Posted: 10/12/16 at 4:47pm
How long have they been using three matildas only? Isn't this against some rule saying they need to keep the same number of people in the cast. I'm guessing they just added a swing.
Posted: 10/12/16 at 5:42pm
They have been using three Matildas since these girls started in the summer. Two girls are scheduled 3 times a week and one twice. That's what they have on tour as well. There is no swing in the the role but tori came back for one week when one girl was unavailable.
Posted: 10/12/16 at 6:03pm
They can make changes, as long as they work it through with Equity.
Posted: 10/12/16 at 6:06pm
Call_me_jorge said: "How long have they been using three matildas only? Isn't this against some rule saying they need to keep the same number of people in the cast. I'm guessing they just added a swing.
"
It took you five months to notice?
If they can use three girls on tour, which is more stressful with constant moving around, why shouldn't they use three on broadway?
Posted: 10/12/16 at 6:34pm
itis2l84u said: "It took you five months to notice?"
He was saving it for a day when he didn't have enough things to fill his quota of number of threads to start per day.
Posted: 11/5/16 at 3:28pm
It seems that all three went on Friday night 11/4. That must have been an interesting show. Hope all the girls are ok.
Posted: 11/5/16 at 5:31pm
https://twitter.com/QueenLesli/status/794731483168722944
Posted: 11/5/16 at 8:52pm
I still don't understand why they ever needed three or four Matildas. Sorry, but it is not THAT challenging of a role. Surely no more work than an actress playing Annie, or Mary Lennox. With BILLY ELLIOT it made sense because the role had such huge physical demands with all the dancing and acro. But Matilda?
And then when they all received a "special" Tony, that REALLY iirked me. Especially since it was the same year that another family musical with great, talented kids was playing Broadway; A CHRISTMAS STORY. Was the role of Matilda more demanding than the role of Ralphie? Johnny Rabe had a great voice, impeccable comic timing, and was able to really make you care about Ralphie (which I was never able to do when watching the movie). Did Rabe get a special Tony? What about all the other great kids in A CHRISTMAS STORY? Luke Spring was mentioned in almost every review of that show and he was featured prominently (and deservedly so) in the Tony performance. It always bothered me that the Matildas got that special Tony but nothing for the kids from A CHRISTMAS STORY.
(Yes, I know Rabe had an alternate who did two shows a week, but Rabe still 6 of the 8 shows a week, which was still more than 2 of the Matildaas combined.)
Posted: 11/6/16 at 1:07am
You can't compare Matilda to A Christmas Story. Matilda was planned as a long running show - A Christmas Story was a short run seasonal show. Of course you can have one lead kid if you are going to do this for a couple of months...but if you are going to have a show run for years, it's a totally different situation. You either rotate the kids or you recast every few months.
I don't think you can fault a show for wanting to protect their young actors from overwork, falling behind in school, etc. Plus the company wants to give a number of children the opportunity to be in a Broadway show...instead of a few...and give lots of kids a wonderful experience.
About the Tony, I personally don't think any "group" of actors should receive a Tony award..and that includes the Billy Elliot boys (no matter how fabulous they were). Unless the Tony Committee sees all the kids, certain children are getting awards for not even being seen. That just doesn't seem right to me or fair...
Posted: 11/6/16 at 1:58am
Also, the RSC is notoriously protective of the kids in Matilda and the type of kids they pick. They always want the kids to be just like normal kids and not simply "stage kids". I would venture to guess that the multiple Matildas may have something to do with not wanting to put leading a 4/6/8 show week on a single 8 year old.
Posted: 11/6/16 at 2:17am
Well yes and no. They may be following laws in Britain but they follow the same traditions here where similar laws don't apply... with their leads. They are protective of the lead kids regardless of the country.
That said, all the children's parts are cast with multiple casts in Britain. I believe there were 3 casts of ballet girls in Billy Elliot and at least 3 casts of Matilda children. Here each part is cast with one child per role... who work with a number of swings who generally relieve them 1-2 times a week.
