Riedel: PORGY AND BESS canceling Broadway run?- Page 4

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 9/3/11 at 12:19am

If producers are closing their checkbooks, it's not because of what Brantley wrote. It's because what Brantley wrote confirmed what they were thinking about the show.

Then again, it's Reidel, who swore that neither HAIR nor Spider-Man would ever open.

[Gaveston2]

Posted: 9/3/11 at 3:36am

I don't know, Namo. Whoever is writing for the Times has a ridiculous amount of power.

A friend of mine was working for the production company presenting ANGELS IN AMERICA. She said they basically sat down with Frank Rich's review of the LA production and fired anybody Rich didn't like before bringing the show to Broadway. That included the directors.

[Gaveston2]

Posted: 9/3/11 at 3:36am

[duplicate post] Updated On: 9/3/11 at 03:36 AM

[BosBroad]

Posted: 9/3/11 at 5:05am

^^
While I agree that the NYT has some level of power, Frank Rich was at another level entirely. He *could* break shows with one sentence. Now, I'm not sure anyone has that particular level of influence.

I just suspect that, looking at the landscape this season, they knew they needed a smash production all around. The show doesn't seem to be that. There are problems. It can't be a cheap show, so it's likely that they just don't want to take any chance.

I do find it sad that the show now will always have a stigma largely based on unwise comments made by it's creative team and lead actress.

[best12bars]

Posted: 9/3/11 at 6:34am

Frank Rich?

Do you realize how drastically things have changed since then? The explosion of social media outlets, twitter, blogs, websites, message boards ... and good old-fashioned word-of-mouth.

That's where most of your theatre-goers (particularly out-of-town theatre goers) get their info on new shows.

The Times has nowhere near the power it did even ten years ago, and that was down significantly from ten years before that. (I remember when Miss Saigon proved to be pretty much a mega-hit, despite mediocre to bad reviews plus losing the Tony. That's when I first saw how much the impact of the Times had slipped.)

It's a new world now. While I think that a show like Porgy & Bess, which tends to attract the "review reading" crowd a lot more than, say, Legally Blonde, a negative Times review might show some impact ... but so many Broadway shows today where the star or familiarity of the title have FAR more relevance than any review could have, including a Times review, which I would wager 95 percent of the audience hasn't read or even heard about.

If a general consensus is saying a show is crappy, including the Times, that doesn't remotely mean that the Times review has had significant impact on the reaction. It's only one of many outlets now. It may still be the "most important" but that ranking is a slim distinction now.

And I know plenty of people who will go by what their friends and fellow theatre-goers say first, before they pay attention to a Times review.

Updated On: 9/3/11 at 06:34 AM

[CarlosAlberto]

Posted: 9/3/11 at 4:57pm

For all the bad press this production is receiving based on all the changes being implemented, this really is not the first time it has been done. In 2006 Trevor Nunn, with the consent of the Gershwin estate did a revision entitled, Porgy and Bess: The Musical. It flopped.

[Gaveston2]

Posted: 9/3/11 at 5:00pm

No, best12, I'm not up-to-date on New York show business. I moved to Los Angeles 25 years ago, and until I recently discovered this board I wasn't getting the latest Broadway news. (Even ANGELS was early 90s.)

So I appreciate the update. And I'm glad to hear the influence is spread around more.

I've come to appreciate Frank Rich as a political commentator, but his stranglehold on Broadway in the 1980s was ridiculous!

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 9/3/11 at 8:01pm

I really, really hope this show makes it to New York. That's all.

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 9/3/11 at 8:31pm

Desperate times and all that? The hucksterism continues?? The non-profit A.R.T. sent out this fundraising email, I assume to everybody who bought a ticket to P&B online. I would LOVE an exploration of the murky area in which this sort of production needs to operate before its (now-aborted?) "journey" continues to the world of commercial theater. It wouldn't surprise me to find that donors and funders are begged to give cash to A.R.T. for the joy they experienced with Norm and Audra, but that Diane Paulus's husband was to be a beneficiary of profits from a commercial Broadway run. But what do I know?

