Understudy for Helen Keller in Miracle Worker is vision-impaired

There are few things as disappointing as shelling out 100 bucks to see a Broadway show, only to discover that the much-heralded lead is sick and the understudy is going on. For whatever reason (karma? Broadway conspiring against me?), this happens to me frequently. But I have to say, I'll be intrigued, perhaps even excited if the (admittedly ultra-talented) Abigail Breslin is out the night I see The Miracle Worker, which begins previews in February. That's because the Oscar nominee's understudy, 10-year-old Kyra Ynez Siegel from Eugene, Oregon, will be the first visually-impaired actress to play Helen Keller on Broadway (not to mention one of the few disabled actors on all of the Great White Way). Siegel is blind in one eye, whereas Keller was deaf and sightless. Still, her casting is in keeping with Keller's dedication to increase opportunities for the disabled. Seeing her step into the limelight should be a truly tear-jerking, feel-good moment. We hope she gets at least a few nights to shine.