What is a standby in a musical?
In the case of an emergency, the standby will complete the course of the show should the intended actor/actress be unable to fulfill her duty. An understudy will take the place of an actor should he/she not be able to perform on a specific day. Unless an announcement is made PRIOR to the performance, and understudy will never go on.
Since Elphaba and Glinda have monster roles, If one of them is not feeling well during the show, you can’t exactly drudge on in a score like they have to sing. Or since Elphaba flies and Glinda has her bubble, injuries are common. There is a need to have someone ready to play the roles at all times, in the show. These are called standbys, they stand-by. This is very different from an understudy, who is in the show every night in the ensemble. When a performer is on vacation or calls out sick before the show begins, the standby also have priority to go on before the understudy, the standby is first cover. If the standby is unavailable to perform, the second cover (the understudy) performs, and a swing performs in the understudy’s role. An understudy will take the place of an actor should he/she not be able to perform on a specific day. Unless an announcement is made priot to the performance, and understudy will never go on. Hope this helped you understand the difference between “standby
