Actors having their contracts terminated on their first Broadway show — Page 2

Didn't Sophia Ann Caruso get fired from Beetlejuice?

It's a slightly different circumstance but Sam definitely got the short end of the stick. Sam had a year long contract from Sept 2022-Sept 2023 and it was announced in February at the same time as Ben Levi Ross, Zachary Noah, and Stephen Christopher Anthony. Ben, Zachary, and Stephen all got at least a month if not more in their runs. Sam got to do 12 days out of a planned year long Broadway contract after waiting months after having been a tour and Broadway understudy since 2019.

quizking101 said: "Hairspray0901 said: "I believe Marissa Perry’s contract may have beencut short as Tracy Turnblad at Hairspray. She joined the cast in April 2008. When the show announced it was closing in October 2008, they announced Harvey Fierstein would return in November. Then, they eventually announced Marissa Jaret Winokur would be brought back to close out the show with him. She returned for one month only, December - January"

I don't think she was fired - she was moved to understudy for the remainder of the run so they could close with the original stars (like what happened with Jimmy Nail moved to standby for Sting in THE LAST SHIP)"

I didn’t say she was fired. I just meant - answering the OPs question - her original contract (as a broadway debut, and a lead) was terminated early due to them bringing back the original lead to close out the show. Her being an understudy would have been a new contract, anyway.

LarryD2 said: "Matt Cavanaugh in the 2009 revival of WEST SIDE STORY:https://nypost.com/2009/11/06/west-side-whack/

And more recently, Beanie Feldstein in FUNNY GIRL:“The producers decided to take the show in a different direction and end Beanie’s contracton September 25th, 6months earlier than anticipated,” they said in the statement. Source:https://www.vulture.com/2022/07/lea-michele-beanie-feldstein-funny-girl-rumors.html"

respectfully, both of those performers had previously performed on Broadway and were not rookies at the time of their dismissals.

Penna2 said: "Funny Girl wasn't her first Broadway show. She was in the Bette Midler revival of "Hello, Dolly," playing Minnie Faye."

It was CLEARLY established above that this thread had expanded beyond Broadway debuts. Please don’t chime in without at least reading this thread.

Wick3 said: "In auditions he was great but during the first few previews something was just off. He can sing and dance but something was just off. I wouldn’t say he was bad."

I've seen that sort of thing happen many a time. Some people are just really great at auditions. They have clearly worked the hell out of the material they bring in, and are passable with any new songs or sides they are handed during callbacks. Then you get them into rehearsal and you realize they are never going to progress beyond those auditions, or at least not in a time frame that is realistic. Sometimes there is no choice but to keep them, typically when dealing with smaller productions regionally, but when you are talking about multi-million dollar commercial productions the discussions become much more intense when that actor is just not clicking with the rest of the production.

AEA AGMA SM said: "Wick3 said: "In auditions he was great but during the first few previews something was just off. He can sing and dance but something was just off. I wouldn’t say he was bad."

I've seen that sort of thing happen many a time. Some people are just really great at auditions. They have clearly worked the hell out of the material they bring in, and are passable with any new songs or sides they are handed during callbacks. Then you get them into rehearsal and you realize they are never going to progress beyond those auditions, or at least not in a time frame that is realistic. Sometimes there is no choice but to keep them, typically when dealing with smaller productions regionally, but when you are talking about multi-million dollar commercial productions the discussions become much more intense when that actor is just not clicking with the rest of the production."

This is me to an extent, and it’s absolutely horrendous. Not to blow my own trumpet but I’m very good at what I do and got a lot of jobs straight out of drama school. I quickly realised that I can absolutely smash an audition and blow the casting panel away but then in rehearsals something just doesn’t gel or come together until I’m on the stage and then it’s back and I give a fantastic performance.


