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Anyone know the REAL reason Hello Dolly refused to perform at the TONYS? — Page 2

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#26

Anyone know the REAL reason Hello Dolly refused to perform at the TONYS?

Posted: 5/23/18 at 9:00pm

RicardoMagon said: "Alas, Scott Rudin is rich, so I don'thave sympathy for the shows he produced that didn't make him as rich as Dolly did."

Probably in the same way that really poor people who work two jobs just to make sure their kids don't go to bed hungry don't have sympathy for you not getting to see Bette in Hello Dolly.

#27

Anyone know the REAL reason Hello Dolly refused to perform at the TONYS?

Posted: 5/23/18 at 9:00pm

I don't think a TV performance would have captured the essence or the magic of that performance. The cast album certainly didn't, unfortunately. You had to be there. Clips or an awards show or talk show performance wouldn't have been the same. It's like Jolson or Garland post-Metro (though she comes across well enough on TV) or the original company of A CHORUS LINE. You just had to see it to believe it, I suppose. I'm sorry you're disappointed that you missed out. Other things will come along.

#28

Anyone know the REAL reason Hello Dolly refused to perform at the TONYS?

Posted: 5/23/18 at 9:03pm

IlanaKeller said: "RicardoMagon said: "The woman they cast as Dolly isn't a house hold name ( though I'm sure she's very talented)."


Nah. She just sang probably THE most iconic theater song of the entire 1980s and won a Tony Award for it, starred on a wildly successful TV show and was in a film that hit No.1 for weeks on box office charts last year -- among a host of other "hobbies"Not well-known enough. Anyone know the REAL reason Hello Dolly refused to perform at the TONYS?"



My apologies :)

#29

Anyone know the REAL reason Hello Dolly refused to perform at the TONYS?

Posted: 5/23/18 at 9:05pm

UncleCharlie said: "RicardoMagon said: "Alas, Scott Rudin is rich, so I don'thave sympathy for the shows he produced that didn't make him as rich as Dolly did."

Probably in the same way that really poor people who work two jobs just to make sure their kids don't go to bed hungry don't have sympathy for you not getting to see Bette in Hello Dolly.


"

Shouldn't Broadway be accessible to everyone though? Shouldn't Bette in Hello Dolly be accessible for the poor people who work 2 jobs?

#30

Anyone know the REAL reason Hello Dolly refused to perform at the TONYS?

Posted: 5/23/18 at 9:05pm

IlanaKeller said: "Nah. She just sang probably THE most iconic theater song of the entire 1980s and won a Tony Award for it, starred on a wildly successful TV show and was in a film that hit No.1 for weeks on box office charts last year -- among a host of other "hobbies"Not well-known enough. Anyone know the REAL reason Hello Dolly refused to perform at the TONYS?"



I had never heard of her either, despite her amazing accomplishments. And she isn’t a household name, just like Bette Midler or Bernadette Peters to most EVERYONE I’ve asked. It may be generational, regional, or interest-based. I told a co-worker I was going to NYC to see “Hello, Dolly!” and she asked was it about Dolly Parton. She’d also never heard of Barbra Streisand either, or the movie.

Updated On: 5/23/18 at 09:05 PM

#32

Anyone know the REAL reason Hello Dolly refused to perform at the TONYS?

Posted: 5/23/18 at 9:16pm

dmwnc1959 said: "IlanaKeller said: "Nah. She just sang probably THE most iconic theater song of the entire 1980s and won a Tony Award for it, starred on a wildly successful TV show and was in a film that hit No.1 for weeks on box office charts last year -- among a host of other "hobbies"Not well-known enough. Anyone know the REAL reason Hello Dolly refused to perform at the TONYS?"



I had never heard of her either, despite her amazing accomplishments. And she isn’t a household name, just like Bette Midler or Bernadette Peters to most EVERYONE I’ve asked.It may be generational, regional, or interest-based. I told a co-worker I was going to NYC to see “Hello, Dolly!” and she asked was it about Dolly Parton. She’d also never heard of Barbra Streisand either, or the movie."

Not everyone is going to have heard of everyone, it would be impossible. But to have someone of her caliber and career leading a touring production (and of course it happens, and it's not a knock in any way on the talent of touring companies) and then complaining because they are not well-known enough is ridiculous.

Twitter: @IlanaKeller Latest work: app.com/topic/asbury-park-broadway/

Updated On: 5/23/18 at 09:16 PM

#33

Anyone know the REAL reason Hello Dolly refused to perform at the TONYS?

Posted: 5/23/18 at 9:24pm

RicardoMagon said: "UncleCharlie said: "RicardoMagon said: "Alas, Scott Rudin is rich, so I don'thave sympathy for the shows he produced that didn't make him as rich as Dolly did."

Probably in the same way that really poor people who work two jobs just to make sure their kids don't go to bed hungry don't have sympathy for you not getting to see Bette in Hello Dolly.


