Broadway star with the most absences??

[SAluva2]

Posted: 10/18/07 at 9:00pm

Who do you guys think it is?? My personal vote goes to Norbert Leo Butz since I have tried on two ocasions to see him,once in Wicked and once in Dirty Rotten Scoundrels and both times he has not been in atendence. But maybe thats just me... Hey Im bitter! =]

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 10/18/07 at 9:05pm

By all accounts Butz has had a very good attendance record. If he happen to be out the two times you went to see him, that's just bad luck/coincidence. His record doesn't even begin to be compared to others like Donna Murphy, LaChanze et al who have missed dozens upon dozens of performances over the years.

Updated On: 10/18/07 at 09:05 PM

[Princeton78]

Posted: 10/18/07 at 9:06pm

You have every right to be upset, but I don't think he's the biggest offender. I have no issues with this thread, but I'm warning you, you're opening a big can of worms.
I guess there's a fine line between medical absences and diva absences. Personally, the people I've missed the most are Laura Benanti and Donna Murphy, both of whom I love, but both of whom I've actually never managed to see live. I tried Wonderful Town 3 times and missed Murphy each time, and I saw Into the Woods twice and The Wedding singer once, each time missing Benanti.

[philly03]

Posted: 10/18/07 at 9:08pm

Mandy Bruno is the Les Miserables revival. Could have seen her three times, saw her understudy Megan McGinnis all 3 times.

[Revolutionary]

Posted: 10/18/07 at 9:44pm

Didn't Norbie have a busted vocal chord for a while during DRS?

[DRSisLove]

Posted: 10/18/07 at 9:47pm

Yep. He had every right to take the time off. He easily could have canceled his contract due to medical issues.

[folkyboy]

Posted: 10/18/07 at 9:48pm

^^
aren't you thinking of Donna Murphy er i mean Laura Benanti um...wait...wasn't that Lachanze?

[jv92]

Posted: 10/18/07 at 10:01pm

LaChanze. My God. Was she EVER in The Color Purple? The role isn't even that demanding either.

[afaye11]

Posted: 10/18/07 at 10:04pm

I have seen Avenue Q twice and Mary Faber had been out both times. I really wanted to see her too! Is she always out or am I just unlucky?

[Dollypop]

Posted: 10/18/07 at 10:08pm

When I interviewed Boyd Gaines for this site, he mentioned how hurtful it is for him to read threads like this. As you know, he had serious physical problems during the 1st revivfal of COMPANY and missed more than half of the performances. He was sick--very sick. Donna Murphy was also sick during WONDERFUL TOWN.

Acting in the theater is much different from acting for film or TV. It's a living art form. As such, it's subject to human frailties.

Please be considerate of the performers you're trashing.

Updated On: 10/18/07 at 10:08 PM

[theaterkid1015]

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

Charlotte D'Amboise was a popular target this summer.

[jv92]

Posted: 10/18/07 at 10:16pm

"When I interviewed Boyd Gaines for this site, he mentioned how hurtful it is for him to read threads like this. As you know, he had serious physical problems during the 1st revivfal of COMPANY and missed more than half of the performances. He was sick--very sick. Donna Murphy was also sick during EONERFUL TOWN.

Acting in the theater is much different from acting for film or TV. It's a living art form. As such, it's subject to human frailties.

Please be considerate of the performers you're trashing."

That I understand. Plus Bobby (Gaines) and Ruth (Murphy) are very demanding roles. Celie in The Color Purple is a poorly written, underwritten part. I don't think LaChanze was going through a serious medical condition durring her run. In fact, I doubt she was going through any medicial problems durring her biweekly performances in Once on This Island, Company and Ragtime. Unless, of course, her illness was stage fright (or laziness).
Sorry, harsh I know. I hold no personal resentiment towards La Chanze. She's talented enough, I guess. However, I feel, unless something very serious (Murphy's vocal troubles, Audra's dad's death, Ebersole's physical exhaustion) comes up, performers have a duty to go on every night, espeically if their role isn't demanding.

