Amanda Yount's 'Shirley Maclaine' Moment

Left: Amanda Yount, from September, 2008, when she played Tzeitel in DMTC's production of "Fiddler On The Roof"


Every so often in musical theatre, difficult moments occur, when a lead actor is suddenly struck down and an understudy has to assume the role. In local community theater, the crisis can be even more acute, because stretched resources rarely permit the use of understudies. Performances generally have to be cancelled until the roles are recast and the show is re-rehearsed. Often that can't be done. Valuable time and money is squandered.

On Sunday afternoon, May 16, 2010, just such a moment occurred when Amy Jacques-Jones, playing Gypsy Rose Lee in DMTC's production of "Gypsy", was struck down with laryngitis. This was the last show in the 12-show run of "Gypsy" - generally the one with the highest attendance. Rescheduling the show would be nearly-impossible to do. The show was moments away from cancellation when the decision was made instead to advance Amanda Yount from the ensemble (Hollywood Blonde/Toreadorable) and throw her into the lead role. Arriving late from her waitress job, she had five minutes warning of the plan.

Despite being slightly taller than Amy, Amanda was of comparable build and thus could fit into the costumes. She could sing and had had significant roles before. In fact, I was surprised when I learned she was in the "Gypsy" chorus: I thought it was too bad the show didn't have more significant roles, where she could have lines to speak, and thus have more stage time. (In retrospect, I'm glad that when the crisis came, someone with her experience was on hand).

Just before curtain, Producer Steve Isaacson announced to the audience that Amanda would be standing in for Amy and that Amanda would be carrying a script with her (in fact, Amy's marked-up script). By being straightforward with the audience, and trusting them, Steve helped enlist them in Amanda's support.

The story of the actor promoted from the chorus in an atmosphere of drama and crisis is one of theater's favorite tales. Everyone loves rooting for the underdog. The ultimate Broadway story in this vein involved how Shirley Maclaine was abruptly catapulted to fame when the actress she was understudying for, the indefatigable Carol Haney, improbably and unbelievably sprained her ankle. In Shirley Maclaine's words:

Carol Haney (who danced with Bob [Fosse] in Kiss Me Kate) was the hit of The Pajama Game when we opened a few months later. She had no understudy, and Hal Prince asked me if I would like to try. In those days, I was dancing with a long, red ponytail whipping around my face—that is, until the stage manager dunked my head in the basement sink and said, “Cut it off. You are attracting attention away from the principals!” Hence my hairstyle, which I’ve never changed. So much for my sense of keeping up with fashion.

Anyway, they gave me the understudy job, but I never had a rehearsal. I had thought Carol would go on with a broken neck, so I had decided instead to understudy Gwen Verdon in Can-Can at the Shubert Theater down the street. Then, a few nights later, Carol sprained her ankle.

Synchronicity was already beginning to become active in my life, as I was about to learn.

I had my “I’m leaving” notice in my pocket when I arrived at the St. James. Across the stage door entrance stood Jerry Robbins, Bob Fosse, Hal Prince, etc. “Haney is out,” they said. “You’re on.” I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. “I’m on? Without a rehearsal?” I didn’t know what key I sang in, I didn’t know the dialogue or the lyrics, and I didn’t know whether Carol’s clothes would fit. I had been watching her from the wings, but performing something with your own body is another matter. Even with the aforementioned problems, all I could think of was, “I’m going to drop the hat in Steam Heat” (Fosse’s famous hat-trick number).

I raced to Carol’s dressing room. Her clothes fit me except for her shoes. I had a pair of sneakers with me from an afternoon at Jones Beach. They needed to be black. The wardrobe mistress dyed them (the black water dripped from them when I put them on). John Raitt and the conductor, Hal Hastings, wincingly went over the songs with me. With my voice, it didn’t really matter what key I sang in.

There I was, waiting in the wings, when the announcer said Carol Haney would be out and I would replace her. There were “boos” from the orchestra to the second balcony. Some people threw things at the stage. The cast was lined up in the wings to observe the debacle. And I waited for the curtain to rise.

I think it was then that I realized I had an angel on my shoulder. I felt I was guided somehow. I didn’t know how or by whom. But I wasn’t alone. I sank into the center of my being and somehow did the show. The rest of the cast was sensitive and on their toes for any trouble I might find myself unable to handle.

I did drop the hat in Steam Heat because the spotlight blinded me. I lost it in midair, and said, “Oh shit,” right out loud. The first few rows gasped and crossed their legs, but I got through the rest of it without falling into the pit. When the show was over, I took my bows with the other two Steam Heat dancers. The audience stood up. Buzz Miller and Peter Gennaro peeled off and left me in the center of the stage to bask in the audience’s appreciation. Never had I been so lonely, but I knew deep inside that the destiny of my life was now in alignment. My shoulder angel smiled, and I knew I was in for a life of hard work, discipline, gratitude, and success.

Sunday afternoon was Amanda Yount's 'Shirley Maclaine' moment! The show was being taped for posterity and the Elly Awards judge from SARTA was in the house. The house was packed. So, a bit of pressure there....

I was out in the lobby for almost the entire show, and thus not in a position to observe much, but I heard reports from the folks drifting in from backstage. At one point, Christina Rae came out and said "It's a madhouse back there!" Presumably everyone was being pressed into support activities, all to aid Amanda (particularly Amy Jacques-Jones, who was doing everything in her power to help). There was much confusion about whether the 'Little Lamb' song would be cut, since Amanda had never sung it before (ultimately, the song was kept and Amanda sang it well). Steve later said that the usual backstage hubbub was absent - everyone was completely caught up in the onstage drama. Sue peeked in briefly and said it was all rather cute, how the cast helped by sometimes taking her by the arm and guiding her around the stage. Lisa remarked how well the rest of the cast responded to altered blocking, since Amanda sometimes didn't know where to stand. Use of the onstage script worked well, with just a couple of hesitations in delivery when she momentarily lost her place.

Act I went off OK, but Act II would be more difficult. There were multiple quick costume changes, which would strongly inhibit use of an onstage script. Amanda would basically be alone, center stage, flying blind, and bereft of help.

I peeked in briefly, during the strip sequences. Amanda looked a little green - her voice was a little too quiet for the size of the theater. Remarkably, the costume changes all worked OK. Nevertheless, during the 'Garden of Eden' scene, she messed up delivering the 'ecdysiast' joke punchline, leaving an awkward silence. The cast tried to coach her from the wings, which only served to distract her. Kay quickly came in with the music and the show moved on! So, not perfect!

Considering everything, Amanda performed remarkably well - astonishingly well! The cast gave a huge sigh of relief at the end of the show.

Afterwards, lurking in the hallway, I tried to glean the reactions of the audience as they filed past. Most of what I heard was rather sober - along the lines of 'boy, that's hard to do - just step into the role and perform!' To my knowledge, only four audience members walked out (during intermission).

So, Amanda didn't perform well enough to get an Elly Award, but she did perform well enough to win the audience's respect and the cast's admiration. Steve beamed with pride and told her "I don't know why you weren't off-book. I mean, you had five minutes!" A minute later, slumped in his boxers in a chair in the dressing room and coming down from his adrenaline high, Steve sighed and expressed another thought: "I hope I never have another day like this as long as I live!"