A STRANGE LOOP On Broadway - Reviews & News Thread- Page 36

[yyys]

Posted: 1/8/23 at 11:36am

Ok they changed the tweet to say sunday matinee...

[ACL2006]

Posted: 1/8/23 at 11:45am

yyys said: "Ok they changed the tweet to say sunday matinee..."

 

I guess they're hoping Spivey is able to do tonight's show.

[ACL2006]

Posted: 1/8/23 at 12:06pm

Same cast for today's matinee.

 

ACL2006 said: "And now L Morgan Lee is out of the show. Zachary A. Myers is on as Thought 1.



So tonight's concert version:

Usher: - Michael R. Jackson

Thought 1 - Zachary A. Myers

Thought 2 - James Jackson, Jr.

Thought 3 - John-Michael Lyles

Thought 4 - John-Andrew Morrison

Thought 5 - JMR

Thought 6 - Kyle

OUT: L Morgan Lee, Spivey, Edwin Bates, Veasey, Hopper, Mars Rucker"

 

[Jimbo2]

Posted: 1/8/23 at 12:10pm

Broadway understudies posted on Twitter that Zachary will be on for Thought 2, I don’t think this is correct.

[ACL2006]

Posted: 1/8/23 at 12:14pm

Correction, Zachary confirmed on their IG that they're on for Thought 2, so L Morgan Lee must be on today and James Jackson must be out.

[jkcohen626]

Posted: 1/8/23 at 1:36pm

Y'all might want to check out L Morgan Lee's Instagram story...

If Zachary's on for James Jackson Jr. then she's supposedly back today, but that does not sound like a happy camper. 

Updated On: 1/8/23 at 01:36 PM

[ACL2006]

Posted: 1/8/23 at 1:52pm

I guess she's starting to spill the backstage drama now. Can't imagine today's matinee will be a good performance.

[Rakesh Natarajan]

Posted: 1/8/23 at 1:55pm

jkcohen626 said: "Y'all might want to check out L Morgan Lee's Instagram story..."

Just in case someone doesn't have Instagram or doesn't want to leave this site, this is what L Morgan Lee wrote: "Our industry is quick to judge and place blame and expectations on actors. We would benefit as a community to ask: What kind of work environment, treatment, and circumstances might cause an actor to respond in certain ways? Are actors not expected to take steps to protect themselves in these situations? The business KNOWS the public has a tendency to shame/blame actors, threatening their reputation and image... This perpetuates behavior and decision making that can put actors in inexcusable and unnecessarily stressful positions that may comprise the health of their minds and bodies. And because actors also know of this tendency, they say nothing. They take the public blows if it means they can get a moment to rest and recover/restore. We can all do better"

Multiple other cast members (including Jason Veasey and Antwayn Hopper) have also reposted this message.

Updated On: 1/8/23 at 01:55 PM

[ACL2006]

Posted: 1/8/23 at 2:01pm

So they're upset that Jackson showed up to keep the performances going? Or upset with the producers for not cancelling? Reese was sick mid-week and who knows what L Morgan Lee's story is. This show can't close fast enough.

Added: based on Hopper's IG, it definitely sounds like they're upset that Jackson showed up to do the concert version instead of cancelling.

Updated On: 1/8/23 at 02:01 PM

[inception]

Posted: 1/8/23 at 2:49pm

[jkcohen626]

Posted: 1/8/23 at 4:10pm

ACL2006 said: "So they're upset that Jackson showed up to keep the performances going? Or upset with the producers for not cancelling? Reese was sick mid-week and who knows what L Morgan Lee's story is. This show can't close fast enough.

Added: based on Hopper's IG, it definitely sounds like they're upset that Jackson showed up to do the concert version instead of cancelling."

Hopper's specifically seemed to be complaining that the show's social media was lying and saying it was non-COVID illness when he does have COVID. However, him, Zachary, and Jason all reposted L Morgan Lee's Instagram story. That's a third of the cast. 

[ACL2006]

Posted: 1/8/23 at 4:17pm

Curious if anyone caught the matinee and has a report? Also, no word on tonight's show if Jackson is performing again.

[quizking101]

Posted: 1/8/23 at 4:47pm

Kyle Ramar Freeman just posted on Instagram that “just like that, I have a day off” - though that could mean:

1) Since Veasey is back, Reese is covering #6 tonight.

2) Spivey is back tonight, or they’re just continuing with MRJ as Usher for tonight’s show. (Bates is still sick and out of commission)

[ACL2006]

Posted: 1/8/23 at 4:55pm

At first I took that as they were canceling, but they're still selling tickets for tonight. I guess Veasey is back and either Jackson is going on again or Spivey is also back.

[MarilynMonroeSmash]

Posted: 1/8/23 at 5:20pm

Just got an email from Telecharge that the show is cancelled for tonight. Bummer I really wanted to see MRJ perform 

[ACL2006]

Posted: 1/8/23 at 5:23pm

MarilynMonroeSmash said: "Just got an email from Telecharge that the show is cancelled for tonight. Bummer I really wanted to see MRJ perform"

Odd they're canceling after sticking it out for the last 3 shows.

