An Open Letter To All Posters on This Board - Page 4

[Jane2]

Posted: 5/5/15 at 1:32pm

 

"However, people working in creative fields seem to think that they are somehow above everyone else. "

Gotham, right there it's clear that you were never, nor are now, a creative person.

 

 

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 5/5/15 at 2:18pm

Jane - You have read Goth's post with the voice of Victoria Jackson accompanied by ukulele in order to put it in its proper context.  

[Patti LuPone FANatic]

Posted: 5/5/15 at 2:23pm

Jordan, I have no beef with you.  I think you are a very colorful character and very knowledgeable.  Sometimes I have difficulty understanding what and why you say certain things to certain people. In that case, I try to be Switzerland and remain neutral.  Most of the people I have put on ignore are internet trolls (fly by trolls I call them).  A few of them (less than five) are quite well known.  The most recent one took umbrage at my Charles Busch thread. I didn't take kindly to that mocking.   I've learned to swim in these shark infested waters.  I will NOT allow those who criticize or mock me to diminish my wonderment of all things theatre.  I honestly am in awe of those people who work in the theatre. 

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 5/5/15 at 2:30pm

I have no beef with you, either. I like you.

[Jane2]

Posted: 5/5/15 at 2:35pm

"Jane - You have read Goth's post with the voice of Victoria Jackson accompanied by ukulele in order to put it in its proper context."

Oh good! I was trying to create that effect!

[MarkBearSF]

Posted: 5/5/15 at 3:41pm

I've got to say that I'll admit it, I sometimes root for shows to close.

It's not a nice characteristic, I admit it. Do I post these wishes on public sites like this? No - why would I?  I try not to be rude. 

Being interested in the business of Broadway inevitably leads to analyzing the producers and investors decisions. So yeah, sometimes a show comes along that I wonder what the producers are seeing that I don't - and wonder "Are they crazy - what am I missing?" When my assessment is proven correct and the show closes spectacularly, I fall victim to "I knew better than they did" bravado. (Usually after a drink or two and hopefully only to my long-suffering husband or friends.)

Quietly rooting for an enterprise which employs so many people to fail just to prove one's armchair analysis is not an admirable trait. However, since I have no actual power to affect anything about the production and, to address the issue of posting here, since I'm not about to reveal such wishes to anyone involved, I don't feel particularly guilty.

Finally, I'm amazed that no one has mentioned the other reason I am glad to see some shows fail. I'm always interested in the new shows and productions that are being developed. There are 40 Broadway houses. Shows have to close for new ones to come in. And when it comes to my hope that the next show might transport me out of my seat and become the next great musical or play, I'm a cockeyed optimist.

Updated On: 5/5/15 at 03:41 PM

[broadwayboy223]

Posted: 5/5/15 at 3:56pm

OP I don't live in New York but I was really looking forward to Doctor Z. I love all of the music i've heard. I was rooting for your show so just know not everyone was against it. I truly hope this show goes on to be more successful either here in the states or around the world. And I'm still hoping for that cast album and maybe even a vocal selections book. I also just wanted to say I would never ever wish for a show to close regardless if I liked it or not. We have to remember that regardless of how good a show is, that as long as there is a show there is work for actors. That's what is important in my book. 

I hope Doctor Zhivago has a great week of performances. 

 

[JayG 2]

Posted: 5/5/15 at 4:18pm

Someone on another board responded to a poster who asked why so many people become snarky and take such delight in trashing every show they see. He wrote:

"Simple answer: bitterness. Plain and simple.

People who didn't have the courage to go after their dreams or whose talent was insufficient to warrant any support from the industry are looking for revenge and the internet has provided them with a platform that they control. Anonymity is like a drug and unrestrained bile is easy to release online.

You can walk away from a bitter deluded person if you run into them at a party but on the internet they can find a platform to write whatever they want and this gives the otherwise ignored, broken person a sense of self importance they were unable to achieve through guts or talent.

Sadly some of these people are probably talented but broken in a way that makes them unable to do what needs to be done to get anywhere in theater.

Many years ago I used to read a small NJ weekly that hosted a theater critic who had no standing or name recognition in any industry but delighted in taking down actors, directors etc. who were working on the NY Stage. I remember specifically that he wrote Nathan Lane as 'devoid' of an comic ability whatsoever. Whatever you think about Nathan Lane, no sane person could dispute his formidable comic gifts.

