By TR Robertson
If you love live theatre, have you ever wondered what happens if a member of the cast, leading actor or member of the ensemble, gets sick or has an accident, and is unable to perform. The usual answer is the majority of productions have understudies that “back-up” various performers in supporting or lead positions in the production. These understudies in many instances also have parts in the production.
Last week, Moonlight Theatre Productions experienced what it is like to have a number of performers not be able to perform as seven members of the cast were ill, several with COVID and others ill but not diagnosed with COVID. All were integral to the musical, “Saturday Night Fever”, several in lead roles. The Wednesday, September 20th performance had to be cancelled and rescheduled. Undeterred, members of the cast and one actress who was not originally in the cast stepped up covering eight roles and the Thursday show went on without a “hitch” and according to Kent Leithold (Vista Chamber of Commerce) who was at the musical Thursday, said the performance was amazing.
The actors who stepped in included Helen Tait, a member of the ensemble, who played the lead role of Stephanie Mangano and Emma Nossal who played Annette, another major role. Emma learned this key role in only 36 hours. Other key performers included Josh Bradford who played Joey and Susanna Vaughn who played Flo Manero. Both were understudies. Members of the Ensemble who took on the task of playing other roles were Anthony Vacio who played Mr. Fusco, Colby Hamman who played the Shop Keeper and Jay, and Wes Dameron who played Chester. Allison Tester, Moonlight Marketing and Communications Manager, said when any changes occur to the program, when an understudy or swing goes on, they are posted in various locations throughout the theatre. Allison also said some of the original actors have returned and most will be at the rescheduled performance on Tuesday the 26th.
Mike Bradford, Managing Director Moonlight Stage Productions, issued the following statement to The NC Daily Star, “As we were preparing for our production of “Saturday Night Fever”, and for all of the productions at Moonlight, actors were selected as Swings and Understudies. A swing is an off-stage performer responsible for covering any number of ensemble tracks in a production. An understudy is a performer cast in the ensemble of the production who is responsible for covering a supporting or lead role. During our difficulties with COVID, both swings and understudies were utilized to cover the actors who were unavailable. I can’t say enough about the professionalism and resiliency of our cast as we navigated the difficult but unfortunately present reality of COVID-related absences. Having a swing or understudy step into a role is not uncommon in theatre these days, but the number of adjustments to our show during our second week was outside of the norm for sure. The hard work our cast put in during rehearsals was apparent and they didn’t miss a beat. We are proud, but not surprised, at what they were able to accomplish and Moonlight audiences were treated to a week of incredible performances. We are excited to return our original cast to us for our 3rd and final week of performances. Tickets are hard to find, but you won’t be sorry if you join us for the remaining performances Tuesday through Saturday this week.”
“Saturday Night Fever” is a high energy musical with amazing dance routines and memorable songs you should not miss. Regardless of who you see on stage you will not be disappointed and the entire cast deserves a massive round of applause for living up to that old circus and theatre saying – “The Show Must Go On,” and in the case of Moonlight Productions it truly did.
