ALNM cast having problems with Elaine Stritch?- Page 3

[madbrian]

Posted: 11/30/10 at 11:37am

She's been a working actress for around 65 years, and given her personality, she's almost certainly had more than her fair share of conflicts. That said, at age 85, she's as in-demand as she's ever been, so she must be doing something right.

[Gothampc]

Posted: 11/30/10 at 11:57am

"But, that said, it can be acknowledged that she does sometimes have difficulties in her relationships with co-workers. She herself (in At Liberty) tells the story of being fired from a regional production of The Women because of the enmity of other actors."

Was it enmity of the other actors or were they afraid of going onstage with an alcoholic? Stritch herself has admitted to taking a pre-show drink and an intermission drink.

I once worked with Stritch (post-Betty Ford). She was difficult to everyone, sometimes in a good way, sometimes in a bad way. There was no shortage of people who would have gladly volunteered to administer her insulin injection.

[Fosse76]

Posted: 11/30/10 at 2:12pm

"If this thing is true about this usher, then she should loose her job. That is incredibly unprofessional for her to be telling audiences members that the company of the show hates her."

The ushers of a theater are absolutely under NO obligation to keep production secrets secret, as they do not work for the production. They are free to tell you that the show is horrible if they want.

"I can't see that being true though, the cast seemed very gracious to her when I saw it. And she was really sweet at stage door too, for the most part anyway."

Just because she was nice and sweet at the stage door does not mean she is nice and sweet to the people she works with.

[fingerlakessinger]

Posted: 11/30/10 at 2:20pm

so my cousin Vinny has a friend whose cousin Jenny is bff's with a girl whose uncle's mistress knows the plumber who has a gay friend in the ensemble of the show. He said that Stritch is a bitch and that no one likes her and that when she goes offstage she hits every chorus boy who rejects her advances with her cane while shouting for her dresser to bring her a cocktail.

True story...

[madbrian]

Posted: 11/30/10 at 2:26pm

That's not true...your cousin Vinny doesn't have any friends.

[Holbee]

Posted: 11/30/10 at 2:26pm

Wow. Hypocrisy abounds on the Broadway World boards! Since when have we not gossiped about someone being "difficult". We LOVE it when we get to gossip about someone being difficult. Or crazy. Or untalented, etc...

And those of us who work in and/or around the theatre know and have gossiped about Elaine's attitude for years...let's face it, being sober only made her worse..

Is she extraordinary? Yes. Off limits? Its almost reverse-agism to say she is.

Now, as to her forgetting lines...yes, for ticket holders who pay over 100 for tickets, she should say the lines as written. What makes this show ARE the lines, either dialogue or lyric, those lines should be heard verbatim.

And joy to those of you who would rather see Elaine Stritch perform than hear a show performed as written.

And I do blame Elaine because she refuses to wear an earpiece. We could have it both ways, but for her hubris. If it was good enough for Angela Lansbury its certainly good enough for Elaine Stritch. Its unfair to the audience and the writers for her not to do everything she can to facilitate a perfect performance. Sorry, it is.


Updated On: 11/30/10 at 02:26 PM

[fingerlakessinger]

Posted: 11/30/10 at 2:40pm

madbriand I resent that statement...he is actually out with his friend Obama right now...

And I thought Lansbury didnt wear a earpiece for ALNM?

[n2nbaby]

Posted: 11/30/10 at 2:40pm

Sorry Fosse, forgot that since I'm still relatively new, my opinions here don't matter and most are just going to act like a jerk towards me. Thanks for reminding me! :)

[Kalimba]

Posted: 11/30/10 at 2:45pm

Gotham, how can one be difficult in a good way?

[Gothampc]

Posted: 11/30/10 at 3:05pm

"Gotham, how can one be difficult in a good way?"

I was working as an ASM. Stritch looked at some of her props and said "I don't like this. My character wouldn't have this." And like magic, the props were out of the show and it was one less thing I had to worry about. So it was good that she kept the designers in check.

However, she also hated a piece of furniture and had it removed and the prop mistress was ready to strangle Stritch.

Updated On: 11/30/10 at 03:05 PM

[madbrian]

Posted: 11/30/10 at 3:07pm

Thankfully, we have both the classy, elegant Angela Lansbury as well as the ornery, brash Elaine Stritch. I'm grateful that neither has changed. But Stritch has won a Tony and two Emmys since turning 75, so whatever she's doing is working for her. If she did change, we'd all be missing the old Stritchy. Certainly, she's not for everyone, but then again, neither is Lansbury.

That said, Holbee's point are well taken, with the exception of sobriety making her worse.

[Gothampc]

Posted: 11/30/10 at 3:13pm

"But Stritch has won a Tony and two Emmys since turning 75"

I think if people liked her more as a person, she would have won a Tony before she was 75. She has a very impressive body of work on Broadway. And technically it's not really her Tony. Don't Special Event Tonys go to the producer of the show?

Updated On: 11/30/10 at 03:13 PM

[madbrian]

Posted: 11/30/10 at 3:22pm

"I think if people liked her more as a person, she would have won a Tony before she was 75."

Maybe, but my theory is that she's been a cranky old lady her entire life, she's just aging into her personality.

[peapod41]

Posted: 12/1/10 at 12:22pm

Just one more thought about her. I wonder if she's too stubborn to admit that she needed the earpiece. Like when older people have to give up driving,they hate to admit it.
Also,she must be nice and professional when she works on 30 Rock,or I can't imagine they would have her back as often as they do.She is really good on that show.

[KneelBeeWon]

Posted: 12/2/10 at 6:18pm

When I saw ALNM I was sitting between President Obama and the Pope.

It was amazing for me. Who else can honestly say that.

