cast is different (as you know) from the cast that actually stars on Broadway.
But for the most part I believe the touring cast stays the same throughout the entire tour. As you said, sometimes an understudy is sent in for one reason or another. But it's generally the same cast throughout.

I LOVE Wicked! It's my favorite!!! :goodvibes

ETA...I guess I should ask. Same tour? Or did you see it like a year ago? If it's the same tour season (as in you just recently saw it in Dayton) then they should be the same. But if it was last season, they may have a new cast. I think those performers only tour for a season or 2 before taking a break.
 
Each actor in a Broadway touring company has a specific contract for a period of time. Some shows are on tour literally for years, so there are frequently changes in the cast. If you're talking specifically about the cast of Wicked, you can often find updated cast information at the message boards at witchesofoz.com.
 

Touring companies are usually not the same actors as Broadway simply because the shows are being performed at the same time. Usually the Broadway Across America tours may have 2 to 3 tours occuring at the same time thus the need for multiple actors. We just saw Wicked in Houston last week and the girl playing Glinda was also great, and very funny. It was our first time to see it so I have no comparison. I know that we love Mama Mia and once I searched on line for it and found it being performed 4 places in the country on the same night.

My understanding is that a lot of performers start with touring companies and work their way to Broadway where traditionally the best are.
 
Yes. Oviously the touring cast is different (as you know) from the cast that actually stars on Broadway.
But for the most part I believe the touring cast stays the same throughout the entire tour. As you said, sometimes an understudy is sent in for one reason or another. But it's generally the same cast throughout.

I LOVE Wicked! It's my favorite!!! :goodvibes

ETA...I guess I should ask. Same tour? Or did you see it like a year ago? If it's the same tour season (as in you just recently saw it in Dayton) then they should be the same. But if it was last season, they may have a new cast. I think those performers only tour for a season or 2 before taking a break.

I just have to say, first of all, that I think we were on the same cruise in 2005 - it was supposed to be an Eastern Caribbean but Hurricane Rita sent us to the Western Caribbean! Flip Floppin' Castaways (feel silly typing that now... lol). Am I right? If so, hello again!!! :)

We saw it in February of 2010 and are seeing it again in two weeks. Different cities, though.
 
My understanding is that a lot of performers start with touring companies and work their way to Broadway where traditionally the best are.

That's sort of true and sort of not true. There are certainly people who tour before they appear on Broadway (many in the chorus), but many, many people who take the leading roles on tour either covered them as a standby or an understudy on Broadway.
 
Each actor in a Broadway touring company has a specific contract for a period of time. Some shows are on tour literally for years, so there are frequently changes in the cast. If you're talking specifically about the cast of Wicked, you can often find updated cast information at the message boards at witchesofoz.com.

Great - checking out that site now. I'm looking at my program from February in Dayton, and Glinda was played by Helene Yorke. Trying to find out now if I'll be seeing her in two weeks.
 
We've seen tons of touring companies and it really varies from show to show. Wicked has several touring companies, one of which has been performing in San Francisco for over a year. Others do shorter runs all over the country. I think the number of touring companies and show dates depends on the popularity of the show and Wicked is very popular right now.

Back when Michael Crawford left the Broadway production of Phantom, he spent many months performing it in LA with a totally new cast (besides him). We were lucky enough to be able to go there and see him perform.

Usually though, the original Broadway performers do not join the touring companies. There are exceptions, of course, but they usually don't. Kristen Chenoweth and Idina Menzel both left Wicked several years ago and didn't go on the road with it.
 
They are not. The cast can evolve.

I saw a tour of Mamma Mia and the first time, I loved it so much that I bought tix to see it again while it was in town. Loved it!

Then the following year it came to Orlando and the entire cast was different.
Not a big deal that they were different, but in most of the lead roles...I wasn't wowed like I was when I saw it in Melbourne. It might have been fine had Orlando been my first show--but I was bummed that they weren't quite good enough to stop me from comparing them to my original experience. (I quite enjoyed he movie...except for Pierce Brosnan singing. The show was written for talented singers and I did not appreciate the casting director for going with Pierce at all!)

anyway--touring shows can be great. I think shows can make a mistake if they try to "replace" the original. The new cast should be good in their own right and not make you wish that someone else is playing the role.

I am still bummed about Mamma Mia in Orlando.
 
Don't take me too literally on the wording of Broadway musical; I know it won't be the actual original cast. I just wondered if the touring cast is the same from city to city. I now know it isn't always, thanks to you all! :)
 
That's sort of true and sort of not true. There are certainly people who tour before they appear on Broadway (many in the chorus), but many, many people who take the leading roles on tour either covered them as a standby or an understudy on Broadway.