Because of the period between my excellent audition and my excellent performance on stage the director would often turn on me and shows would turn into horrible experiences. I would feel like a imposter, like I wasn’t good enough or even worthy enough to be there. Thankfully I was never let go from any jobs but that was a small mercy. I truly don’t understand what happens as I try as well as I’m physically, mentally and emotionally able to bring that spark into rehearsals but it just isn’t there.


After a few too many directors not being very nice to me during rehearsals I decided to leave the industry and go travelling.


My heart genuinely does go out to actors who are fired for that very reason

Also did Diana Rigg get fired from the MFL revival?

Kad said: "Actors who do not continue with a show due to closure do not have their contracts terminated. There is no longer a show to work on. Contracts are for a set period of time or until the show closes, whichever comes first. Termination is equivalent to being fired, not being laid off.


Unless the actor is fired for cause (ie- unprofessional conduct), they are paid out for the length of their contract."


Is there a consensus on what with cause and without cause is? For example: if an actor is just bad in the role, the termination would be without cause because they didn’t do anything technically wrong, they were just bad? Maybe they missed a cue or just wasn’t good in the role? Is that correct?

I also wonder about the buy-outs of terminated employees. Do Broadway shows get forced to pay out actors? Also, if an actor is terminated without cause”? Are there different definitions of “without cause” that different Broadway companies have in their contracts?

Updated On: 5/30/23 at 11:29 PM

ErmengardeStopSniveling said: "BrodyFosse123 said: "During previews for the 2004 Broadway production of THE FROGS, Chris Kattan was abruptly fired and quickly replaced by Roger Bart. Kattan has never attempted another try at NY theater since."

...and then Roger Bart was reportedly fired by Harvey Weinstein & Diane Paulus from the pre-Bway ART run of FINDING NEVERLAND after voicing "candid and astute" criticisms when encouraged to give opinions about the state of the show in a rehearsal. Michael McGrath replaced him, who was then replaced by Kelsey Grammer on Broadway.

Bullet dodged!



"Smee" Paulus (-:

Jeremy Piven was hilarious. "I did not realize I couldn't eat sushi for nine days straight!".

Legendary.

Plannietink08 said: "AEA AGMA SM said: "Wick3 said: "In auditions he was great but during the first few previews something was just off. He can sing and dance but something was just off. I wouldn’t say he was bad."

I've seen that sort of thing happen many a time. Some people are just really great at auditions. They have clearly worked the hell out of the material they bring in, and are passable with any new songs or sides they are handed during callbacks. Then you get them into rehearsal and you realize they are never going to progress beyond those auditions, or at least not in a time frame that is realistic. Sometimes there is no choice but to keep them, typically when dealing with smaller productions regionally, but when you are talking about multi-million dollar commercial productions the discussions become much more intense when that actor is just not clicking with the rest of the production."

This is me to an extent, and it’s absolutely horrendous. Not to blow my own trumpet but I’m very good at what I do and got a lot of jobs straight out of drama school. I quickly realised that I can absolutely smash an audition and blow the casting panel away but then in rehearsals something just doesn’t gel or come together until I’m on the stage and then it’s back and I give a fantastic performance.


Because of the period between my excellent audition and my excellent performance on stage the director would often turn on me and shows would turn into horrible experiences. I would feel like a imposter, like I wasn’t good enough or even worthy enough to be there. Thankfully I was never let go from any jobs but that was a small mercy. I truly don’t understand what happens as I try as well as I’m physically, mentally and emotionally able to bring that spark into rehearsals but it just isn’t there.


After a few too many directors not being very nice to me during rehearsals I decided to leave the industry and go travelling.


My heart genuinely does go out to actors who are fired for that very reason"


Sorry hear that. I”ve had the same problem. I audition well, which is a blessing, but I tend to “underplay” a lot (evidently), especially in the first week or so of rehearsals as I am finding my way and starting from a place of truthfulness. I eventually realized that a lot directors get freaked out by this, as they want an opening night-level performance as soon as possible. So now I have more of a “fake it till you make it” sort of approach out of necessity.