Chenoweth no Tony for Wicked because she was Christian?- Page 2

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 9/18/05 at 1:10am

Nobody would hire them because nobody wants to be judged through those giant clenched smiling teeth.

That hack Neil LaBute is a Mormon convert/bad off-Broadway playwright.

[Corine2]

Posted: 9/18/05 at 1:12am

Pizza Monster,
I am planning our party.
What is your favorite pizza?
Pizza Pizza.

[LizzieCurry]

Posted: 9/18/05 at 1:14am

"speaking of Mormons.... does anyone actually know of a Broadway performer who has been LDS?"

A few of them have ended up in Les Miz on Broadway, actually:

Christeena Michelle Riggs, Candese Marchese, Kevin Odekirk, Tregoney Shepard.

Also, on tour (and/or other shows): Brian Neal Clark, David Barrus, Nancy Foster, Will Swenson, Keala Settle (I think), Nicole Riding, Paul Canaan, Dallyn Vail Bayles, Mindy Smoot.

Matthew Modine and Wilford Brimley are also LDS.

Those are just the ones I can think of. No, I'm not LDS. I just have a crazy memory.


Great article by Nicole Riding (WONDERFUL former Eponine u/s on tour)

Updated On: 9/18/05 at 01:14 AM

[mad4music]

Posted: 9/18/05 at 1:17am

yes I would say that's one crazy memory! ...man, I can't even remember what I ate for breakfast let alone the religion of some dozen performers! thanx though! lol

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 9/18/05 at 1:18am

Mindy Smoot. Say it twice and it's almost like praying.

[Urban]

Posted: 9/18/05 at 2:15am

I am LDS. If not really practicing.

[Wanna Be A Foster]

Posted: 9/18/05 at 2:17am

What the heck is "LDS"?

[LizzieCurry]

Posted: 9/18/05 at 2:23am

Latter-Day Saint, aka Mormon.

[zzannahk]

Posted: 9/18/05 at 2:24am

i dont know if she intended this to sound the way it does. unbiasedly is sounds like she's scapegoating, but from all accounts of her personality I dont think she would really mean it this way. I think she's talking about the entertainment industry as a whole and making an example of wicked.

[RentBoy86]

Posted: 9/18/05 at 2:40am

so what exactly was the beaf b/w the two ladies in Wicked? I never heard about it, yet again, i'm a newly converted Wicked fan.

[PerforMeg]

Posted: 9/18/05 at 2:54am

I think with the growing affect of the Religious Right on this country, it's not just show business where people watch everything you do. Due to the closed-mindedness that exists in our government I think Christian has become, to some people, synonymous with intolerant.

Kristin has set an example by being openly supportive of things that many Christians find offensive. Lets not forget that she was asked to withdraw from that concert in Oklahoma City because of her belief that God loves all people. Give her a break. People are now against her in two very important aspects of her life: Her career and her faith.

[Urban]

Posted: 9/18/05 at 5:11am

Kristen is what is right and good in Modern Christianity.

[RockabyeHamlet]

Posted: 9/18/05 at 6:58am

Elphaba... get off my back.

What I meant was that she seems to be playing herself off as a victim here. Yea, ok there were problems. We know that, but to play it off as an attack on your faith is just a desperate cry for attention.

[WickedGeek28]

Posted: 9/18/05 at 9:11am

Kristin is a genuinely sweet person, I met Idina only once and I'm going ot just explain my experience. I saw her walking down the street and all I said was "Hey Idina, I jsut wanted to . . " And then she looked up at me gave a really dirty look and slammed the door. Nice Lady.

Now, Cheno. Comes right up to me and is genuiinely sweet. And she actually sings, Idina must learn that Broadway is not a screaming contest.

[DBillyP]

Posted: 9/18/05 at 9:34am

I don't believe Kristin meant that her Christianity affected the Tony race. Her point was that she was unsupported by the producers because of her intent to leave at the end of her contract.

[leefowler]

Posted: 9/18/05 at 10:24am

I think for a lot of people, "Christian" equals "someone who thinks gay people will burn in hell." Kristin happens to not be like that, but she's aligned herself with a lot of people who DO think like that. And, if I was a gay Tony voter, I would definitely be less than likely to vote for a Christain (or at least, someone believes in the American form of "Born Again Christianity," which is more of a right-wing political movement than a religion)

[TennesseeTwang]

Posted: 9/18/05 at 10:39am

People who assume that all Christians are intolerant are themselves bigots because they make sweeping assumptions about an entire group based on the actions of a few in that group.