When you are this angry, this deluded and this full of vengeance the act of writing something down makes you feel a little bit validated.

Now you see this on these theater message boards and from the 'blog critics' whose carefully spun bios attempt to make their personal failures look like successes in an effort to disguise their sketchy credentials.

These bottom feeding, shame driven people are everywhere online and nothing can be done about them except to simply ignore them."

I thought this really hit the nail on the head.

[binau]

Posted: 5/5/15 at 5:35pm

I always feel that people who work within the creative industry seem especially bitter, and I don't doubt that in some cases dissatisfaction with their own career might be one reason.

I can't tell for sure if I'm categorised in the 'snarky' type - I would say I generally like most things I see. But sometimes, I can have a particular negative reaction to a show (e.g., Dr Zhivago). Theatre is just a hobby for me though, I'm in no way associated professionally with this industry. Any bitterness is simply feeling ripped off when I know I could have spent the money on something that would have been much more valuable for me, like half a flying lesson (I actually have other hobbies, too. I hope people realise that many of our lives do not revolve around Broadway or this forum, even if it is important to us). 

[Steve721]

Posted: 5/5/15 at 5:52pm

I have never worked in the theater, but I'm not sure why Broadway theater professionals would read, much less pay attention to, what some anonymous poster or no-name blogger has to say about their shows.  As unfair and vitriolic as some of those people can be, they have no influence whatsoever on whether a Broadway show succeeds or fails.  Dr. Zhivago isn't closing because of what anonymous posters wrote about it on this board; it failed because the main-stream critics (who sign their names to their reviews for all to see) eviscerated it.        

[SweetLips]

Posted: 5/5/15 at 5:58pm

A genuine message from the heart in defense of a very fragile profession whether on stage or backstage.

The reward--applause.

Criticism-positive and negative--give out what you are prepared to receive in return.

This is the only place I [have time to]visit and take enormous pleasure learning from those who willingly share their love of all things theatre.

I can speed read the nasties-never block-and pause with a guilty giggle when someone is so catty  I am glad that's not me 'copping it'.

I've been both sides of that curtain so know the heartbreak and the joy[however brief]. People constantly said to me--how can you do the same thing[performing] every night?

Simple--There's nothing else like it--one night,a month-it's what you live for-'a singular sensation'.

PS--I hope the OP comes back in response to all this positivity.

 

 

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 5/5/15 at 6:03pm

I never feel ripped off if I don't like a show.  Every time you buy a ticket it's a gamble.  No matter how much any show is lauded or who is giving it raves, there is no guarantee it will suit your own tastes even if you believe there could be no reason not to like it.  I learned this when seeing Spring Awakening and the recent Carousel at the Chicago Lyric Opera.  I didn't feel ripped off so much as disappointed by an expensive production with names I respect or confused by all the raves.  If I choose to spend my money on a show, I already accept that what I see is what I get.  What's the point of bemoaning how the money could have been better spent if you have to spend the money to find out?

[South Florida]

Posted: 5/5/15 at 6:21pm

Hey, your show sucked.

[CurtainsUpat8]

Posted: 5/5/15 at 6:23pm

I am embarrassed for some of you. I don't go to the theatre to find fault. I go to enjoy myself. I always try to find something to enjoy. I am not ignoring what I find fault with. I go probably two times a week to the theatre on average. Sometimes I go four times a week. I am also a playwright. I have had a play reviewed by the NY Times. I got RAVE reviews from about ten other reviewers. The NY Times sent a young reviewer... he brought three of his friends with him. He hated everything about my play and it was quite devastating for me. All turned out well.  My play was published and being done all over the country. I signed with a VERY respected literary agent. I spent three years of my life on that play. It was awful for some 28 year old reviewer from The Times to dismiss it in a snarky review that had no resemblance to any of the other reviews. I still think it was a lousy job of reviewing but I  have gotten over it. I get what the original post is about. I tried my very best to create art. To paint a hat where there never was a hat... and it's really hard when people just become dismissive and hateful. And... I am pretty thick skinned. I have been in this business for three decades. So if  you love theatre.. go with an open heart. Go with Love. Go to find joy.  There is NO PLACE I would rather be than in a theatre as the lights are going down on Act One. It's a moment full of endless possibilities.

[Jane2]

Posted: 5/5/15 at 7:02pm

"I always feel that people who work within the creative industry seem especially bitter, and I don't doubt that in some cases dissatisfaction with their own career might be one reason."