Elaine was perfect that night. The cast bowed to her at the curtain call the Bernadette Peters was sobbing "I'm not worthy" and "You should be playing Desiree and I should be selling concessions"

It was magical night. Better than anybody else's.

Oh yeah, Sondheim gave me a neck rub during intermission.

[SondheimFan23]

Posted: 12/16/10 at 11:38pm

Who cares if Elaine is a jerk? She's genius! I saw here at the beginning of the run and had no idea who she was. Now I defiantly do. She was hilarious! She got laughs at every line, even when she flubbed it. At the stagedoor, she was very gracious and signed posters (she wrote over someone else's signature on mine!) but she did tell off one poor woman who had a pen. "Never give an actor a pen!" she said and she didn't sign it. It was pretty comical.

[bluetuna]

Posted: 12/17/10 at 10:47am

Wow...If I were the woman with the pen, I'd probably be offended - being told off by an actor you just saw (and presumably enjoyed) for trying to hand her a pen when she was in fact signing things for people? Even if it seems comical, it probably wasn't that amusing a moment for the woman who got brushed off like that...

Now my question about the people who find her hilarious is as to how well you think her humor works in the role of Madame Armfeldt. Her take is far different than that of other actresses who have played the role (most others have played Madame Armfeldt in a manner that is colder, more judgmental, and more unintentionally funny). Given that, how well do you think her unique humor fits the role and context of the show?

[themysteriousgrowl]

Posted: 12/17/10 at 11:00am

"...how well do you think her unique humor fits the role and context of the show?"

Not in the slightest. She's funny because she's Elaine Stritch, but she has not crafted a character for Madame Armfeldt; she has turned Madame Armfeldt into Elaine Stritch... an exaggerated stage version of Elaine Stritch, no less. No other actress could get away an interpretation even approaching hers. They'd be laughed out of the theater, and not in a good way.

There's no denying she has tremendous comedic timing, but she doesn't fold it into a scene or the story in a way that makes dramatic sense. Her choices don't come from the text; she bends the text to fit the choices she's most comfortable. It's like watching a stand-up comic act, like Jerry Seinfeld or Redd Foxx in "Sanford and Son." They're doing their bit, and Elaine in ALNM is just doing her usual bit. If you know anything about her, you can imagine 90% of the performance without seeing it.

Personally, it took me completely out of the show and was very distracting. But Bernadette does her share of mugging, too, as per ushe, so Elaine's not alone in that.

Updated On: 12/17/10 at 11:00 AM

[newintown]

Posted: 12/17/10 at 11:04am

I wonder how Phyllis Diller would be as Madame A?

[bluetuna]

Posted: 12/17/10 at 11:23am

Those were my same feelings, themysteriousgrowl. Personally, I found her take to be off, as she seems like an aged party girl with an occasional sarcastic comment as opposed to an elderly courtesan who became successful through extreme discretion and taking herself very seriously. I feel like Stritch shows too much heart in her characterization, as Madame Armfeldt is someone who is supposed to have based her relationships on distancing herself from emotion in her relationships.

[muscle23ftl]

Posted: 12/17/10 at 11:36am

I can't believe someone would say that being difficult can be good? If you are the person being verbally abused, it wouldn't feel very good. I have heard of people quitting and losing their jobs because of this lady and her bad manners. Not acceptable, but of course, people on here love her. The great taste of BWWers!

[Kalimba]

Posted: 12/17/10 at 12:03pm

Muscle honey, count me in as one of the few who doesn't like Ms. Stritch. Never have.

[Gothampc]

Posted: 12/17/10 at 12:06pm

themysteriousgrowl, you are correct. Stritch can be an excellent actress. However, over the last several years she's just blown off any character analysis and played whatever she felt like playing, even if it didn't make sense.

I watched the Sondheim concert on PBS and her "I'm Still Here" was terrible. It was like she was pulling interpretation out of thin air. She ruined a really incredible song.

[Ed_Mottershead]

Posted: 12/17/10 at 2:27pm

I was at last Saturday's matinee, which didn't start until about 2:05 and didn't get out until 5:15. That's almost 15 minutes more running time than when I saw it with Zeta-Jones/Lansbury. I agree that Stritch is playing Elaine Stritch, with no connect to the rest of the show (and I've liked Stritch in the past). I was glad to hear someone else comment about Peters' mugging, which bothered me no end -- Desiree is, if nothing else, elegant. Zeta-Jones sustained a much better performance as the character throughout the show. Yes, Peters vocalized Send in the Clowns nicely enough -- but the strength of this show doesn't focus on one song. Just my thoughts.

[themysteriousgrowl]

Posted: 12/17/10 at 2:42pm

Great post, Ed. Ms. Peters is an actress who's sometimes "untouchable" to the fans. This was the first time I've seen her live, having grown up with the films of SUNDAY and ITW and her concerts. The thing is, when she's not doing her little titters and chirps and squeals that seem to come out of nowhere or with an unsubtle "wink" to the audience, she's quite a good actress. But those moments severely undercut her performances as a whole. Her mugging one of the most grating things about the original ITW production. She does a lot less of it in SUNDAY.

In ALNM, part of me wanted to give her the benefit of the doubt, having heard so much that her presence revitalized the production and caused many people to see it with new eyes. I kept telling myself, "Okay, think of it as a choice. Desiree is an actress. She's performing, acting out of discomfort for her situation. She doesn't know how to deal with the circumstance, so she's using cutsiness as misdirection." But no matter how I tried to consider that idea, it didn't ring true for me. Again, when she's not pulling that nonsense, she's quite wonderful, especially in the quiet moments, like "Send in the Clowns." But as a fully realized *performance*... I find myself feeling that Ms. Zeta-Jones really had it all over Ms. Peters.