The text:



Make a Difference as a Donor

The time, energy, labor, and talent it takes to create a world-class production like The Gershwins' Porgy and Bess are substantial. Designing costumes, building sets, logging countless hours of rehearsal - artistic excellence is costly.

But the rewards are truly immeasurable. Now that you've seen a performance, we hope you agree the A.R.T's production of The Gershwins' Porgy and Bess brings a thought-provoking and heart-rending classic to the 21st century, allowing new audiences to enjoy and appreciate an American treasure.

Ticket income covers less than half of the expenses associated with producing quality theater.

The A.R.T.'s ability to present an entire season of outstanding productions depends upon the generosity of our supporters. Please contribute today!

Updated On: 9/3/11 at 08:31 PM

[jas1234]

Posted: 9/3/11 at 10:29pm

Didn't know that Paulus' husband was attached. Thought it was the same duo of commercial producers who helped move "Hair" to Broadway.

[alliez92092]

Posted: 9/3/11 at 10:59pm

He's just attached to ART's shady business dealings with the bar and stuff during The Donkey Show. There was a big article in The Boston Globe about it a year or so ago, but I can't find it anymore.

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 9/4/11 at 1:52am

AND he's attached to Sleep No More in NYC, even though it's the work of Punchdrunk. Diane Paulus is the Tony Soprano of "non-profit" theatre. Badda-bing.

I've attached a link to the above-mentioned Globe article on Weiner. I suppose the biggest laugh in it is the part where they swear he was hired by Harvard independently and that Paulus had nothing to do with it. Oh, I am sure.

The thing that really pisses me off is the fact that Zero Arrow Theater was an ongoing concern that hosted edgy and experimental theater, not the current burlesque shows. The failed attempt by the Dresden Dolls to collaborate with ART on their adaptation of The Onion Cellar is where they got the set that doubled as a working bar. Paulus and Weiner come in, rename Zero Arrow "Club Oberon" to tie it into The Donkey Show, and suddenly he invented the thing and gets a royalty for use of the name. Now, a year and a half later, Donkey Show plays twice on Saturdays and the fricking space is STILL called "Club Oberon" for no logical reason.

And the fact is, he makes money and pays the cast of shows like The Donkey Show less than the coat check staff in the theater. Excuse me, CLUB. There's no moral center, and clearly, the world of non-profit theater in Cambridge is more like La Cosa Nostra than ever.

I enjoyed Porgy & Bess for the performances of the leads and firmly believe Paulus and Weiner deserve every failure that comes their way.

Globe article on Weiner

Updated On: 9/4/11 at 01:52 AM

[best12bars]

Posted: 9/4/11 at 7:41am

"Ticket income covers less than half of the expenses associated with producing quality theater."

Less than half? Really? They're doing something seriously wrong, if this is the case.

Updated On: 9/4/11 at 07:41 AM

[VernonGersch]

Posted: 9/4/11 at 8:49am

I caught the show last night - and have read the reviews - my two cents with the cavet that I am not lover of Opera nor have I ever seen/heard Porgy & Bess before

Went into the theater knowing a bit (the ART did this great mailing to ticket buyers with a program with essays and letters from Diane Paulus, Suzi-Lori Parks and a history of the show.)
I will say that helped somewhat to set up the show for me - but I had no idea this was basically an opera - and still being performed as such. I guess I was expecting something more modern, more identifiable and something more entertaining...

Audra McDonlad gives a rapterous performance - and indeed - I agree with the quote "a Bess for the ages" from Brantley. Audra's voice lifts the songs into the heavens. I'd actually say the same for Norm Lewis (although how could anyone NOT be overshadowed by the gorgeous and complex voice of McDonlad...and I'd say the same of the Opera Singer who plays Crown...David Allen Grier is also quite good as Sporting Life - his moments are strong as his voice (loved him in FUNNY THING...and THE WIZ...)

But my take is that I was expecting something MORE...because I find the narrative to be a simple Opera - yes, sacrilige, I don't find the story or the characters all that compelling - dont get me wrong, there are moments where because the songs flow into one another allowing the story to propel itself at an entertainingly rapid rate (save for some midland songs that frankly were kinda too operatic for my liking and slow down the show - the "strawberries/honey" song come to mind..) however there are moments that are hypnotic and pure theatrical magic - beautifully directed mometns utlizing lighting and staging - and rain...

