It's true. In the 2002 revival, Milky White was played by an actor in a wrinkly cow costume, with crutches to simulate its front legs.
In a 2003 interview for The Sondheim Review, Chad Kimball told me: ''I was originally cast as a cover for Jack and Rapunzel's Prince. Kate Reinders and Jennifer Malenke were supposed to play the cow, but in rehearsals, the physical stress was too much for them.'' So he took over and thought: ''I can't believe having to play the cow. It's gonna hurt. It's gonna suck.'' And it initially took him a half-hour to get into the costume, which he later got down to 4 minutes. Plus, he later needed to get physical therapy. But overall, Chad says playing Milky White ''was a blast and I had so much fun.''
Like Kanagawa, it was Kimball's Broadway stage debut, and his scene-stealing performance as Milky White got him lots of attention and publicity. |
