替補演員萬歲！

小瓊：你應該已經聽說了在新冠病毒奧密克戎變異毒株引發的病例激增后，美國各種演出取消的消息了吧。

小薇：你是指那些因為有劇組成員或者工作人員，因為新冠病毒核酸檢測結果為陽性而取消的戲劇和舞蹈演出嗎？對于這些演出來說，最好的情況是在今年晚些時候重新啟動。但也有一些演出就這樣默默地消失了。

小瓊：許多人仍然對大都會歌劇院如何能夠在不取消演出的情況下，保持開放這么長時間感到驚訝。事實上，這得歸功于一件事：替補演員。

小薇：你說的是新版《弄臣》吧！該制作在跨年夜首演——那是繼演出季開幕之夜后，最令人雀躍的晚上了。通常演出的一整晚都如同一場大型派對，更不用說劇院借此推動大型募捐活動了。這一次，大都會揭開了巴特利特·謝爾（Bartlett Sher）導演新制作的面紗，而主演是奎因·凱爾西（Quinn Kelsey）。

小瓊：是的，正是那個。雖然當晚取消了籌款晚宴，但演出還是正常開演了。人們對謝爾的新制作并沒有那么激動，但他們都對奎因感到非常興奮，尤其是因為這是他第一次在舞臺上扮演這個角色。

小薇：我明白那種感覺。你告訴過我，去年夏天奎因在辛辛那提歌劇院露天演出的《托斯卡》中首次飾演斯卡爾皮亞。

小瓊：然而12月31日的演出之后不久，奎因開始出現一些感冒癥狀。如今，人們都非常小心，大都會歌劇院也遵循著嚴格的安全協議，甚至為了安全起見，在核酸檢測結果出來之前，歌劇院就安排了一位替補演員上臺。

小薇：你是指B組中的演員么？

小瓊：不，我是指一個完全獨立的替補演員，他很早便準備就緒。當凱爾西感到身體有所不適時，他就沒有與任何人接觸過，所以劇組的其他人員都很安全。他的替補演員邁克爾·奇奧爾迪（Michael Chioldi）于1月4日開始接替凱爾西扮演這個角色，隨后進行了幾場演出。像這樣的緊急情況正是當初歌劇院為替補支付額外費用的原因。

小薇：所以奇奧爾迪就這樣踏上舞臺并成為熱門話題了？可憐的奎因……

小瓊：事情也沒那么糟糕！最終，奎因完成了隔離，并在1月15日重返舞臺，并迎來了新一輪的宣傳。每個人都各得其所，皆大歡喜。

Joan： You’ve heard about all the cancellations in America after the surge of Omicron cases？

Valery： You mean about all those theatre and dance performances that went dark because cast members or crew workers have tested positive for COVID-19？ The best-case scenario is that some start up again later in the year. Others are simply gone forever.

Joan： A lot of people are still marveling about how the Metropolitan Opera has managed to remain open for so long without canceling， but it really comes down to one thing： understudies.

Valery： You’re talking about the new Rigoletto， right？ The one that debuted at the Met on New Year’s Eve—after opening night， probably the most auspicious night of the season. Often the whole night is just an excuse for a big party， not to mention a major fundraiser for the company， but this time the Met was unveiling a new production by Bartlett Sher， with the starring role being played by Quinn Kelsey.

Joan： Yes， that’s the one. They cancelled the fundraising dinner afterward， but the performance took place. People were not so thrilled about Sher’s production， but they were very excited about Quinn， especially since this was his first time playing the role.

Valery： I know that feeling. You had told me about his stage debut in the role of Baron Scarpia at Cincinnati Opera’s open-air Tosca last summer.

Joan： Soon after December 31， Quinn started to show some cold symptoms. People are very careful these days， and the Metropolitan Opera is following strict protocols： Even before COVID test results were ready， the opera house called in a replacement just to be safe.

Valery： You mean someone from the second cast？

Joan： No， I mean an entirely separate understudy， someone already waiting in the wings. By the time Kelsey was feeling sick， he wasn’t in contact with anyone else， so the rest of the company was safe. His understudy Michael Chioldi stepped into the role on January 4 and a couple of performances afterward. Emergencies like this are precisely why opera companies pay the extra money for understudies in the first place.

Valery： So Chioldi steps in and became the talk of the town？ Poor Quinn….

Joan： Not so poor！ Quinn finished his quarantine and was back in the role by January 15 and greeted by another round of publicity. Everybody got something good out of this.