With that being said, the show suffers from being OLD and CREEKY - and in-authentic in terms of the music to the time, characters or history (although I appreciate the use of African Drumming and Dance in a scene or two) This is just an old play...

It's a heavy show, I didn't leave the theater with a catharsis (although I might have felt a tad verklepmt at the end...) but more depressing - and by the way - that's ok and I don't need to me made to feel good at the end of every piece of theater - its just that the sum didn't equal the whole of its parts...

....I would love to see this talented cast and director with another show - something with more soul and life...and less operatic

I certainly will be interested to see where this ends up

and I wish everyone well...

Got to see an American classic finally and now have judged it for myself...

Updated On: 9/4/11 at 08:49 AM

[EdwinBooth]

Posted: 9/4/11 at 9:22am

Vernon,

Enjoyed reading your post and hearing about your experience at P & B yesterday.

The problem is you really didn't "see an American classic finally". The work presented by A.R.T. is significantly cut, lacks the original orchestration that is an integral part of its glory and mucks with the story line (although not nearly as much as at the beginning of the previews).

I have no problem with reinterpreting classics but it works so much better when it truly comes from a place of respect and love for the original. For all the glory of some of the actors of stage, this felt dumbed down to me. Trust your audience and trust the creators of the work you're presenting....

[AC126748]

Posted: 9/4/11 at 9:33am

I suppose the biggest laugh in it is the part where they swear he was hired by Harvard independently and that Paulus had nothing to do with it. Oh, I am sure.


As someone who works in college-level academia, I can tell you that it's not uncommon at all for a influential person (e.g., Paulus) to get their spouse a job or business contract at the university where they work/teach. In fact, it seems to be the norm. It's almost comical that Weiner and Paulus would try to deny that their wasn't a connection. Academia is a most incestuous industry, even more so than theatre.

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 9/4/11 at 12:04pm

"I would love to see this talented cast and director with another show..."

One of these things is not like the others, One of these things just doesn't belong, Can you tell which thing is not like the others, By the time I finish my song?

[Wilmingtom]

Posted: 9/4/11 at 12:54pm

All of this because Riedel claims "a source" said so? I think I'll wait until they start refunding to Bway ticket holders before I get myself into a panic over this.

[DealingwithDivas]

Posted: 9/5/11 at 4:11pm

I'll be sad if P&B doesn't make it but not surprised.
I agree, Audra is amazing. Just a shame this wasn't handled properly by Gershwin estate.

[ReggieonBway]

Posted: 9/5/11 at 4:31pm

At the very least, I want a cast recording.

[jwsel]

Posted: 9/5/11 at 5:04pm

"How 'bout Stokes as Porgy?"

I saw the concert version that he and McDonald did at the Hollywood Bowl, with Wayne Brady as Sportin' Life. Granted it was not a full-blown production and it was in an amphitheater, but I did not get the sense that he was overpowered.

[Play Esq.]

Posted: 9/6/11 at 5:23pm

I'm erring on the side of caution with this one: bought a ticket for Sunday and doing an eighteen hour turn-around from New York to Boston and back. Not expecting a perfect P&B, only an incredible performance from one of theater's greatest talents. Everything else is just dessert.

By the way, the entire run is sold-out (except for the last two dates where Audra will not be appearing), but ART has regularly been allocating more tickets for each performance. I've kept the web page up and refreshed every hour or so before I got my tickets. As luck would have it, scored after a few hours of trying.

[Yero my Hero]

Posted: 9/6/11 at 5:34pm

I think I'll wait until they start refunding to Bway ticket holders before I get myself into a panic over this.

That's just what SPIDER-MAN ticketholders said.

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 9/6/11 at 5:40pm

Sondheim said if you go see this production, you will burn in Hell. Do people really want to risk their souls for all eternity?

[jimmycurry01]

Posted: 9/6/11 at 11:41pm

Mister Matt is right. God has spoken, and who am I to question the will of God. lol