A documentary revealing the under-appreciated, highly demanding world of Broadway Understudies and Standbys. Three undiscovered performers at various points in their careers get the chance of a lifetime. Their struggle is put into perspective through never-before-heard stories from celebrities who themselves were once Understudies or Standbys.... (Full plot summary below)
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A documentary revealing the under-appreciated, highly demanding world of Broadway Understudies and Standbys. Three undiscovered performers at various points in their careers get the chance of a lifetime. Their struggle is put into perspective through never-before-heard stories from celebrities who themselves were once Understudies or Standbys.
Leave your thoughts about The Standbys.
| The New York TimesNeil GenzlingerMs. Riggs gives each actor a story arc of sorts, and all three are personable guides to this backstage world, explaining the process and terminology and talking openly about their lives and jobs. |
| Village VoiceNick SchagerShort and sweet, it's an empathetic and affecting tribute to the great — and vital — artists who all too rarely receive a center-stage encore. |
| New York Daily NewsElizabeth WeitzmanStephanie Riggs never manages to develop her debut documentary about Broadway performers into a satisfying feature. But the stories alone ought to be appreciated by theater fans and, especially, aspiring actors. |
| Hollywood ReporterJohn DeForeEnjoyable doc celebrates theater pros who rarely see the spotlight. |
| User ReviewSarah BThis film was great, and it was really interesting to get to look into the lives and careers of the people on Broadway who aren't always in the spotlight. They deserve to be seen and have their stories told, and as someone who doesn't know a lot about Broadway, I learned so much from this film. I would definitely recommend it whether or not you are a Broadway fan! |
| User ReviewRichard MThis is a nice film. It is engaging, well filmed, in parts emotional, in parts suspenseful, interesting, and informative. One learns about the roller-coaster and often psychologically stressful lives of three standby, understudy, and/or swing actors in their own words and with commentaries from others in the world of stage performances (including other standbys). We who enjoy such entertainment really never think about these people who have to be often even better prepared and certainly more flexible than those whom they stand in for. The pace of the documentary and the interleaving of segments is generally good, although additional editing could probably make some of the segments even more compelling and turn this into an even better film. I was really impressed by the personal and stage qualities of the featured actors and how they forthrightly discuss their feelings and the motivations for their choices. The subtext of deep desire and resilience being keys to success at whatever level runs as a thread throughout the film. Thanks to Stephanie Riggs for making a high quality documentary that honors the unsung heros of stage acting. And thanks to the Tallgrass Film Festival for featuring the film at the close of their 2012 event. |