You're blanketing the entire creative industry (and I don't even know if you're only referring to theater, or all arts) as bitter people. And you seem to have an idea why they're bitter.

Did you win in the Kentucky Derby?

[JayG 2]

Posted: 5/5/15 at 7:16pm

Strike a nerve, Jane2?

[Jane2]

Posted: 5/5/15 at 7:18pm

^ care to elaborate, I honestly don't see what you mean.

[Jane2]

Posted: 5/5/15 at 7:30pm

hmm, didn't think so. Another coward in front of a computer.

[MichelleCraig]

Posted: 5/5/15 at 7:41pm

I remember going to see a musical in previews in the late 90s. I loved the subject matter and considered myself sort of an armchair expert on all things having to do with it (the subject). When I was taking my seat towards the front of the orchestra, I saw the author of the book that had made the subject relevant to whole new generations. I was amazed that he was in the audience...

The show was quite unfinished when I saw it. I remembered thinking to myself as I sat there that I could not believe they were charging full price for a show in this state of "not ready for prime time"...it made me angry. When the show ended, in that moment in time between the last note of music and the first applause, I let out a 100 decibel "Booooooo!" I can't believe I did it. Subsequently, I was really ashamed of myself. I went back and saw the show shortly after it opened. I loved it; making me feel even worse for heckling it in previews. I realized how much work had to have gone into getting this thing to work. It went on to win a boatload of Tony Awards, etc. I saw it two more times before it closed.

Sorry for rambling, but OP made me think of this all over again.

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 5/5/15 at 7:46pm

Are we supposed to guess what show it was?

[MichelleCraig]

Posted: 5/5/15 at 7:52pm

Sorry...that would've been nice, huh? Got too wrapped up in the email. It was TITANIC.

[binau]

Posted: 5/5/15 at 7:55pm

"You're blanketing the entire creative industry (and I don't even know if you're only referring to theater, or all arts) as bitter people. And you seem to have an idea why they're bitter."

Yeah, I mean obviously it would be incorrect to generalise like that, and my post was vague. So I suppose, to be more specific - I am referring to my personal experience encountering people who work in theatre and theatre students, in real-life, on this board, and on ATC. When I say "bitter", I really mean overly-critical (which probably isn't the same thing. But it does come across as bitter to me). And as for the theory about the overly-criticalness being related to a defensiveness about their own career. It's hard to provide evidence for this. I won't argue strongly this, but I always find it a little awkward when people like Morgan James are overly critical towards those who are much more successful than they are (even though I probably shouldn't). There is some sense of jealousy coming out of it, to me. But this could be completely wrong.

Updated On: 5/5/15 at 07:55 PM

[Jane2]

Posted: 5/5/15 at 7:59pm

thanks for the explanation, gobineau, it helped!

As for the snarky comment to me from JayG2 (almost like Jane2, eh?) I sent him a pm pointing out how he must have had the wrong person but I'm sure he won't read it. Coward.

[Skimbleshanks2]

Posted: 5/5/15 at 8:17pm

Beautiful post... I stage doored DOCTOR ZHIVAGO and I was so impressed by how kind, grateful and talented the cast was... Sad to see them go.

I remember my first time posting here.... The hate I got for expressing my love for a talent, Andy Karl, made me want to cry; I almost did. It's hard but... Onwards and upwards. :)

NOW all I want to do is buy tickets to DOCTOR ZHIAVGO for Sunday...

 

[veronicamae]

Posted: 5/5/15 at 8:48pm

I don't think there's anything wrong with waiting for a show to close.  If someone thinks a work of art is bad, they aren't going to want it taking up the space of something they could potentially like better.  This is my opinion with Mamma Mia - get out and stay out and let in some new (and hopefully better) work of art.

That's not to say that it's not hurtful to be part of a show and see people saying negative things about it.  I'm sure I'll experience that soon enough, and feel exactly like BuildingBridges is feeling.

In the end, everyone has and is entitled to their opinion, whether or not it's popular.  While no one here is directly responsible for any show's closing (I assume), strong opinions can put off someone on the fence from seeing the show. I thought about seeing Zhivago, now I know I don't want to, after hearing about it from members here and my colleagues. Word of mouth is largely what makes or breaks a show - not reviews.

But there's no need to be as nasty as some members here are.