[Ads-l] swing, a musical theatre term

[Ben Zimmer]

I recall first hearing about "swings" during "Hamilton"-mania c. 2015-6,
though I'm sure it was a Broadway term of art long before that. When
"Hamilton" started playing in multiple cities, they even had "universal
swings" who could be dispatched to different productions.

https://www.marketplace.org/2017/10/26/playing-every-role-hamilton/

More on the Covid-era importance of swings and understudies in this NYT
piece last year:

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/24/theater/understudies-broadway-cancellations.html

--bgz

On Wed, Oct 19, 2022 at 5:08 PM George Thompson <george.thompson at nyu.edu>
wrote:

> From a recent issue of The Guardian (London), profiling professional
> mermaids:
> [headline]  The real-life mermaids turning fantasy into reality on
> Britain’s shores
>
> [Previous to taking up mermaiding, one had been an actress and singer, but
> had developed vocal problems:]
> She was the show’s swing, a musical theatre term for a performer who can
> take on any role in the production at short notice.
> (Sun 16 Oct 2022 10.00 BST)
>
> I don't see this in the OED, swing,  noun, #2
>

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