Posted: 11/6/16 at 9:24am
Labor laws or not, Matthew Warchus has had rules in place to make sure that the girls who are playing Matilda are all on an equal playing field. For example, when the show opened, if say, a morning show wanted to interview one of the actresses playing Matilda it was either all of the girls would show up or none of the girls would show up. And, they have never been allowed to stage door. Regardless of what labor laws are where, the have gone above and beyond to make sure that these girls have normal lives after their run in the show is over.
Posted: 11/6/16 at 2:12pm
You can praise the creatives and the RSC all you want, but when they're paying the Matilda's $75/show, they loose all respect from me.
Posted: 11/6/16 at 2:33pm
whats British equity minimum? That seems abysmally low.
Posted: 11/6/16 at 3:05pm
British Equity, like every other union in the UK, has very little power due to all the anti-union regulations put in place during the Thatcher era. Those girls are not the only ones being paid abysmally low rates on the West End. Many ensemble members, and even some leads, need to keep second jobs when performing in the West End in order to make ends meet.
Posted: 11/15/16 at 5:18pm
Since Ava went on 5 times in a row this past weekend, it looks like they need a little help. Tori Feinstein is back this week. There's an Instagram post.
Updated On: 11/15/16 at 05:18 PM
Posted: 11/15/16 at 6:27pm
Weren't the American Matilda's disqualified from the best actress race becase the Tony committee didn't want the voters seeing the show four times? I'm pretty sure the main reason why they got the special Tony award is because their British counterparts won the Olivier Aw
Posted: 11/15/16 at 7:52pm
It's not that they were expected to see it four times. They would just be voting for people they didn't see based on who they did see
Posted: 11/15/16 at 10:22pm
KathyNYC2 said: "Since Ava went on 5 times in a row this past weekend, it looks like they need a little help. Tori Feinstein is back this week. There's an Instagram post."
Illness or something else? It's about time for the annual "everyone gets sick" week(s).
Posted: 11/15/16 at 10:43pm
asmith0307 said: "KathyNYC2 said: "Since Ava went on 5 times in a row this past weekend, it looks like they need a little help. Tori Feinstein is back this week. There's an Instagram post."
Illness or something else? It's about time for the annual "everyone gets sick" week(s).
Illness. All three have been sick at one point over the last weeks (there was one performance that had all three Matildas in one show and another had two). Obviously Ava recovered but the others had it.
"
Posted: 11/23/16 at 4:31pm
mikey2573 said: "I still don't understand why they ever needed three or four Matildas. Sorry, but it is not THAT challenging of a role. Surely no more work than an actress playing Annie, or Mary Lennox. With BILLY ELLIOT it made sense because the role had such huge physical demands with all the dancing and acro. But Matilda?
And then when they all received a "special" Tony, that REALLY iirked me. Especially since it was the same year that another family musical with great, talented kids was playing Broadway; A CHRISTMAS STORY. Was the role of Matilda more demanding than the role of Ralphie? Johnny Rabe had a great voice, impeccable comic timing, and was able to really make you care about Ralphie (which I was never able to do when watching the movie). Did Rabe get a special Tony? What about all the other great kids in A CHRISTMAS STORY? Luke Spring was mentioned in almost every review of that show and he was featured prominently (and deservedly so) in the Tony performance. It always bothered me that the Matildas got that special Tony but nothing for the kids from A CHRISTMAS STORY.
(Yes, I know Rabe had an alternate who did two shows a week, but Rabe still 6 of the 8 shows a week, which was still more than 2 of the Matildaas combined.) "
It's been three years and you're still going on about this? I don't think anybody cares about A Christmas Story not receiving a special Tony when Matilda did, not even the cast and crew of A Christmas Story.
Posted: 11/23/16 at 5:54pm
Tori came back for just "one week" (last week) it was announced - but it's week two and she was on Tuesday night. I guess between the illnesses and the holidays, they could use a helping hand.
Luckily Tori lives close by and is still the right size for the part. All four were on last week at least once... so hopefully all are on the mend...
Posted: 11/25/16 at 5:44pm
Tori performed today's matinee. I was pretty surprised when I opened up my playbill and an insert with her bio fell out.
Posted: 11/25/16 at 8:58pm
HighFlyingAdored97 said: "Tori performed today's matinee. I was pretty surprised when I opened up my playbill and an insert with her bio fell out.
"
She's been filling in again for two weeks now. The Matildas keep getting ill unfortunately.
