1776's Sara Porkalob Brutally Honest Vulture Article - Page 8

[BJR]

Posted: 10/17/22 at 8:05am

Looks like it was a tense back stage this weekend. Glad to see she's back-pedaling.

And the fact she has to keep saying, "I didn't do this for personal gain" is because that's exactly how the interview read.

It's important to me to note she didn't get this interview. The production did. It was set up by the company's publicist, likely. It wasn't a Times profile on her alone, long after the show closed. The producers sent her out to sell tickets and she grabbed the spotlight for herself.

She says she believes that "illumination and naming what is actually happening in the room, onstage and off, creates change." What, naming an incident that was mishandled then rectified effectively is worth all this? No.

But maybe she'll get that new agent and more Insta followers. Cuz she sure ain't getting that Tony nom.

Updated On: 10/17/22 at 08:05 AM

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 10/17/22 at 8:53am

The level of back-pedaling is quite something (no doubt the result of a “come to Jesus” moment) and a stark contrast from her unhinged tweets the rest of the weekend.

Tone annd context are also key elements of that interview. There’s a way to talk about missteps in the room without placing blame or pointing fingers (or divulging such confidential detail) while focusing on the remedy — not the initial issue.

I also have to question the journalistic integrity. That the journalist did not go to Roundabout or ART or Jeffrey or Diane for comment is puzzling (be it on the record or off). I get that it’s a Q&A and not a profile — but a profile would have allowed for much, much more nuance and context and opportunity for others to weigh in.

I do hope there is additional reporting about what’s been going on over there in the aftermath of this.

[BorisTomashevsky]

Posted: 10/17/22 at 8:57am

“I stand by what I said & I'm sorry for the pain I've caused my team.”

= Sorry, not sorry. 

[BroadwayGirl107]

Posted: 10/17/22 at 9:43am

9. I'm not afraid of the great White Way. I'd be sad to lose the job but my termination would only be further proof of this industry's inability to adapt & change for the better. The work I care about can be done on Broadway or off.

 

Yikes to this comment. There is a deeply toxic mentality in my (and Sara’s) generation that makes people think this way. I have been quite vocal early in this that I think some of what they said was thought provoking and could be a springboard to some important conversations. But she chose to say these things while she was still in the show, and in a manner that did not consider it’s effect on others. She chose to publicly disparage creative choices of a show she is in…when she of all people should know that as a creator we don’t always hit a home run and sometimes part of being an actor is committing to it anyway (or at least 75%, haha). My assumption was that she said so knowing she probably would get fired.

 

She could have, alternatively,  chosen to make these comments in a way that was more sensitive and aware of others and how they gave her the very platform to say them to begin with. She could have said she wasn’t artistically fulfilled while validating the artistic attempts of others. She could have said these things at a time and in a way that would have considered how difficult and expensive it is to get a show up and running on Broadway, and how many other people it takes.


She didn’t. THAT is why she would be fired. Not because she’s some noble revolutionary who is organizing behind the scenes and working hard to strategize to make change happen. If she were doing that, she might actually be effective and no one would be thinking of firing her. 
 

I am so over people of my generation trying to pass off laziness and tactlessness as “activism”. If you want change—do it in an effective way. She gave them all the reason to want to fire her and it has nothing to do with her supposed cause. 
 

 

 

Updated On: 10/17/22 at 09:43 AM

[TheQuibbler]

Posted: 10/17/22 at 9:49am

What I find interesting in a lot of the initial reactions is how many people think she should “never work again.” Isn’t this oddly punitive and almost puritanical? As if people aren’t allowed to make mistakes and perhaps learn and grow from them? I don’t really have a horse in this race either way because I do understand both reactions, but the extremity of hoping someone never is able to work again because of a frank (and yes, maybe irresponsible) interview just seems to further the idea of gatekeeping: if you don’t adhere to our guidelines, you’re out.

Her more recent tweets seems to come from reflection. And no, I don’t think it’s “sorry, not sorry.” More than one thing can be true.

