Unsung Heroes of Broadway Defy COVID, Help Keep Shows Going

The theatrical¹ magic that keeps New York's Broadway going during the latest COVID-19 spread has been performers ready to step in in an emergency.

Actor Carla Stickler² went a step further. She returned to acting³ from retirement⁴ to save the musical Wicked.

Stickler launched a new career as a software engineer in Chicago three years ago. But she canceled her vacation this winter and went to New York City's center of theater performances, Broadway. She had agreed to replace a star of the show after much of the cast became infected with COVID-19.

Stickler played the green skinned Elphaba in the musical play. She may have been playing an evil witch, but Stickler's effort was all good.

"It was like riding a bike," she said. "I got out there and I was like, ‘Oh, I remember this. This is really special, and I'm just going to try to enjoy every second of it.'"

Her effort is just one example of the work Broadway's understudies do. They are standbys and fill-ins who keep shows open. Often, they learn several parts with little official rehearsing.

The heavy pressure on theater companies to keep shows open is eased by these skillful performers. Actor Hugh Jackman recently praised the many understudies who kept his revival⁵ of The Music Man open.

Stickler said the recognition of these less famous performers is important. "I think they sometimes get overlooked," she said, adding, "it's been really emotional to see the outpouring of love for all what they do."

Stickler was not alone in trying to rescue Broadway. At one point over the holidays, eight of the 12 actors in Broadway's Come From Away were substitutes. They included two — Pearl Sun and Holly⁶ Ann Butler — who had left the production. Another, Marika Aubrey, returned to Broadway from the travelling show.

Josh Breckenridge is the musical's dance captain. He is also a standby performer for five of the six males in the play.

"It really took a village and it was a beautiful village," Breckenridge said. "I'm very proud of us for nailing it."

He also praised the crowds who watched the show, describing the support as wonderful.

Breckenridge has been on Broadway with The Scottsboro Boys, The Ritz and other shows. He hopes the theater system will learn from recent experiences and make changes to better meet difficult times. He called on the industry to employ more standbys and fill-ins.

"I hope that producers out there notice and start to hire more coverage⁷ so that we can avoid moments like this," he said. Breckenridge added, "We're literally⁸ the reason for the phrase ‘the show must go on.'"

Stickler was one reason Wicked could continue this holiday season. On December 27, she was driving with her husband and dog to Maine for a one-week vacation with friends. She got an urgent call from the producers to return to the musical.

Stickler had last performed the part on Broadway in 2015. She had spent 10 years with the Broadway company and starred in a national series of Wicked.

"Elphaba is just kind of something that lives in my body, and I think a lot of other understudies will say the same thing," she said.

"I think everybody is really doing the best they can," she said. "I do think the fact that the show has been able to stay open is a testament⁹ to how devoted¹⁰ the actors are to the show and how great and talented the group of people that they have hired over the years are."

While actors and crews working on Broadway are all vaccinated¹¹, wear masks and get tested daily, infections have spread anyway. Several productions, including Aladdin, Hamilton, Dear Evan Hansen, The Lion King and Six, suspended performances because of infected performers.

Stickler is staying in New York this week just in case Wicked needs her help. Then, she will then travel back to Chicago, but she would not likely refuse a similar call to act in the future.

"I would do it again in a heartbeat. I love the show," she said. "If I turn 100, I'll do it at my 100th birthday party."

Words in This Story

understudy – n. an actor who prepares to take the part of another actor if that actor is unable to perform

rehearse – v. to prepare for a public performance of a play, a piece of music

revival – n. a new production of an old show

nail it – idiom to succeed at something in a notable way

literally – adv. in a way that uses the ordinary and usual meaning of a word

devoted –adj. having strong love or loyalty for someone or something

1 theatrical   

adj.剧场的，演戏的；做戏似的，做作的

参考例句：

• The final scene was dismayingly lacking in theatrical effect.最后一场缺乏戏剧效果，叫人失望。
• She always makes some theatrical gesture.她老在做些夸张的手势。

2 stickler   

n.坚持细节之人

参考例句：

• She's a real stickler for etiquette,so you'd better ask her advice.她非常讲求礼节，所以你最好问她的意见。
• You will find Mrs. Carboy a stickler about trifles.您会发现卡博太太是个拘泥小节的人。

3 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。

4 retirement   

n.退休，退职

参考例句：

• She wanted to enjoy her retirement without being beset by financial worries.她想享受退休生活而不必为金钱担忧。
• I have to put everything away for my retirement.我必须把一切都积蓄起来以便退休后用。

5 revival   

n.复兴，复苏，（精力、活力等的）重振

参考例句：

• The period saw a great revival in the wine trade.这一时期葡萄酒业出现了很大的复苏。
• He claimed the housing market was showing signs of a revival.他指出房地产市场正出现复苏的迹象。

6 holly   

n.[植]冬青属灌木

参考例句：

• I recently acquired some wood from a holly tree.最近我从一棵冬青树上弄了些木料。
• People often decorate their houses with holly at Christmas.人们总是在圣诞节时用冬青来装饰房屋。

7 coverage   

n.报导，保险范围，保险额，范围，覆盖

参考例句：

• There's little coverage of foreign news in the newspaper.报纸上几乎没有国外新闻报道。
• This is an insurance policy with extensive coverage.这是一项承保范围广泛的保险。

8 literally   

adv.照字面意义，逐字地；确实

参考例句：

• He translated the passage literally.他逐字逐句地翻译这段文字。
• Sometimes she would not sit down till she was literally faint.有时候，她不走到真正要昏厥了，决不肯坐下来。

9 testament   

n.遗嘱；证明

参考例句：

• This is his last will and testament.这是他的遗愿和遗嘱。
• It is a testament to the power of political mythology.这说明，编造政治神话可以产生多大的威力。

10 devoted   

adj.忠诚的，忠实的，热心的，献身于...的

参考例句：

• He devoted his life to the educational cause of the motherland.他为祖国的教育事业贡献了一生。
• We devoted a lengthy and full discussion to this topic.我们对这个题目进行了长时间的充分讨论。

11 vaccinated   

[医]已接种的，种痘的，接种过疫菌的

参考例句：

• I was vaccinated against tetanus. 我接种了破伤风疫苗。
• Were you vaccinated against smallpox as a child? 你小时候打过天花疫苗吗？