The world of Christianity is more than just the religious right.

Posted: 9/18/05 at 10:44am

Unfortunately the religious right is the most vocal. I think the whole thing is irrelevant. Who cares is she's a Christian or worships the devil. What does it have to do with her as a performer? But with that said, she should probably stop giving interviews to right-wing religious publications, if she wants to be seen as a moderate.

[Prisoner 24601]

Posted: 9/18/05 at 11:11am

What sort of surprised me is that Kristin said, "When people found out I was Christian..." as if she's saying she's hiding something. It's not like Christianity is some minority that no one has heard about.

It doesn't matter at all what religion you are if you are, unless your beliefs make you not want to do nude scenes..etc.

I think it's a psychological thing- like taking a placebo- when you justify someone's actions based on a belief that you find out they have after not previously knowing they had that belief.

If someone says, "I don't like cauliflower." And you think, "Why in the world doesn't that person like cauliflower?" but then find out that his religion doesn't accept cauliflower, you will see the justification behind their actions due to their religion.

I think this is what KC was talking about when people justify her actions due to Christianity. This happens to me. People think, "Oh, well she's an atheist, so her views are different from mine."
All this stereotyping and justifying isn't helping to keep the peace.

[Pinaud]

Posted: 9/18/05 at 11:32am

I think some people on here are misinterpreting what Chenoweth said in the article, she is not saying that all the drama that ensued at Wicked(with the Tony, etc.) was because of people's reaction to her Christianity. She said her tension with the producers of Wicked was because of her decision to leave when her contract was up. She never implied it was because of her religious affiliations.

[Jon]

Posted: 9/18/05 at 11:32am

It's an insult to Idina Menzel and the Tony Awards in general to imply that Cheno "lost" the Tony because of ther religion.

It's Anti-Semitic to imply Idina won because of her religion.

Corine2 -
I am tired of people misusing the phrase "stole the show". You can't "steal the show" of you are already THE LEAD ROLE. Who the hell are you stealing it from?

Yes, Cheno "stole" the show in YAGMCB, since Sally is a supporting character.

Saying she "stole the show" in Apple Tree is like saying Bernadette Peters "stole" GYPSY, or Nathan Lane "stole" FORUM. You can't steal something that is rightfuly yours!

[The Distinctive Baritone]

Posted: 9/18/05 at 11:38am

Thank you people for pointing out something that is an all-to-common misunderstanding: being "Christian" doesn't mean being absolutely devout to every dogmatic principle in the religion, or even being conservative. I'm a Christian, and I'm quite liberal. Then again, I'm a Protestant Christian, and not a Baptist (i.e. Kristen Chenoweth). But Christianity encompasses not only several different sects (Protestant, Baptist, Lutheran, Roman Catholic, etc.), but countless personal variations on the teachings of Christianity.

So, in summary, "Christian" does not always mean "someone who goes to church every Sunday and hates gays and Jews." It can mean lots of different things.

[best12bars]

Posted: 9/18/05 at 12:21pm

A curious interview... but I didn't get that she "lost" her Tony because she was Christian. She said she felt she lost it because she chose to leave the show when her contract was up, and was told the producers wouldn't spend money to promote her for the award if she made that decision. (Don't you just love show biz?) But I've got a better idea... maybe (just maybe) she lost it because the voters chose Idina instead.

The article was for a Christian publication, so of course it's going to have a religious spin on it, emphasize her beliefs and show how they play a decision in her professional life. She does act like once she was "outed" as a practicing Christian, people treated her like a leper.

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 9/18/05 at 12:26pm

Jesus stole the show at The Last Supper. I'm just saying.

[Avigdor]

Posted: 9/18/05 at 12:27pm

i have been in this business for a very very long time and unfortunately there is some truth to what is being said. the fact that one is not jewish in NYC theatre quite frankly can be a handicap. i have been on the receiving end of this many times, but of course..concrete proof is hard to come by...but trust me it is there...not just in theatre but in many NYC businesses...but please remember this is not limited to nyc...in the midwest the same happens i.e. if you are catholic being jewish isnt very popular...