The Downfall of an Understudy

Maren Wade's Confessions of a Showgirl: "The Downfall of an Understudy" Photo Credit: Patrick Rivera

Click here to read full article in Las Vegas Weekly

We’ve all been there. That moment when you live out a dream and realize it’s not at all what you expected. Lisa, though petite in stature, had tall dreams of starring in a Broadway show. After years of hard work, Lisa’s dream came true. Okay, I have a confession to make: Her dream came true minus a few details.

So the show wasn’t on Broadway; it was on the Las Vegas Strip. However, it was once on Broadway and, more importantly, Lisa was going to be the star. Actually, “star” is a loose term. I think her official title was “understudy” to the star. (For those who don’t know the term understudy, it’s the person who learns all of the star’s moves, grows close to the star and then hopes an injury befalls him or her—ideally nonfatal.)

I won’t mention the name of the show to protect the guilty, but let’s just say it’s a musical named after a windy city … in Illinois.