Biggest Lie in Broadway History?

[PRFRMR20]

Posted: 12/16/08 at 6:35pm

Go back to my previous posts when the announcement was first made. (https://forum.broadwayworld.com/readmessage.cfm?boardid=1&boardname=bway&thread=985109#3724265 - third post down)

I'm not saying, I'm just saying...

HAHA

https://weblogs.amny.com/entertainment/stage/blog/2008/12/christian_hoff_can_dance.html


Updated On: 12/16/08 at 06:35 PM

[ljay889]

Posted: 12/16/08 at 6:38pm

That is not the first time something like that happened.

[RentBoy86]

Posted: 12/16/08 at 11:18pm

Well the show was rough either way. Maybe Hoff wanted out because he saw the show being a train wreck.

[Wanna Be A Foster]

Posted: 12/16/08 at 11:48pm

Very interesting.

As for the show being a train wreck, I saw it a few nights ago, and the main train wrecky aspects seemed to be Matt Risch and Stockard Channing's inabilities to hold a tune.

[MamasDoin'Fine]

Posted: 12/17/08 at 8:59am

I thought it was that 'Gypsy' was making money and would run for ever!

[once a month]

Posted: 12/17/08 at 9:27am

i thought it was going to be about which high profile artist was lip-sync-ing and charging full price...

[jennafan]

Posted: 12/17/08 at 9:31am

um.. hello! This is PR people!

People are getting fired left and right (especially on Bway) and this story about Christian being fired has just taken a life of its own.


I call BS and think their trying to get publicity for the show. I do think he was fired, but its the aftermath that is just too much to handle.

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 12/17/08 at 9:47am

I gave up when I had to do detective work to put the original post together.

[jennafan]

Posted: 12/17/08 at 10:10am

The original poster sent us to a thread where they posted a comment on this topic last month. I find it amusing the poster felt the need to go back to that old thread and edit that post yesterday before making this new thread.

What was the point of that?

[PRFRMR20]

Posted: 12/17/08 at 2:18pm

Phyllis Rogers Stone - I don't think following two links would be considered "detective work." I told you exactly where in the post it was.

Jennafan - When going back to the old thread, I noticed a small typo (spelling) and decided to change it before attaching the link. Knowing how BWW works, my point would have been ignored because of the small mistake. I literally changed two letters in one word; the post is the same as it was earlier.

EDIT: That was the point of the updated post... Updated On: 12/17/08 at 02:18 PM

[PalJoey]

Posted: 12/17/08 at 2:37pm

Bullet-point it for me. I'm too busy to follow your links.

[PRFRMR20]

Posted: 12/17/08 at 2:45pm

Wow, I can't believe I am doing this... all you have to do is click two links and read, but to help get my point across here it is-

My post from 11/24/08:
"I hate to even speculate about this, but I am going to :)

I loved Christian Hoff in Jersey Boys and have not seen Pal Joey so my views haven't changed... But, do any of you think that after the horrible reviews and comments made about his performance, he needed a way out? I am not saying he completely made up this injury (though I'm not saying he didn't), but maybe over-exaggerated it? Maybe even some pressure from the Producers?

Just some thoughts to put into your mind..."

-----------------------------------------------

Article from AMNY on 12/16/08:
"Something very weird is going on... Two weeks ago, Roundabout Theatre Company claimed that Christian Hoff had withdrawn from PAL JOEY due to a foot injury, now replaced by his much younger understudy Matthew Risch. Before the injury occurred, however, Hoff was set to appear in the one-night-only reunion original cast reunion concert of THE WHO'S TOMMY.

Hoff was there on Monday night. And not only did he perform without any visible sign of injury, he danced! He and co-star Donnie Kehr performed the original "Pinball Wizard" choreography!

Michael Riedel of The New York Post claimed last week that Roundabout used the supposedly minor foot injury as an excuse to get rid of Hoff. But here's what I find odd about that theory: Hoff was involved in the development of this revival of PAL JOEY for a while. If he didn't actually have the chops to handle the role, why wasn't he canned much earlier on?

While I do not myself claim to know the true story of what really happened, I don't think we've seen the last of this soap opera.

By the way, the TOMMY concert was incredibly well-done. The simple staging was aided by the visual projections used in the original production, as well as video clips and photos of the original cast and set design."

[The Distinctive Baritone]

Posted: 12/17/08 at 4:38pm

Um, do you have some sort of vendetta against Hoff and/or this production? Yes, I find it to be interesting gossip too, but seriously, move on, dude.

[PRFRMR20]

Posted: 12/17/08 at 4:57pm

Not at all... as I said earlier I loved Hoff in Jersey Boys. I just think it is remarkable how poorly this how production has been dealt with. For example, with Shrek, they made an announcement that Chester Gregory did not fit the show how the creative team envisioned, thus they were going to re-cast the role.

Here, it appears they over-exaggerated an injury to replace a Tony winner with a chorus boy with no word of Hoff not being right for the show... then Hoff is dancing (a difficult dance) two weeks later.

For all of the ridiculous things that people comment, discuss and argue about on BWW (from relationships to stagedoor experiences and from best seats/discounts to favorite lyrics) I think this truly massive "scandal/cover-up" is a much more exciting thing to talk about!!

[Jack King]

Posted: 12/17/08 at 11:02pm

The biggest lie is that Broadway thinks it has to go completely nuts on scenery and high-tech related props and efx to get an audience. The lack of audience attests to this lie/misconception.

Detroit and Broadway have much in common.

Think about it, ye that think. :)

I remain,

jk

[adamgreer]

Posted: 12/17/08 at 11:09pm

Biggest lie in Broadway history? Really?

This is hardly the first time this has happened, and it certainly won't be the last.