Many of the top stars on Broadway " Shirley MacLaine, Patina Miller, Sutton Foster, and Matthew Morrison " received their first big break when, as understudies, they went on to play a featured or starring role in a major musical. But, what IS an understudy? What are the obligations? And what are the differences among the related terms of understudy, swing, and standby in a show? In this episode of THEATER: All the Mo…