"

Shouldn't Broadway be accessible to everyone though? Shouldn't Bette in Hello Dolly be accessible for the poor people who work 2 jobs?

This has been said on here literally thousands of times but I'll say it once more for your benefit.

Broadway IS accessible to almost everyone. There are thousands of tickets priced $30-$50 available to Broadway shows every single week. Balcony seats, rush tickets, lotteries, TKTS, TDF, Playbill.com, broadwaybox... there are discounts everywhere. Just because someone can't afford to see THE single hottest show at any given time doesn't mean they don't have access to seeing a Broadway show. And if they have to see Dolly, they can as I and others have pointed out, see it with Bernadette Peters at a very reasonable price. And that doesn't even begin to talk about the loads and loads of fantastic theater available off Broadway for $20-30 or even less. Not being able to afford tickets to Bette does not mean you don't have access to Broadway any more than not being able to afford a Porsche means you don't have access to having a car or not being able to afford a dinner at Per Se or Le Bernardin means you don't have access to enjoying a meal at a restaurant. I can guarantee you, truly poor people and I've known plenty, if offered tickets to the very worst show on Broadway would be beside themselves with joy to get to see a real Broadway show in person. They would not be complaining about why can't they see Bette Midler.

Updated On: 5/23/18 at 09:24 PM

#34

Anyone know the REAL reason Hello Dolly refused to perform at the TONYS?

Posted: 5/23/18 at 9:29pm

IlanaKeller said: "Not everyone is going to have heard of everyone, it would be impossible. But to have someone of her caliber leading a touring production(and of course it happens, and it's not a knock in any way on the talent of touring companies) and then complaining because they are not well-known enough is ridiculous."



I agree no one should be minimizing anyone’s talent based on name recognition. I had never heard of Kelli O’Hara before seeing the National Tour of “The King and I”, but now I know who she is. Same goes for the leads in most, if not all, of the musicals I’ve seen. Zero name recognition before, different story after. It’s a process.

#36

Anyone know the REAL reason Hello Dolly refused to perform at the TONYS?

Posted: 5/23/18 at 9:41pm

@Ricardo, in your 40ish hours here, you have spent a lot of time stepping in it. If you haven't already, you might want to notice there are a lot of people here who know a lot, and a lot of people who don't. When the latter pretend like they are the former, it reminds me of a line from Man of La Mancha: "Whether the stone hits the pitcher
or the pitcher hits the stone it's going to be bad for the pitcher." I encourage you to participate robustly on this board, but you might want to consider gaining a little knowledge before getting yourself in too much trouble. You don't want to be one of "those" people now, do you?
#37

Anyone know the REAL reason Hello Dolly refused to perform at the TONYS?

Posted: 5/23/18 at 9:43pm



Broadway ISaccessible to almost everyone. There are thousands of tickets priced $30-$50 available to Broadway shows every single week. Balcony seats, rush tickets, lotteries, TKTS, TDF, Playbill.com, broadwaybox...there are discounts everywhere. Just because someone can't afford to see THE single hottest show at any given time doesn't mean they don't have access to seeing a Broadway show. And if they have to see Dolly, they can as I and others have pointed out, see with Bernadette Peters at a very reasonable price. And that doesn't even begin to talk about the loads and loads of fantastic theater available off Broadway for $20-30 or even less. Not being able to afford tickets to Bettedoes not mean you don't have access to Broadway any more than not being able to afford a Porsche means you don't have access to having a car or not being able to afford a dinner at Per Se or Le Bernardin means you don't have access to enjoying a meal at a restaurant. I can guarantee you, truly poor people and I've known plenty, if offered tickets to the very worst show on Broadway would be besides themselves with joy to get to see a real Broadway show in person. They would not be complaining about why can't they see Bette Midler."

Did Bette not want to perform at the Tony awards? I've always wondered how the rest of the cast felt. Just my two cents but. Bette seems like the type of person who, if she wanted to perform at the tony awards, she wouldn't let Rudin get in her way, regardless of his dispute with the awards committee. Perhaps she just wasn't up to it? Though I also find that hard to believe because didn't she perform the show a few days after the awards? The whole thing never made much sense

#38

Anyone know the REAL reason Hello Dolly refused to perform at the TONYS?

Posted: 5/23/18 at 10:07pm

RicardoMagon said: "My gut tells me that rumor is more true than not. Reading the replies on here, I get the feeling that Scott Rudin isn't well liked on here by other people also, which tells my original post isn't completely unwarranted. Alas, Scott Rudin is rich, so I don't have sympathy for the shows he produced that didn't make him as rich as Dolly did."



Pray tell, how much of Rudin's riches would he have to relinquish in order to obtain your no doubt invaluable sympathy?

Give me a break. Producers take risks. In general, the rare shows that make them $$ are outnumbered by those that do not.

#39

Anyone know the REAL reason Hello Dolly refused to perform at the TONYS?