[Alex M]

Posted: 10/17/22 at 10:10am

ABitOnTheSide said: "Here's the thing. In July, I was fired from my job of 5 years that I loved because I stupidly posted something inflammatory about my workplace on Facebook. I removed the post, but the damage was already done. I live in an at-will employment state. My free speech wasn't violated by being fired; as a matter of fact, nothing could be more American than a company releasing you for badmouthing it or other offenses. God bless America, indeed.

Sara is a mess and I'm currently in a Twitter back-and-forth with her.

Who stinketh the most? The answer's clear."

get a life

[JasonC3]

Posted: 10/17/22 at 10:14am

I don't have ill wishes against this person, but every profession, organization, community, et al has standards and norms by which one must abide to a certain degree if you wish to enjoy the benefits that come from affiliating with said party.  I don't see that as "gatekeeping" in any extreme sense.  It is simply the way the world operates.  Of course, norms that are racist or in other ways inappropriately exclusionary should certainly be challenged.

Beyond that, those who find other community standards to be limiting, counter to the way they want to practice their art, or simply unacceptable, are free to do their thing however they want ... but they are not entitled to expect the same community benefits will accrue to them once they are outside the system. 

We see this going on right now with LIV golfers who cashed out big-time, but now think it is unfair they don't get the benefits of the PGA Tour they dissed.

Updated On: 10/17/22 at 10:14 AM

[joevitus]

Posted: 10/17/22 at 10:21am

binau said: ""I don't know if you're familiar with the Seattle fringe theater scene (I know impassioned theater fans who still mourn the loss of the Fringe Festival), but there is a whole genuinely rich theater community of playwrights and actors and technicians in that city who has no interest in a career or reputation beyond Seattle, or even in what would normally be called "professional" theater. I think, even though she's obviously eager to develop a New York-based career and win awards, she still basically operating out of that mentality. There may even be a struggle going on in her mind about whether, in doing this show and trying to cultivate a New York career, she's selling out. This may be intentional self-sabotage. "

I'm not familiar at all, so appreciate the background. Maybe she is is rich and not looking for professional gigs, in which case I guess it makes sense. To me it reads "oh I could easily have a career in Broadway theatre and the money is good, but I don't want that"....yet it is a blessing and privilege for her to be on that stage right now and it could easily never happen again (I mean even without this article of course). So I find it a really bizarre attitude to have."

I very much doubt she's rich, though a lot of the people I know in that scene do also work for Microsoft, so who knows?

[bdn223]

Posted: 10/17/22 at 10:48am

Put me in the camp, that while the new tweets don't completely absolve Sara of everything they said in the interview, it puts the interviews tone more into context which is I still don't understand how Sara did could not realize would be absent in a PRINT interview. 

The biggest issue for me personally in that interview was the tone Sara appeared to have. Its not what you say, but how you say it. Sara made some legitimate criticisms, but they were lost in the tone and the me-centerless of the interview. I personally with few exceptions everyone deserves some grace. The fact that they seem to be reflecting that what they said might have harmed others, seems like a big step for them based on how they appear in the interview.

From what I've seen on social, I wonder if its the attacks on Diane that made Sara come out and say something. The pitchforks those defending Sara's remarks had for Diane were scary. It honestly points to the ironic sexism of those defending Sara. In the NPR interview with Sara, Diane, and Jeffrey also released on Friday, Jeffrey and Diane admit that at first they wanted to hide more feminine aspects of the women playing men, but after talking with the cast they slowly learned its best to not hide these and instead embrace these things. This directly correlates to Sara's comments in the interview saying they did not like/understand having to have men's mannerisms in the ART run, which based on the other interview Jeffrey and Diane listened to and adjusted. 

This points to what's missing from Sara's initial interview, which I think they now understand is CONTEXT. They are so focused on telling their own story, they forget to point out that they were not the only ones in the room. Because of this they came off as self-centered and only caring about themselves to the detriment of everyone else involved. 

