Viewing page 35 of 51

This transcription has been completed. Contact us with corrections.

Dear Playbill...

Dear PLAYBILL: Is it true that Patti LuPone does not appear at matinee performances of Evita? If so, why? Will this policy continue or is it just for a limited time?
-Bob Pius
East Stroudsburg, Pa. 

At matinee performances of Evita, Terri Klausner sings the title role. This is not unusual in a musical that verges on opera. When Porgy and Bess was revived a few seasons ago, the part of Bess was sung by three different singers. The demands of the Evita role are such that the policy of a substitute singer at matinees will be observed for the entire run. 

Dear PLAYBILL: I recently saw A Chorus Line and would like to know if the character "Zach" (Scott Pearson) who plays the director in the show actually speaks his dialogue when he is heard from different parts of the theatre, or if his voice has been pre-taped

-Marie Onofrio
West Haven, Conn.

According to Bob Ullman, the Press Representative for A Chorus Line, no taped voices are used in the show. It is always the live voice of actor Scott Pearson that is heard, even when he is off-stage.

Dear PLAYBILL: In the 1930's I saw a play on Broadway that used a fascinating device. The first scene took place in the present, and each succeeding scene went backwards in time until the last scene, in which the characters were seen at their college graduation. Can you tell me the name and author of this play
-Thomas Mackey
Newport, R.I.

That was Merrily We Roll Along by Kaufman and Hart, which opened at the Music Box Theatre on October 1, 1934. The large cast included Walter Able, Mary Phillips, Kenneth MacKenna and Cecilia Loftus. In 1949, the same device was used in I Know My Love, in which ALfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne grew younger in each succeeding scene.

Dear PLAYBILL: Is there a sound track album for Loose Ends? If not, can you tell me the names of the Randy Newman songs that are played during the play and if they are from a Randy Newman album?
-Linda Gerken
Woodhaven, N.Y.

There is no sound track album for that show. According to playwright Michael Weller, the songs heard during the course of his play were taped from three or four different Randy Newman albums and include the following titles: "I'll Be Home," "Kentucky Home," "Rollin'," "Lonely At The Top," "Sail Away," Momma Told Me," and "Love Story."

     *     *     *

Dear PLAYBILL: Can you settle a dispute? My friend says that when the play Becket opened on Broadway in 1960, Laurence Olivier played the title role and Anthony Quinn played Henry II, but that they later switched roles. I say that Quinn did not switch roles. After Quin left the show, Olivier switched to playing Henry II and Arthur Kennedy played Becket.
-Edward Dompieri
Columbus, Oh.

According to Lucia Victor, who was Production Stage Manager for Becket, you are right. Laurence Olivier originally played Becket and Anthony Quinn played Henry II. Mr. Quinn left the show before it toured, at which time Olivier decided to switch to the role of Henry II, with Arthur Kennedy playing Becket.

Dear PLAYBILL: Please tell me who wrote the music heard in Neil Simon's play, The Good Doctor. What type of music was it?
-Peter Wood
Closter, N.J.

The music was written by Broadway composer Peter Link and the lyrics were by Neil Simon. The songs were described by the New York Times as imitations of Russian peasant songs.

Have a question about the theatre? Write to PLAYBILL, Dept. D.P. 100 Avenue of the Americas, New York, N.Y. 10013.

64

[[end page]]
[[start page]]

[[advertisement]]
[[image - color photograph of a man's hand holding a bottle of Chivas Regal]]

It's better to give than receive.
With certain possible exceptions.

CHIVAS REGAL • 12 YEARS OLD WORLDWIDE • BLENDED SCOTCH WHISKY • 86 PROOF •GENERAL WINE & SPIRITS CO., N.Y., N.Y.
[[/advertisement]]