Katie Holmes has one for “Dead Accounts,” Ricky Martin has two for “Evita,” and even Sunny, the Sandy of “Annie,” has one: an understudy or standby ready to take their places, since the show must go on.
And when it does, and the star isn’t in it, expect groans.
“When that piece of paper falls out of the program, there’s a definite sense you’re not getting your money’s worth,” says Stephanie Riggs, whose documentary “The Standbys,” out this week, concerns those whose job it is to step in for a star. Some even eclipse the stars they’ve covered: Dustin Hoffman, Bebe Neuwirth, David Hyde Pierce, Natalie Portman and even Britney Spears were all one-time understudies.
Before James Gandolfini made his bones in “The Sopranos,” he was shadowing Timothy Carhart’s Mitch in “A Streetcar Named Desire.”
Technically speaking, “understudies” are already in the cast, usually in a smaller role, while “standbys,” often name actors, literally “stand by,” checking in before each performance.
Stars being what they are, most would rather die than have someone go on in their place.
“It was the greatest vacation I ever had in my life,” Elaine Stritch cracks about standing by for Ethel Merman in “Call Me Madam.” The iron-lunged star didn’t miss a single performance.
Same deal for Danielle Skraastad, who understudied for Holmes in “All My Sons.”
“I think I was the only understudy not to go on,” she says of that 2008 revival. “John Lithgow got sick, Dianne Wiest — pretty much every understudy went on except me. Katie got a cold, but she’s a strong and hardy young woman.” And a generous one: “Katie gave us all presents for the first preview, a nice gift for opening, and for closing, I got a cappuccino machine.”
Shadowing a star has its moments, good and lousy. Here are a few.
➜ Joan Copeland, who happens to be Arthur Miller’s sister, stood by for Katharine Hepburn in the ’69 musical “Coco.” She never made it onto the stage.
“I was advised to sit in the theater during rehearsals where I couldn’t be seen, so she wouldn’t be upset. But she was so secure: If she broke both legs, she’d still come on and perform!
“She had one delicate song, almost a lullaby, but they were ripping down a building across the street. One day, she went up to the manager of the building and said, ‘I wonder if you could do me a favor. My name is Katharine Hepburn. There’s a lovely little song I’m singing, and it’s very hard for me to sing it with all these explosions. So on matinee days at 3:12 in the afternoon, if you could stop your drilling, I’d appreciate it.’
“From then on, it went dead still for the length of the song. Now, that’s power!”
➜ John Cullum understudied for Richard Burton in both “Camelot” and “Hamlet” before going on to Tony-winning roles of his own.
“Everybody drank in ‘Camelot.’ Richard held court in his dressing room, and by the time we got to the evening performances, we were all snockered. But Richard never finished a drink. Bob Wilson, his dresser, would show up with a cigarette, lit, and a vodka tonic. He’d wait there, stage left, and hand both to Richard when he went off the stage . . .
“Richard was never drunk onstage until one night in ‘Hamlet.’ He’d been taking medication and he was in a great deal of pain. He asked for a glass of brandy and drank it like a glass of water. At the beginning of the second act, [he said] ‘Speak the speech . . . ’ and turned to one of the other actors. ‘Jeffrey, how does the rest of that go?’ Jeffrey gave him the line. That night, the duel was very dangerous.”
➜ Jeffry Denman was Matthew Broderick’s understudy in “The Producers.” In Denman’s book, “A Year With the Producers,” he recalls his first time onstage with Nathan Lane’s Max Bialystock:
“No entrance applause. Good, I didn’t expect it. I was prepped for that. Just move on. Say the lines . . .
“I gave Nathan the cue to erupt from the newspapers, and he scared me to death. Of course, I knew he was there, but my adrenaline was pumping so high, I completely lost it for a good three seconds. Nathan came over to me with his [lines], ‘Who are you? What are you doing here? Speak, dummy, speak!’
“The rest is a blur. At 11p.m., I was at the other end of one of the best performances of my life. The audience was tentative about me at first, but I felt I won them over. I stepped on two of Nathan’s laughs, but I knew I could fix that. At the intermission, Nathan turned to me and said, ‘You’re doing a great job,’ and smiled broadly. That was all I needed.”
➜ Brad Oscar understudied several roles in “The Producers” while playing Franz, and went on “76ish” times for Nathan Lane:
“There was a window of time when I’d be doing Max at the matinees and Franz in the evening. After doing Max, Franz — your average, pigeon-loving Nazi playwright — was a cakewalk.
“It was a whirlwind! I remember nailing Max’s big number. At that point, you felt the audience was on your side. You are the underdog, and they know, ‘Wow, that must suck for that guy because he has to play Max!’ Thank God Matthew and Nathan weren’t off at the same time, because it would have been anarchy. You always got at least one star for your buck!”