I do have to say tweet 9 "9. I'm not afraid of the great White Way. I'd be sad to lose the job but my termination would only be further proof of this industry's inability to adapt & change for the better. The work I care about can be done on Broadway or off." definitely rubs me the wrong way. People can take criticism, but its all in how one presents it. People can say I am tone policing, but when you have a platform, what you say and how you say it matters. The irony of this entire tweet is it semi-contradicts the prior tweets where Sara basically acknowledges that the criticisms they made in the rehearsal room were addressed properly, she simply did not agree with some of outcomes and wanted the production to take things further. In their interview it comes off as Jeffrey and Diane refused to listen and created a toxic rehearsal space, when they clearly did the exact opposite. There's speaking truth to power when you see an injustice and bringing more attention to it when it is ignored, but that's clearly not the case here by Sara's own admission.

If there's one thing that this makes me understand its why Disney sends all of its stars to PR school to learn how to talk to the press because if Sara had even the slighted of PR communications training this would of never happened. 

 

[JSquared2]

Posted: 10/17/22 at 11:30am

I think Barry Weissler should seize on this opportunity and cast her as "Go To Hell Kitty" in CHICAGO!

 

[VintageSnarker]

Posted: 10/17/22 at 2:39pm

BroadwayGirl107 said: "She didn’t. THAT is why she would be fired. Not because she’s some noble revolutionary who is organizing behind the scenes and working hard to strategize to make change happen. If she were doing that, she might actually be effective and no one would be thinking of firing her."

Well, I see she still hasn't stopped tweeting. 

My issue is that from her own accounting, she did nothing. She stayed silent and compromised and apparently stewed about it. She says she shared what she did in the interview "to illuminate and name the industry culture that needs to change" but she's not making accusations against the directors, at least not in the way the cast of Jagged Little Pill or Griffin Matthews did. SO WHICH IS IT? Even as an attempt at backpedaling, it's a mess. She can't stop trying to have it both ways because anyone who disagrees with her is racist and if she's fired, it proves her right. 

[Bill Snibson]

Posted: 10/17/22 at 3:11pm

She thought this interview would make her a hero and instead she’s become the villain. I imagine any and all back pedaling is coming from her team (manager/agent/publicist) in any attempt to try and fix this and keep her hirable! 

[MikeInTheDistrict]

Posted: 10/17/22 at 3:17pm

This whole thing is just sad. 

Updated On: 10/17/22 at 03:17 PM

[Sutton Ross]

Posted: 10/17/22 at 3:18pm

All this drama for a bad show whose grosses aren't good and will close in a few months. Wild. 

[akhoya87]

Posted: 10/17/22 at 4:03pm

For whatever it's worth, Joanna Glushak has also deleted her reply tweets responding to the whole situation.  I'm guessing there was a concerted effort at damage control/image maintenance.

[Bettyboy72]

Posted: 10/17/22 at 4:10pm

JSquared2 said: "I think Barry Weissler should seize on this opportunity and cast her as "Go To Hell Kitty" in CHICAGO!

Kitty would probably get about 40%  

 

[lilpunkin]

Posted: 10/17/22 at 4:41pm

The new tweets just make her sound even more insufferable, imo. Bragging about how incredibly smart and insightful and nuanced you are, and claiming anyone who doesn’t recognise this is a racist, is hardly self reflective.

Clearly they think they’re the best thing since sliced bread but if you need to walk around with a megaphone all day screaming about how you’re the biggliest, smartest, mostest talented person ever, it just reads as sheer narcissism. 

Which is a shame because large parts of the article genuinely were insightful and meaningful. She has a lot of important things to say, which sadly are being lost in all the noise and ego.

 

But then I am also capable of nuance, and capable of holding in my hand a respect for her well considered comments about race and intersectionality, while simultaneously holding in my hand the belief they must be an absolute narcissistic nightmare to be around.

[BuddyStarr]

Posted: 10/17/22 at 5:09pm

The Distinctive Baritone said: ...P.S. I've wanted to play Routledge for almost as long as Porkalob has been alive. Next to John Adams, it is definitely the juiciest role in the show - and it's a great show (it won Best Musical at the 1969 Tonys for a reason). "Molasses to Rum" is a fantastic showcase for a singing actor, and of course Porkalob is getting positive attention for it. Clearly that has gone to their head, and they have made a career-killing error. I feel bad for her on some levels, but I agree with Page: Porkalob is ungrateful and unwise."