Posted: 5/23/18 at 10:10pm

RicardoMagon said: Did Bette not want to perform at the Tony awards? I've always wondered how the rest of the cast felt. Just my two cents but.Bette seems like the type of person who, if she wanted to perform at the tony awards, she wouldn't let Rudin get in her way, regardless of his dispute with the awards committee. Perhaps she just wasn't up to it? Though I also find that hard to believe because didn't she perform the show a few days after the awards? The whole thing never made much sense"

This subject was exhaustively discussed in its time, and you can easily search for that. Rudin likes to keep performances close to the vest, and he likes to stir trouble to garner attention. There is no mechanism for Better to not let let Rudin get in her way. It's his show; she works for him. (I also think she did not want to, because she clearly was watching carefully how she expended energy throughout the run. She's not a spring chicken.

P.S. re "as rich as Dolly did." It didn't/hasn't. Facts help. This show has not been a blockbuster financial success like BOM, for instance.

Updated On: 5/23/18 at 10:10 PM

#40

Anyone know the REAL reason Hello Dolly refused to perform at the TONYS?

Posted: 5/23/18 at 10:31pm

When "Wicked" first went on tour, I was very fortunate to see the third performance because a friend of mine bought me a ticket. After that, I heard about the daily front row lottery for $25.00 that they had before every performance. Thanks to the generosity of the producers of the show, I was able to see the show over 25 times during it's run in Chicago. I know that Broadway producers can be difficult and are shrewd. I have seen shows both on Broadway and on tour, used TKTS and used discounts. I think that Broadway and touring shows CAN be accessible to all people...

#41

Anyone know the REAL reason Hello Dolly refused to perform at the TONYS?

Posted: 5/23/18 at 10:32pm

So you started your post by WANTING to take your mom, but then didn't want to because there weren't any clips to preview? So when did it turn into a money grubbing elitist thing?



No..."theater" should be accessible, not necessarily Broadway.

If we're not having fun, then why are we doing it? These are DISCUSSION boards, not mutual admiration boards. Discussion only occurs when we are willing to hear what others are thinking, regardless of whether it is alignment to our own thoughts.
#44

Anyone know the REAL reason Hello Dolly refused to perform at the TONYS?

Posted: 5/24/18 at 1:30am

Fine fine, you caught her - there is indeed a REAL reason that Bette Midler did not perform at the Tony Awards, and it had nothing to do with Rudin - it was an act of protest because Nathan Lane didn't get to host or perform at the awards, and Midler knew in her heart and soul that any ceremony that didn't give Mr. Lane top billing wasn't one that deserved her own performance.

#45

Anyone know the REAL reason Hello Dolly refused to perform at the TONYS?

Posted: 5/24/18 at 1:53am

I suspect that she didn't want to get judge by her Tony performance because she know she's not the "vocalist" she is. I saw her in the show, and she was fine, but I'm a 90s baby and not really her fan base. But I don't see why they couldn't do the flower dress shop scene with all the principles or even "Sunday Clothes" or even "Ribbons Down My Back." Maybe they didn't want to spend the money because they didn't need to. But it does seem a little d-bag-ish.

#46

Anyone know the REAL reason Hello Dolly refused to perform at the TONYS?

Posted: 5/24/18 at 6:05am

Regardless of the somewhat suspect claim- I wanted to take my mom to Hello, Dolly- but there were no clips- like- so what?- I think the subject of sky high Broadway prices is worthy of some discussion. The prices are sky high for shows that are either big hits- or shows that feature living legends or A-list celebrities- and if you do not have a lot of money- these shows just are out of the question. I bought tickets for my sister's birthday for Springsteen- and they were not even premium- and they were 1200-plus for two seats- Dear Evan Hansen tickets are off the charts for decent seats- and so many shows are featuring premium seating for most of the orchestra- with prices that are really only for wealthy people. But, that is the way it is now- and perhaps theater is becoming more and more a wealthy person's entertainment- and that is for several reasons- none of which I want to address right now. All I can say is- unfortunately, theater- along with designer clothes and gold and diamond jewelry- is an expensive taste- though there are plenty of mid-priced seats for many productions- and balcony seats and standing room only seats are always options- but, let's face it- theater is now very expensive for A list productions- and that is the way it is. Much more reasonable in London, though.

#48

Anyone know the REAL reason Hello Dolly refused to perform at the TONYS?

Posted: 5/24/18 at 7:56am

Yup. If it's "too much" don't go. I haven't seen Springsteen....anytime I've had access to tix, they've been beyond what I'm willing to spend. And I haven't complained about not seeing it at all. I'm sure I'd love it. I'm sure it would be a great 2 hours -- but my life is no less full without it.

If we're not having fun, then why are we doing it? These are DISCUSSION boards, not mutual admiration boards. Discussion only occurs when we are willing to hear what others are thinking, regardless of whether it is alignment to our own thoughts.

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