Cheyenne Jackson Headed to FINIAN'S RAINBOW- Page 2

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 7/22/09 at 3:54pm

If Kalimba's happy, then Phyllis is happy!

[somethingwicked]

Posted: 7/22/09 at 3:59pm

There was no film project involved.

I won't go into the specifics of what he wanted in the initial deal (since he may have agreed to something completely different in the final contract,) but a lot of what he was asking for was for hypothetical projects that "may" come up, as well as a short-term length of commitment.

My annoyance with Jackson goes beyond just the logistics of the negotiations between him and the producers. He also said a lot of things about the show that I didn't find very professional (along the lines of comments he made about XANADU.)

As entitled as people are to find him God's gift to theater, I have just as much of a right to the opinion that he's a talented guy with too big of an ego.

Regardless, FINIAN'S RAINBOW back on Broadway (especially when involving the brilliant Terri White) is never a bad thing.

Updated On: 7/22/09 at 03:59 PM

[Borstalboy]

Posted: 7/22/09 at 4:01pm

Whatever. It's going to be nice to hear this score on Broadway.

[MarkK]

Posted: 7/22/09 at 4:10pm

Whether Cheyenne is your cup of tea or not, he has proven time and again that he can carry a show. Calling him untalented is ridiculous.

On the other hand, Nick Adams is a chorus boy who has never had a Broadway lead. Why he is reffered to as a "Broadway star" confounds me. jsg03jd maybe right, perhaps Adams has a good press agent.


But, the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard on this board;

"After all the crap Jackson put the producers through in negotiations earlier, he decides at the eleventh hour that he's suddenly "good enough" to do the show?"

I agree with PalJoey "it's called negotiating, dear.

Actors can ask for what they want, and producers are free to say no, that's the way the game works. Obviously, producers didn't find what they were looking for and went back to Cheyenne, and this time they reached a deal that both parties could agree upon.

And BTW, I got yelled at here last week for repeating a rumor. But, where and when did Cheyenne, and or the show ever "publicly" say he wasn't doing it or didn't want to do FR?

Updated On: 7/22/09 at 04:10 PM

[PalJoey]

Posted: 7/22/09 at 4:12pm

And what exactly would those things he said about the shows be, somethingwicked?

As long as your going to go to the trouble of smearing him, you might as well be specific. That way, no one accuse you of slander by innuendo.

[Dollypop]

Posted: 7/22/09 at 4:23pm

It hasn't been announced yet, but Loretta Swit has been approached to play Susan the Silent. What joy!

[somethingwicked]

Posted: 7/22/09 at 4:28pm

I have no problem elaborating, PalJoey.

When Jackson discussed his involvement with XANADU in the press, he spoke in one particular piece about how he had no interest in being involved with the show past the workshop because of both Jane Krakowski being out of the picture and the "material" not being something he thought would work well. When the producers approached him with a lucrative offer after James Carpinello's injury left them in a bind, he seemed to abandon all his artistic principles in order to create a position to further himself.

I completely understand that it was a smart financial and career opportunity to utilize, and I certainly don't blame Jackson for doing so. Let's face it- that's how the business works. At the same time, considering he made those comments after already having gone into the Broadway production, I am very much entitled to think that's a bad reflection on him. You shouldn't bite the hand that feeds you.

Similarly, he was not shy about expressing his skepticism about a Broadway incarnation of FINIAN'S RAINBOW.

As I said, I find Jackson to be a very talented guy. In all the experiences I have had with him personally, he's always been incredibly kind and charismatic. He very may well have an agent who calls a lot of the shots in terms of what he wants in a contract negotiation, but I think he should be much more cautious in the future in regards to what he says in the press. It only ends up being a bad reflection on his professional attitude, and I'm not the only one who has expressed those feelings.

I'm happy to see the show moving to Broadway (as the Encores! production was marvelous) and am relieved, for the producer's sake, that they were able to finally find a leading man. The process in doing so was a stressful one for everyone involved, but I'm sure Jackson will be as serviceable as he was in the previous incarnation.

Updated On: 7/22/09 at 04:28 PM

[husk_charmer]

Posted: 7/22/09 at 4:37pm

I recall the Xanadu comments being part of a Playbill.com interview (I could be wrong, but I feel like that's the one) in which he said that he had originally declined because he felt that without Jane it would be too weird, and that the material wouldn't hold up. However, he went on to say, that when the producers asked him to fill in, he went back to see the show and was pleasantly surprised that it did work and that was what made him accept the part.

However, it's been at least a year since I read the article, probably more, so I may be mis-membering.

[fgreene1938]

Posted: 7/22/09 at 4:40pm

Oh, well...I think Cheyenne Jackson has some skills and a good singing voice. He was fine in All Shook Up (got freebies, folks) but the show was a shambles. He is the "it" boy of the moment in some circles so he gets the press and he must have a sharp agency behind him. "Xanadu" would have been in deep trouble if he didn't come back onboard, whatever the reason, and everyone involved parlayed that into something of a success. I expected that he'd join Finian eventually.

Oh, yeah...on Nick Adams. He has managed to parlay his allergies to any material used in the manufacturing of clothing into a promising career. He'll hit the big time when the Oh! Calcutta revival hits the boards, mark my words. WHAHOO.

[MarkK]

Posted: 7/22/09 at 4:42pm

somethingwicked -You are full of it, you are still not able to give a specfic quote or article where Cheyenne trashed Xanadu or Finian's Rainbow. Do you just make this stuff up?


And if you are talking about Katie Reigel interview Broadway.com I've pulled the piece for you.

BROADWAY.COM: After doing both workshops, why didn't you come with the show to Broadway in the first place?