DH swears the same guy had a certain part in the Tour of Spamalot-which we saw a couple years before the broadway show-so maybe thats what happened:)

(I didnt keep both programs-darn)
 
We saw Helen York in Des Moines for Wicked. She was wonderful. Getting ready to see Wicked again in Milwaukee in a couple of weeks. :banana:There will be an entirely different cast. The actress who played Elpheba, Marcie Dodd is now in San Fransico's production of Wicked.

There are two on the road national tours. If you go here: http://www.wickedthemusical.com/page.php# and follow the links you will see which cast will be in Ohio.
 
Your main characters tour with the play, but fill-ins are done by locals.

I know this because Kari got a part in the King and I, as one of the children. They had an open casting call for any Asian looking kids, and got the part. Apparently the guy who played the King was particularly fond of kids and limited his time in practices with them. But Kari managed to make him smile a few times, because she'd stick her butt in the air when kneeling down.
 
Is it the same cast (more or less - I know sometimes understudies step in) in each city? We saw Wicked in Dayton, Ohio in February and are seeing it again in Columbus, Ohio in two weeks. They obviously did other cities in other states in the meantime, so I wasn't sure.

The woman who played Glinda in Dayton was AMAZING! I think I prefer her to Kristin Chenoweth, the original Glinda. She brought so much humor to the part.

Anyways, if anyone knows the answer to my question, I'd appreciate your response!

Yes. My friend is a Broadway actor and has been on tour. He's done various tours for several months to 2 1/2 years: Mamma Mia & starred in The Full Monty in the lead role.

Some casts may tour a certain region of the country, say the south east, while another cast may tour the North west. but, most likely, if the same show is appearing in the general vicinity within months, it's probably the same cast.


That's sort of true and sort of not true. There are certainly people who tour before they appear on Broadway (many in the chorus), but many, many people who take the leading roles on tour either covered them as a standby or an understudy on Broadway.

Yes, this is true of my friend. He started on Broadway. When the composer of Civil War heard him sing at the audition, he wrote a special song for him in the show. After that show closed, the same composer got him in as a replacement in Jekyll & Hyde.

He did some other shows (and independent films?) in between then decided to go on tour in Full Monty & Mamma Mia.

Touring is a different animal than someone who gets to play a show 8 times a week in the same theatre. Some people are cut out better and more resilient to live a gypsy lifestyle, living out of a suitcase, being in a bus with the same people, day in and day out, being away from home for literally a couple years with no breaks, which is what being on tour requires. Others are not. It's not about being less talented or experienced.

There are only so many Broadway theatres with show running with the right kinds of parts one can actually be cast in. If one truly wants to work as an actor, touring is a great steady gig for some. Back in the old days, many of the great stars actually toured their own shows they made famous. (Robert Goulet in Camelot.)

And yes, some actors may have the option to come back & play the role on Broadway after the tour. It depends on when the current lead's contract ends. If the current lead leaves before the tour is over, it might not happen. They don't want to bring in someone else for the tour for only a few weeks. It disrupts that touring cast. My friend would have taken over the lead in The Full Monty on Broadway, but 9/11 happened, and his tour closed early. He ended up going on tour for Mamma Mia instead, in which he was contracted for longer than The Full Monty lasted on Broadway. So while it's a shame he doesn't have that Broadway credit on his resume, it actually turned out financially better for him and he got to perform longer overall.

He later on went to understudy one of the leads in Ring of Fire on Broadway and actually played the role on certain nights.

Now, he's into doing independent films. But, I think his voice will bring him back to Broadway musicals. The first time I heard him sing, I said, "That is magic!" :love:
 
Sometimes there is touring before a Broadway run, that's how I saw Jekyl and Hyde with Bob Cardoloni (yes, I know I spelled that wrong) and Linda Eder. INCREDIBLE SHOW!
 
Your main characters tour with the play, but fill-ins are done by locals.

I know this because Kari got a part in the King and I, as one of the children. They had an open casting call for any Asian looking kids, and got the part. Apparently the guy who played the King was particularly fond of kids and limited his time in practices with them. But Kari managed to make him smile a few times, because she'd stick her butt in the air when kneeling down.

This is usually only true of minor kid's parts. Otherwise, all the actors tour with the production.
 
The lucky folks of Los Angeles who saw the touring company of In the Heights got to see Lin-Manuel Miranda reprise his starring role! (He wasn't in the touring company in other cities.)

Last year we saw Rent in Phoenix in March and in Dallas in May (with Anthony Rapp and Adam Pascal.) During that time, a couple of cast members in the touring company had changed - who knows what happened...
 
I also saw one of the tour Rent stops that featured Anthony Rapp and Adam Pascal. It was good to see at least one show that featured two original cast members. Like others have mentioned usually the actors on touring productiions are usually people working their way up on Broadway and some of the previously served as understudies or standbys in productions in New York, Chicago, SF or L.A.
 












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