Arthur Laurents Pity Thread- Page 2

[sanda]

Posted: 5/5/09 at 4:11pm

I did not watch WSS after getting disappointed by last year's Gypsy. His direction in that show was really slow and old.

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 5/5/09 at 4:12pm

Never forget the immortal words of Harvey Fierstein, "Arthur Laurents is proof that the good die young."

[ljay889]

Posted: 5/5/09 at 4:22pm

Arthur was NEVER mean to Bernadette. You may want to read his new book. He praises her ALOT. His problem was with Sam Mendes.

[PalJoey]

Posted: 5/5/09 at 4:38pm

There isn't a person alive Arthur Laurents was "never" mean to, including Bernadette Peters and his mother.

Updated On: 5/5/09 at 04:38 PM

[defyingravity07]

Posted: 5/5/09 at 4:42pm

While Arthur may not have deserved to be nominated, he deserved it more than Kristin Hanggi.

[PalJoey]

Posted: 5/5/09 at 5:12pm

Yes, but Kristin Hanggi didn't necessarily deserve a public humiliation, like Arthur did.

[NYadgal]

Posted: 5/5/09 at 5:26pm

"50 to life"

I laughed out loud. PalJoey, you have a way with words!

[MTVMANN]

Posted: 5/5/09 at 5:47pm

He actually only has two Tony Awards...I actually thought that he would have an awards cabinet that could rival Hal Prince's!

At any rate, was he eligible for the award? In the same way that an actor can not be eligible for a role they have played on broadway before (even if they didn't win or get nominated for the role).

[WithoutATrace]

Posted: 5/5/09 at 5:52pm

If he was eligible for directing GYPSY for the third time, then yes, he would be eligible for directing WEST SIDE STORY for the first time.

[binau]

Posted: 5/5/09 at 5:58pm

My God. After reading the bitter, pretentious new book of his I don't feel really sorry for him :P, but I suppose it would have been a nice end-of-life gift.

Updated On: 5/5/09 at 05:58 PM

[willrogers2008]

Posted: 5/5/09 at 9:52pm

How old are he ?
SOMETHING BETWEEN NINETY AND DEAD...

[husk_charmer]

Posted: 5/5/09 at 10:17pm

I'm convinced that he's struck a deal with the devil, and that he won't die until bryan gets his Cry-Baby cast album. We could be screwed.

[PalJoey]

Posted: 5/6/09 at 7:59am

From Michael Riedel's article this morning:

===

THE other notable omission from this year's list of nominees is Arthur Laurents, the 91-year-old director of "West Side Story," which was nominated for Best Revival (and will lose to "Hair").

Broadway insiders speculate that he was done in by Jesse Green's New York magazine profile. Green harped on Laurents' reputation as a nasty showbiz crocodile that chews up its friends.

Asked about Laurents, one ex-friend, Mary Rodgers, daughter of Richard Rodgers, said: "Call me when he's dead."

Laurents was said to be deeply hurt by the profile. But he doesn't seem to get much sympathy from the Broadway crowd -- and none at all from the Tony nominators, who picked Kristin Hanggi, the director of "Rock of Ages," over the man who wrote "Gypsy" and "West Side Story."
FOR TONY, DOLLY'S A BUST

[devonian.t]

Posted: 5/6/09 at 8:47am

I thought Gypsy suffered from poor direction- especially in the scene transitions. Won't see this WSS I guess, as I'm not going to be in NYC for the foreseeable future.

The guy has always been unappealing.

Schadenfreude, this one's for you.

[WithoutATrace]

Posted: 5/6/09 at 9:07am

I just thought I would chime in here. I saw WEST SIDE STORY for the fourth time last night and think it has improved leaps and bounds since Washington, DC and the first NY preview. I loved it even more this time. Everyone was giving stellar performances (even Cody Green, who I hated the first three times).

