Fellow Ozians, or as I have heard us called this week in particular ‘Wickipeeps’! I like it! Another term that has come to pass in this last week was one that refer to fans of our current Glinda & Elphaba, more commonly known as ‘Tuckman’. We, my friends shall now and forever more be known as ‘Tuckmanions’ and we shall revel in ‘Tuckmania’ for as long as we all shall live...(well until the 10th of December CC anyway!)
Now, barely a paragraph into this weeks blog and Ive already managed to go off on a tangent, lets move on to the topic of this post Standby v Understudy!
We all know that playing roles such as Elphaba and Glinda for eight shows a week is very demanding. The actresses playing them cannot be expected to perform all 416 shows of a year! This is of course why productions have understudies and standbys so our wonderful leading ladies (and gents of course) can get some much needed rest and relaxation!
If like me you have ever wondered the difference between the two roles then I will give a brief explanation. The understudy will also be a part of the ensemble, they will sometimes be understudy for more than one role and will go on if another actor/ess cannot perform at short notice. The standby is a slightly different role, they will not have another part in the production and not be a part of the ensemble. They are always at the theatre, sometimes sitting in the audience, during performances and must be available to go on stage at short notice should another performer be unable to continue. The standby will also cover certain holidays the lead performer may have.
I hope this clears up any confusion that may have been lurking, and if I have not got it completely correct then feel free to shout and yell at me!
Now I know you don’t come here to be bored with facts about musical theatre procedures so let us get our Wicked groove on, we all know that’s why we’re here!
Our current lead standbys in the West End production of Wicked are, for Elphaba – Nikki Davis Jones and for G(a)linda – Chloe Taylor. I have heard stories from people that have been disappointed when they do not see the marquee names when seeing Wicked. I personally do not think this is fair at all, simply because they do not play the role permanently does not mean they are not as good, just have a listen to this awesome performance of No Good Deed by the equally as awesome Nikki Davis Jones...
Who on earth could say that they were disappointed after that Fiyero riff?? Its madness I tell you pure madness!
Now talk about our wonderful Elphaba standby and leave out Glinda would be wrong, Chloe Taylor is currently the standby for Louise Dearman as Glinda. There doesn't appear to be ANY video out there of either girl and very little audio of Chloe at all, I suppose this is to be expected with standbys as they don't go on as often. I did manage to find a few versions of Popular out there and it would seem fans aren't as impressed with Chloe as they could be bemoaning her for the lack of squeakiness and silliness that seems to be synonymous with Glinda. I personally think that there is no necessity for Glinda to be like this at all! Have a listen to Chloe performing Popular and see what you think...
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| Felicia Ricci on her first night as Elphaba |
I sometimes wonder what life must be like for these standbys and understudies, sitting waiting for your moment to shine on stage and possibly just be forgotten by that nights audience (seems harsh I know but that's how fickle some people can be!) Of course I can't truly know, none of us can unless we have been there ourselves (I now sit here and wish all my wishes that one day I may be there!) However, luckily for us Wickipeeps there is someone who has been there and is willing to share her story with us...Felicia Ricci.
Felicia Ricci was the standby to Eden Espinosa's Elphie in the 2010 San Francisco production and on March 30th she got 'greenified' for the first time when Eden was unable to continue through illness. I am not going to tell the full story but simply direct you to Felicia's blog 'Unnaturally Green' where you can read all about her experiences as an Elphie standby!
I will also tell you that Felicia will be publishing her Wicked story 'Unnaturally Green' in the Autumn this year, a behind the scenes memoir that i for one am unbelievably excited about reading! AND if you're not already following the lady in question on Twitter then shame on you and get following @FeliciaRicci
http://www.unnaturallygreen.com/
http://www.unnaturallygreen.com/
I just have one more person I want to talk about when it comes to standbys, a person that some of you may not realise started her Wicked journey as a standby. If you went to see Wicked in the West end during its opening 3 months (Sep 7 2006 - Jan 1 2007) and for some reason the sensational Idina Menzel wasn't on then the likelihood is that you would have seen her magnificent standby, Kerry Ellis. This surely proves that standbys can go on to be as, if not more successful than the names they are overshadowed by...
I will leave you with a song, sung by our standby Elphie Nikki Davis Jones. And if Kerry Ellis's story is anything to go by then soon Miss Dee J will not be the slightest bit concerned about being the standby (Or understudy in accordance with the song!) Until next week Wickipeeps and Tuckmanions!!
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