[poisonivy2]

Posted: 1/8/23 at 5:56pm

What is going on with this show? This is absolutely not normal.

[PipingHotPiccolo]

Posted: 1/8/23 at 6:06pm

Have not been following this dumpster fire closely, but everyone seems to be coming off pretty horribly. OF COURSE illnesses must be taken seriously, but so must financial commitments to audiences.

It doesn't sound like the producers understaffed here, there are plenty of covers for these roles, no? So if there is some bug going through the cast, why are they acting pissy about being asked to perform? If Spivey isnt up to the role full-time, why hasn't he been replaced? And if the producers have assembled a team of performers this dramatic/messy, thats ultimately on them- and they should be canceling these shows, not asking for $200/pop to see a concert reading (performed by a bitter, hostile cast).

And for the life of me, I'll never understand why any of these actors don't understand that cryptic, vague, seething messages DO NOTHING for them or the case they are trying to make.  I don't doubt that a production team could discount their legitimate health concerns or just mistreat the talent, but they've done nothing to convince me of that, and have only given the impression that they are difficult and dramatic as ____. 

[Jimbo2]

Posted: 1/8/23 at 6:14pm

PipingHotPiccolo said: 
And for the life of me, I'll never understand why any of these actors don't understand that cryptic, vague, seething messages DO NOTHING for them or the case they are trying to make. 

I have to say I agree with you 100% on this-I unfollowed them all except for Michael. I love this show and have seen it dozens of times, but the political cryptic messages turned me right off. Kind of reminded me of the politics at work. I don't even know if I want to be at the last show at this point.

At least l Morgan Lee doesn't have to post she's out of the show tonight. I hope the other folks that do have COVID feel better soon. 

I wish them all the best in their careers.

[ACL2006]

Posted: 1/8/23 at 6:20pm

It's been mentioned many times before, but the producers should have realized early on in the run that Spivey couldn't handle 8 shows a week and hired an alternate ASAP.

 

It does feel a little too late for the cast to be sounding the alarm on the bad management & producing from the show. I did watch the curtain call from the matinee(out on IG) and everyone was fairly timid outside of Jackson. Imagine being in a Tony & Pulizter winning show and actually being happy that the show is closing.

[quizking101]

Posted: 1/8/23 at 6:22pm

They have been dramatically understaffed through the entire  run, and there has been an imbalance of covers as a result. Part of this is why Zachary Meyers was hired midway through the run.

As it stands:

Meyers - 1, 2

Bates - Usher, 2, 3

Rucker - 1, 2, 3

Freeman - Usher, 4, 5, 6

Reese - 4, 5, 6

They are all stretched thin. They needed to have at least one more cover for all but #2.

[PipingHotPiccolo]

Posted: 1/8/23 at 6:24pm

i should clarify: we have very stringent COVID protocols in place, and there  tons of debate to be had over whether 10 day absences make sense or not. And surely if actors are sick they shouldnt be pressured into performing, I want to make that clear (because I can already hear the faux outrage at what im saying here).

But if people have COVID, the producers need to take that loss and cancel the shows. Is that what these actors are upset about? Who knows? Surely that has nothing to do with Spivey's being unable to handle this role. Was he never offered a 6-show-week option?

But cutting through it, I remember a year ago when Waitress was wiped out by Covid. The cast seemed gutted; if there was an option to perform, the impression I got was that they would have jumped at it. Here, having clicked through these social media posts, the impression I get is that theyre *annoyed* that these shows are being put on? For the audiences that paid for them? And in this climate where everyone (understandably) is bothered by how hard it is to get audiences into this show's seats in the first place? 

What A Mess.

[PipingHotPiccolo]

Posted: 1/8/23 at 6:27pm

quizking101 said: "They have been dramatically understaffed through the entire run, and there has been an imbalance of covers as a result. Part of this is why Zachary Meyers was hired midway through the run.

As it stands:

Meyers - 1, 2

Bates - Usher, 2, 3

Rucker - 1, 2, 3

Freeman - Usher, 4, 5, 6

Reese - 4, 5, 6

They are all stretched thin. They needed to have at least one more cover for all but #2."

I saw the show once (with Bates), and defer to you all entirely, but maybe the fault ultimately lies in with the producers cheaping out on more covers/swings. (Spivery has two, right? That seems normal/reasonable) 

still dont think the actors have done anything to convey this as the issue, if thats what the gripe is. 

[quizking101]

Posted: 1/8/23 at 6:36pm

It’s one of many issues for sure

[ACL2006]

Posted: 1/8/23 at 7:15pm

quizking101 said: "They have been dramatically understaffed through the entire run, and there has been an imbalance of covers as a result. Part of this is why Zachary Meyers was hired midway through the run.

As it stands:

Meyers - 1, 2

Bates - Usher, 2, 3

Rucker - 1, 2, 3

Freeman - Usher, 4, 5, 6

Reese - 4, 5, 6

They are all stretched thin. They needed to have at least one more cover for all but #2."

Kyle should have been made the Usher alternate and done 2 shows a week. They then would have needed to hire another u/s to cover 4, 5, 6. Plus they should have vacation covers as well since the summer that could have come in and out of the show when needed.