An Open Letter To All Posters on This Board — Page 2

Best post in the thread, Jane.

Great post. Some posters on here go way too far with their animosity about performers and shows on here. The only thing most people gain on an anonymous message board is a delusion of power. So much snark and negativity gets said on this board that they wouldn't dare say to someone's face in real life.

You should definitely delete this part of your post immediately, broadway guy, or I will pull out all the threads in which you harassed and bullied and trolled hundreds of people only two years ago (maybe less).

You are the epitome of delusional. While the OP is well-intentioned, the above is a great example of this thread falling on deaf ears since the hypocrites, who always claim to be the perfect saints, refuse to look at themselves in the mirror first.

Please get off your high horse, bilbo/broadway guy.

Seriously, dear, if you are worried about what people write in an anonymous comments section instead of concentrating on your production, it may give an indication of your success or lack of it in show business.

@CATSNY-I don't think the question generally relates to criticizing the taste of others (and when it does, it is just one opinion vs another). And when I say a show "should close," I am NEVER basing that on the opinions of others expressed on here. Rather, it is based on an analysis of the numbers. As I said previously, a show I think is bad should not close because of that, and I would never say otherwise. (E.g., Neverland.) Nothing anyone says on here is as insulting or disheartening as looking at the grosses and attendance for a show and seeing that folks can't be bothered to see it. And no praise here is as exhilarating as seeing a sea of faces staring at a stage.

@kristin-I totally agree about the need for a safe environment, which is why I related the advice I'd heard many times about not straying into situations where the opinions of other had the potential to disrupt that environment while a show is running.

@bilbo- re saying something to someone's face: that's true, but not comparable. More comparable would be someone debriefing a show at Joe Allen's while someone involved in the show but unknown to the speaker lurks nearby listening in. The bottom line is that reading threads on this board about a show you are working on is a bad idea, but one that's controllable.

@broadwaytbay-yes negative criticism can cause pain, but it is avoidable and should be avoided. The only pain that can't be avoided is looking out in the house and seeing empty seats. Analyzing the reality of a production's prospects is not what causes the pain; it is just the messenger. And while it sounds pleasant to say folks should not express negative opinions, the flipside of that is that only saying positive things fails the honesty test and sends people to shows without a good sense about them. All shows are dying for word of mouth; it is intellectually dishonest to only convey good word of mouth. People like the OP don't need to hear any of that word of mouth.

Many on this board need an attitude adjustment, I hope this thread was it. Yes, we can have differences of opinion: some may like a show and some may not. I don't think that's the problem, the problem is the overwhelming nastiness and vitriol some on here are prone to which is so unnecessary. You can express your opinion without being an @ss about it.

I don't think anyone with any validity on the BWW board really "wishes" for a show to close. Some troll or delusional nincompoop, maybe. But the longtime (or in rare cases, short-time) posters who know a thing or two about the business, who try to express themselves articulately and thoughtfully...I don't think so. In any case...

I wish you the best in the future, and I'm sorry that ZHIVAGO is closing. It's a shame when something closes so quickly and doesn't get a chance to catch on. But sometimes, it's the nature of the business. If you are proud of the show and your work, that's all that matters. F*ck the rest of it all.

Anyway, that's about all I have to say. Oh, and the old Michael Bennett quote, too-- "Tell them, No show runs forever."

'But. Isn't this board a place for those of us who go to the theater, in NYC and elsewhere, to discuss what we've seen, compare to other shows, maybe try to be witty in our assessments, and agree to disagree sometimes

It certainly is. But I think this is a good reminder to perhaps reflect on how we discuss shows. I know, in my 12 years posting on this board (JESUS!) that I've come to regret how I've spoken on shows and performers. A number of years ago, I made a concerted effort to change my tone when discussing shows and those attached to them. I've tried hard to be respectful of the people who work in this business...my business. Why was I trying so hard to be snarky and dismissive? Probably mostly because I was feeling badly about where my career was. So really...it was all on me. It had far less to do with the quality of the shows and performance and more to do with how I'd take my disappointment out on people who were simply doing their job. Do I still say c*nty things? Sure. We're all (mostly) human. But I try very hard not to put so much negativity about shows out into the world.

Maybe I missed the vitriol regarding this particular show, I just have read true dislike for many aspects of it, and a few who liked it. Trolls who do searches so they can find threads to trash a show repeatedly is the favored exercise of only a handful on here.

I always say that bad theater is important to see, and I've only walked out of one show, out of respect (and hoping it would get better).

And, Robbie, you've never really been c*nty.

I appreciate the sentiment of this message. I also think that its author would be surprised by how many of us are theatre professionals, and know how hard and unreliable this field can be. I find the idea that NOT celebrating the existence of all/any shows is hurtful to the business (and more importantly, the art) to be extremely dubious. And condescending.

I had a big heartbreak working on a Broadway flop not long ago. But the show only ran a few months because the material just wasn't good, even though there was great talent and potential involved. It flopped because it didn't work. And you know what? I went on to more satisfying work, and just having the Broadway credit helped me.

An audience member paying $200 for a sub-standard experience does not help build up anything. The Broadway will not be empty for long, and its next tenant will also employ many people. We owe the high volume of productions that we are currently enjoying to shows that either have wide appeal or that are just plain good.

Updated On: 5/5/15 at 11:01 AM

Roxy, please, Broadway has always been expensive! Sure, I paid $20 for a SRO ticket for the original Jesus Christ Super Star, cheap right? My weekly paycheck back then was $140 a week. Not so cheap after all.

I have worked on many shows, both on and off Broadway and have seen my work dragged over the coals on this very board. I did not and do not take it personally. Tis' the nature of the beast.

The tkts booth opened in 1973. So obviously the prices weren't reasonable or affordable to everybody.

Every time I go into a theatre, it's with the high hopes that the show will be great. I imagine most audiences do the same.

However, if the show is not great, or not good, or unbearably dull, I'll express what seems to be the truth (to me).

It doesn't mean that anyone set out to fail; but there's no reason not to acknowledge failure.

"Failure" has become a dirtier word than any of those that are automatically edited out of most posts, but (like death) failure is an unavoidable fact of life. Unless we can discuss it openly, if we keep pretending that no one fails, we'll just keep recreating the same old mistakes.

Attempts by some here to force people off the board because they do not agree with them is a form of bullying. It is practiced here as a fine art by a number of individuals on the board.