[zoran912]

Posted: 10/18/07 at 10:30pm

The role of Celie may not be well written in your opinion, but you cannot argue with the score. That role is a BIG sing. I call that demanding.

[jv92]

Posted: 10/18/07 at 10:35pm

A few riffs through the show and one big (lousy) song at the end. Hardly a demanding role.

[jake6970]

Posted: 10/18/07 at 10:40pm

Still, Celie is hardly a breeze through if you're really sick. Whether you're in the chorus or a lead, if you're sick, you're SICK. Arguing that the part is underwritten isn't going to make her feel any better doing it.

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 10/18/07 at 10:44pm

Right, the fact that YOU happened to be unlucky twice is a really great case for saying that an actor MUST have the most cumulative absences! Great logic we have here on BWW.

[musicalsFan]

Posted: 10/18/07 at 11:02pm

Great logic we have here on BWW.

This isn't the first time the braniacs around here have displayed their gifts of logical thinking. NOT.

Plenty of armchair quarterbacks around here too. By their logic about the "difficulty" of a job, one wonders whether they have a perfect attendance at their jobs at McDonalds or wherever they work. Or perhaps they are children still living on mommy and daddy's dollar.

[dancingthrulife04]

Posted: 10/18/07 at 11:13pm

Charlotte D'Amboise was a popular target this summer.

Really? I mean, I know she was targeted a fair bit, but I was under the impression that was more about her performance than her absenses. (That said, she's never been out when I've seen ACL, except for one of her scheduled days off.)


Anyway, to my main point... stuff happens. People are going to miss performances. And Dirty Rotten Scoundrels closed over a year ago. You're just thinking about this now?

[Becoz_i_knew_you21]

Posted: 10/18/07 at 11:15pm

Donna Murphy and Laura Benanti both had serious health issues. They should not be criticized for having "bad attendance" with the medical issues they had. They were serious and more than a valid excuse to miss a show. Someone who truly has bad attendance with no excuse is LaChanze.

[jv92]

Posted: 10/18/07 at 11:23pm

^ Absolutely. And she's had bad attendance for EVERY SHOW she's ever done.

[DottieD'Luscia]

Posted: 10/18/07 at 11:31pm

I didn't realize LaChanze had attendance problems during her run in Ragtime. She was there both times I saw it. I also know she was pregnant with her first child while in Ragtime.

[husk_charmer]

Posted: 10/18/07 at 11:37pm

Laura's only legit medical reason was "Into the Woods." From several insiders, she was not on medical leave during "Wedding Singer" (She was actually replaced). The woman has yet to make it 6 consecutive months in the same show....that's pretty crappy attendance/perserverance. IF acting in theatre is THAT hard for her, maybe she should change careers. Same with LaChanze....

Donna has redeemed herself with Follies and LoveMusik...and the fact that she's an amazing singer/performer, where as Benanti leaves me cold and LaChanze bores me.

Posted: 10/19/07 at 3:18am

LAURA. B.

all memebers of "chorus line" and "chicago".and "hairspray"...never see the full cast. NEVER. try it...you'll see.

[Bwayfan4]

Posted: 10/19/07 at 4:04am

I have to say that it irritates me when I read some of these posts. Just because you tried to see "so-and-so" twice (and didn't) doesn't mean that actor has a bad attendance record. Have you ever taken a day off from work or school? Were you ever sick or felt the need for a "mental health" day?

And who are we to judge whether or not the absense was "legit". I understand that we are paying money (in some cases, a lot of mone) to see "so-and-so", but nowhere on that ticket did it "guarantee" that your favorite actor would be there. These are the chances you take when buying tickets.

[zoran912]

Posted: 10/19/07 at 4:22am

Plus, if the actor is above the title and is out for your performance you can get a refund.