Theater Thursday - The Standbys

What: The Standbys 

Where: Available from Broadway on Demand

Who: Tweens and Up

Now when Broadway swings, understudies, and standbys are literally keeping the theater industry alive more than ever, it is a great time to view the 2012 documentary The Standbys. If you want to know exactly what it is that standbys do, what makes a standby different than a swing or an understudy and more, you are definitely going to want to watch this fascinating film. It follows the stories of three standbys. Merwin Foard was a standby extraordinaire who stood in for such performers as Nathan Lane in The Addams Family and Jonathan Freeman in Aladdin. Alena Watters was the standby for Karen Olivio as Anita in West Side Story among others. Ben Crawford was not only the standby for Brian D'Arcy James in Shrek but was the rare standby who was actually given the opportunity to take over the role when James left. However, that didn't necessarily mean his standby days were over. This is a very insightful film that really gives the viewer a true glimpse of what it's like to be a Broadway standby and the mental and emotional toll it takes. Any true theater fan will not want to miss it.

The Standby is available for a 48 hr rental for $3.99 from Broadway on Demand. A free Broadway on Demand membership is required for rental. For more information, visit www.broadwayondemand.com/series/9FkRZj4an54Z-the-standbys.

And that's our view. Tune in Sunday for this week's Sunday Scoop.