1996 phantom incident — Page 2

Yeah there's an article somewhere linked on an old thread about this, but from what I remember the actors got a decent severance package, whatever the amount was.

That said, Macintosh really doesn't f*** around. He fired both the original Valjean AND Phantom of the recently reimagined Les Miz and POTO tours when they missed too many performances due to vocal fatigue. He also fired a Javert and an Eponine on Broadway a while back.

Here we go. This was what I thought was originally being referred to. From the Daily News.

http://www.nydailynews.com/archives/nydn-features/miz-ery-actors-equity-barricades-accuses-mackintosh-producer-harassing-touring-cast-article-1.691804

Thanks, Tsao5! Wow. Amazing. Only a couple months after I saw the tour for the first time, too.

Justin D said: "Lot666 said: "I wish the Big Wigs would pay a visit to The Majestic for a look at Kyle Barisich's performance of Raoul. I'm told he's a lovely person, but he is without question the weakest Raoul I've ever seen (and I've seen quite a few). He shout-sings his lines in a monotone, his posture and bearing suggest a modern day kid loitering on a sidewalk, and nothing about him says "sophisticated, handsome aristocrat". He is just completely lacking in credibility. When Jordan Donica was still playing Raoul (a quite excellent Raoul, for the record), I saw Mr. Barisch play Monsieur Reyer, a role for which he was much better suited. I wish they would either move him back there or dismiss him.

There was actually a bit of backstage drama regarding this"

Regarding...what, specifically? Could you please elaborate?

Just popping in to say that this thread is SO interesting to read. Thanks everybody who's written so far!

The Distinctive Baritone said: "As much as I love gossip, let's let Kyle Barisch's performance (which I have not seen) speak for itself. It's theatre. There's always backstage drama."

I get what you're saying and I'm not particularly interested in "backstage drama"; I'm just wondering whether his performance has been questioned by the show.

After what happened on the road between the cast (not all, but many of them) and RJA and the subsequent meetings with the union and the producers, RJA basically just resigned (or more likely was asked to). His tenure with Les Miserables simply came to an end (on a bit of a sour note) and he moved on to other things.At the time he WAS the man as it were, and many former cast members owe their time in Les Miz to his decision to cast them. However depending on who is asked, he was a total a-hole or a passionate lover of all things theater (or both). I believe this situation resolved itself not that long before the tenth anniversary. Some of those involved were probably thrilled he was out, some might have been unhappy, and some might have been just, whatever. In the end, a cast being chewed out as a whole by a resident director or a musical director or even a stage manager because some members of the cast are screwing around too much is not SO SO unusual. I believe in former Cosette Jodie Langel's book Making it On Broadway, this situation was referenced by someone.......not the chewing out, but that cast members were screwing around and it affected the work. What made this situation unique at the time was, in the age before cellphones, for someone to have secretly recorded the tirade was what set this situation apart.