I wanted to respond to your post but wanted to read the 8 pages of comments first.  What you posted here, and earlier in the thread, is what i came here to post.  Edward Rutledge is one of the BEST parts in 1776.  I have been fortunate to play the part twice in two different productions and it is a showstopper.  Ironically the praise they're getting for the role was because of how it was written, (by those two white dudes). They are incredibly full of themself and should have waited for the production to end to air such matters.

I can only imagine that the backstage environment has become a hostile work environment because of their interview or has become an even more hostile work environment if it was already (which she didn't exactly elude to)  

While I like the show I wasn't planning on seeing this production because of the press it was generating, but did rethink going once I saw it on TDF.  However, now, I really don't want to see it especially because of them and hope they're replaced.

[Dolly80]

Posted: 10/17/22 at 5:32pm

She needs to get over herself. She should be fired for being unprofessional. She ain’t working on Broadway again anytime soon.

There is a code of conduct and a sacred bond to your colleagues and production when you work on a show. All she’s done is prove she’s only out for herself.

[Bill Snibson]

Posted: 10/17/22 at 5:40pm

BuddyStarr said: "The Distinctive Baritone said: ...P.S. I've wanted to play Routledge for almost as long as Porkalob has been alive. Next to John Adams, it is definitely the juiciest role in the show - and it's a great show (it won Best Musical at the 1969 Tonys for a reason). "Molasses to Rum" is a fantastic showcase for a singing actor, and of course Porkalob is getting positive attention for it. Clearly that has gone to their head, and they have made a career-killing error. I feel bad for her on some levels, but I agree with Page: Porkalob is ungrateful and unwise."

I wanted to respond to your post but wanted to read the 8 pages of comments first. What you posted here, and earlier in the thread, is what i came here to post. Edward Rutledge is one of the BEST parts in 1776. I have been fortunate to play the part twice in two different productions and it is a showstopper. Ironically the praise they're getting for the role was because of how it was written, (by those two white dudes). They are incredibly full of themself and should have waited for the production to end to air such matters.

I can only imagine that the backstage environment has become a hostile work environment because of their interview or has become an even more hostile work environment if it was already (which she didn't exactly elude to)

While I like the show I wasn't planning on seeing this production because of the press it was generating, but did rethink going once I saw it on TDF. However, now, I really don't want to see it especially because of them and hope they're replaced."

Save your money. It’s a really misguided revival. There is an idea there, it just wasn’t fully realized. 

[Sally Durant Plummer]

Posted: 10/17/22 at 5:41pm

Just catching up on this drama now and... what a legend. Saying all this loudly and proudly and not backing down? Never giving an inch! She's completely right.

 

I have a feeling the next few years are going to be a massive quake for Broadway.

[bwaydreamer]

Posted: 10/17/22 at 5:43pm

I'm still thrown mostly by the part where she says "I feel like I'm going to work."  

YOU ARE, that is your job.  Broadway is a business first and foremost and I think a lot of people are forgetting or conflating that fact.  

Also, she's just not that good. Her talent does not back up ANY of this.

[Sally Durant Plummer]

Posted: 10/17/22 at 6:27pm

LOL

https://twitter.com/jallencomposer/status/1581517625397374976

[hearthemsing22]

Posted: 10/17/22 at 7:44pm

I saw people talking about Sara and at first I was genuinely confused because I was like, what on earth did Sara Bareilles do?? 

[Playbill_Trash]

Posted: 10/18/22 at 2:15pm

In the Vulture interview, Porkalob brings up how “Molasses to Rum” highlights the hypocrisy of John Adams and others advocating to remove slavery from the constitution while benefitting from the labor.

Is the irony or parallel lost on her that she is advocating for the direction and handling of the show /industry be different while in the same breathe acknowledging how the role is benefiting her for potential awards, IG followers, industry connections, salary etc.?

Obviously the terms of hypocrisy couldn’t be more different, but maybe she should listen to her own song in the show. Maybe her blind spot is in the 10% she admits to not giving during that scene.

The director’s “fake-woke” assessment was astute. (He still seems unhinged based on the rest of his words).