The third Emile de Becque during the original Broadway run of South Pacific, Roger Rico, was fired one day between matinee and evening performances after he had been playing the role six months. There were just too many complaints that the genuinely French Rico was unintelligible even after six months.
Also, I think Timothy Nolen, the first replacement Phantom on Broadway, was essentially fired. He had signed for six months with an option for another six, but he was gone after five. They'd had to put "Music of the Night" into a lower key for him, and Lloyd Webber was not pleased. |