It's unfortunate that Matt Cavenaugh did not get nominated. He was outstanding last night. He was in perfect voice and his acting has improved tremendously. I hope he eventually gets the respect he deserves. A fine Broadway actor.

Josefina and Karen were also spot on tonight. They both gave wonderful performances...and I'm sure they were both on such a high after getting their first-ever Tony nominations yesterday morning. "Hoy Me Siento" brought the house down, and "A Boy Like That/I Have A Love" was astounding. They were both brilliant.

...and I have to say, I appreciated Laurents' direction much more this time around. The pacing was better than the previous times I had seen the show, and everything just worked. I still love how he staged the quintet...gives me chills every time. The audience reaction last night was very positive and I'm so glad the actors all had excellent performances last night.

Congrats to the cast and crew of WEST SIDE STORY. This show, in my opinion, the best revival on Broadway right now.

[dramamama611]

Posted: 5/6/09 at 9:23am

Yes, we know YOU love it. ^^ But obviously, are deep in the minority. Should it take THIS long for someone to finally GET their part? PLEASE. They've been working the show since last FALL. And since they were ten in their heads.


He would be undeserving of a Tony nom. Period. No complaints from me on that one.

[WithoutATrace]

Posted: 5/6/09 at 10:07am

I may be in the minority on these boards (which I still don't understand...the show is so wonderful), but I wasn't in the minority in the audience last night. Everyone around me was loving it, and I'm glad they were. And yes, the orchestra was completely full on a Tuesday night. I'm glad this show is selling so well - it deserves to be a hit.

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 5/6/09 at 11:03am

"He was in perfect voice and his acting has improved tremendously. I hope he eventually gets the respect he deserves. A fine Broadway actor."

I'm pretty sure "fine actors" begin the run at tremendous.

[WithoutATrace]

Posted: 5/6/09 at 11:05am

You're entitled to your opinion about Matt, but I thought he was great at the third preview in DC. I'm just saying he has gotten even better since then.

[SNAFU]

Posted: 5/6/09 at 12:40pm

Oh, maybe he will win the Tony.... oh wait.... nevermind.

[PalJoey]

Posted: 5/6/09 at 1:10pm

I think this thread needs a good Why-Arthur-Is-Evil story:

===

Once, at an audition for the part of an older woman, the casting director told us he was bringing in a somewhat elderly Gretchen Wyler, who was very nervous about auditioning for Arthur. She had been a star in the 1950s and 1960s and had replaced Chita in Birdie and Gwen in Damn Yankees but was old now and somewhat feeble.

Nevertheless, she was PERFECT for the part!

She warbled through "So in Love" as her audition song, a little weak but fine for the part. Then she read the scene with the stage manager and she broke the hearts of everyone at the table.

Everyone except Arthur, that is.

She had tears in her eyes as she thanked us all profusely for allowing her to audition and when she left the room, there was a silence. Everyone was thinking: Maybe this show will be a comeback for Gretchen Wyler?

Arthur was the first to speak up, in a voice so loud I was sure she could hear him in the outer room:

"THAT FAT COW! She had NO TALENT thirty years ago and she has LESS TALENT now!"

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 5/6/09 at 1:14pm

Was this before or after she guest starred on Friends? She was fun on that.

PJ, I think you might want to let go of some of this Arthur directed vitriol. Whatever it was he did to you, haven't almost three decades past? This just seems unhealthy.
Updated On: 5/6/09 at 01:14 PM

[PalJoey]

Posted: 5/6/09 at 1:20pm

As Mary Rodgers said...

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 5/6/09 at 1:22pm

So when he's dead you're going to say what he did to you or you're going to stop using every opportunity to go on about what an ass he is?

And why is your vendetta against him any more valid than say, someone's against LuPone?

[ljay889]

Posted: 5/6/09 at 1:27pm

He'll never let it go, lol. It's pointless. He was Arthur's gofer, and Arthur turned on him. He still will not let it go. I just don't understand what he gets out of bashing him in every single thread.