CHEYENNE:I couldn't commit to a long contract. I was finishing a film that comes out in the fall. It's a psychological thriller that's called Hysteria right now, but that might change. It was my first lead in a movie, and I just couldn't commit to a long thing. Also, Jane Krakowski and I had done both of the workshops together and I was like, "Aw man. I don't know if I can do it without her." So I just thought, "I don't know if it's my time for it." But?uh, I guess it was. [Laughs.]

BROADWAY.COM: Are Jane Krakowski and Kerry Butler very different as Clio/Kira?

CHEYENNE: After doing both workshops with Jane, honestly, I couldn't imagine anybody else doing the part. She is a dear friend of mine and is exceedingly talented and beautiful and delicious and just has that "it" factor. You can't take your eyes off her. I like Kerry and I had seen her in things before and obviously she's wonderfully talented, but I couldn't see her in the part in my brain. Chris [Ashley] just said, "Watch her. Watch the show." And she was so unbelievably, diametrically different from Jane, but 100% successful in her own right. She makes such strong choices that I'm just a huge fan now. She's brilliant and she has such a smart sense of humor. She's available to you on stage. She gives me real tears every night. She's the real deal.



Interview Updated On: 7/22/09 at 04:42 PM

[husk_charmer]

Posted: 7/22/09 at 4:46pm

Yes! That was it! I'm glad I was only partially mis-membering.

[PalJoey]

Posted: 7/22/09 at 4:50pm

SomethingWicked, I'm sure that someday you may grow up to be a very nice person, but as of today, all that you have demonstrated is that you are a nasty little fabricator of twisted gossip.

Why don't you run and see if Perez Hilton needs an intern?

[somethingwicked]

Posted: 7/22/09 at 4:52pm

One of the comments I was referring to in regards to FINIAN'S RAINBOW is as follows:

Cheyenne Jackson: i got the offer for finians rainbow, and we are hashing out the details, as it were. it would be lovely to explore it more, but frankly, i will believe it when i see it...did you see it?

http://www.afterelton.com/blog/michaeljensen/cheyenne-jackson-live-chat

I'm not going to engage in name calling with you, PalJoey. You've already shown yourself to be quite immature on this board when it comes to that.

Updated On: 7/22/09 at 04:52 PM

[Yero my Hero]

Posted: 7/22/09 at 4:57pm

How is that trashing the show? He just said that he wasn't positive it would open on Broadway. Do you have any idea how many shows are talked about that never end up opening?

[ghostlight2]

Posted: 7/22/09 at 5:01pm

I'm no fan. Cheyenne's a decent-looking guy with so-so talent, but why on earth do you think he shouldn't hammer out a deal that best benefits him, somethingwicked? And how did you find something negative from the quote that you yourself posted?

[Libby1209]

Posted: 7/22/09 at 5:02pm

Okay so I am a CJ fan but don't know a lot of Finian's Rainbow. Is ir worth going to see? Also...what's the St. James Theatre like in orchestra or mezzanine? I sat in the front row of the balcony for Gypsy and hate the walk up those never-ending stairs AND the fact that I had a hard time seeing the stage unless I sat forward. Are there similar issues with the mezzanine? How about the orchestra? Will I be craining my neck to see the stage if I sit close?

BTW...has anyone else has issues signing in to BWW? I had to create a new email just to get onto the message boards b/c BWW won't let me log into my old account. Just curious to see if anyone else had this problem...

Thanks!

[MarkK]

Posted: 7/22/09 at 5:04pm

somethingwicked - How is taking a snippet from a live webchat, making negative press comments? So, I will ask you again, What negative comments did Cheyenne make about Finian's? "it would be lovely to explore it more, but frankly, i will believe it when i see it"


"I will "believe it when I see it" ....is that trashing Finians? That comment was on April 09, had Finian's even announced they had acquired the St James yet?

And ,you also said he did the same thing regarding Xanadu? Where is your proof for making comments like that?
Updated On: 7/22/09 at 05:04 PM

[husk_charmer]

Posted: 7/22/09 at 5:11pm

Yea, I'm gonna say you're reading far too much into that quote somethingwicked...kinda like I did a few months back with Charlotte's comment about playing Cassie.

[PalJoey]

Posted: 7/22/09 at 5:26pm

You have yet to prove that Jackson is guilty of anything you falsely project onto him.

However, you continue to demonstrate that "nasty little fabricator of twisted gossip" is truth-telling and not name-calling.

[TimesSquareRegular]

Posted: 7/22/09 at 6:25pm

I, for one, and quite pleased that he's back on board. Glad that old devil moon has working its magic again!

[Unknown User]

Posted: 7/22/09 at 6:58pm

Oh why not?

Cheyenne Jackson has never been able to deliver a hit has he?

[BroadwayBaby6]

Posted: 7/22/09 at 8:39pm

The show would be dead in the water without Cheyenne, so he and his agent smartly played hardball to get more money. He would have been stupid not to negotiate for more money- good for him!

[Dolly_Levi]

Posted: 7/22/09 at 9:10pm

Cheyenne was solid in the Encores staging, but the real "find" was Kate Baldwin. Jim Norton was also terrific. Glad all 3 are now on board.

[Libby1209]

Posted: 7/22/09 at 9:12pm

Hey you guys can b#@&h about Cheyenne all you want, but can someone please answer my questions (see post above)??? I'm trying to decide where to sit to have a decent view.

Thanks in advance!
Updated On: 7/22/09 at 09:12 PM

[ljay889]

Posted: 7/22/09 at 9:12pm

Do we know if they're keeping this in the concert style? Orchestra on stage? minimal set?