Eden Espinosa on Lempicka Troubles- Page 2

[dan94]

Posted: 4/4/25 at 1:40pm

She absolutely chose this for herself, but you noted in an earlier post she had some vocal problems in earlier runs of the show. It makes sense to me that if you know you've had some problems pop up, or have been made to feel insecure by the creative team over the course of development, you'd take the exact approach she did. Get the show opened and then broach the alt. Don't give them the easy out of discovering they like the alt more than you, and then get fired by opening night.

While there was certainly whining over Lempicka (which I actually liked a lot), I don't find this interview whiny. Just honest. They probably should have cast someone else in the part, but that's not Eden's fault. And the score, though often brilliant, is unsustainable for anyone. There needed to be modifications regardless of who was cast, and regardless of whether or not they had an alt.

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 4/4/25 at 1:50pm

binau said: "Reddit Brutal take on Lempicka

"

Quite an accurate read of the situation, imo.

Between the curtain speeches and the disastrous New Yorker profile on Chavkin, it is clear that there was no competent force leading the production, and everyone's nerves were raw by the end of the process.

[OhHiii]

Posted: 4/4/25 at 2:11pm

ErmengardeStopSniveling said: "binau said: "Reddit Brutal take on Lempicka

"

Quite an accurate read of the situation, imo.

Between the curtain speeches and the disastrous New Yorker profile on Chavkin, it is clear that there was no competent force leading theproduction, and everyone's nerves were raw by the end of the process."

It's got me thinking about Seaview's producing strengths and that this was their first original musical that they developed themselves if I'm not mistaken? Don't get me wrong they're BRILLIANT at reinvigorating past work and have filled a star-studded vacuum left behind when Rudin was exiled. I just think perhaps another lead producer with experience for developing a new musical may have been beneficial to the show. Because the thing had so much potential and I think that potential is what lead such stark disappointment from so many. It had a lot of people rooting for it at the beginning. 

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 4/4/25 at 2:21pm

Even our very best producers have had flops where the team cannot get on the same page.

They might have benefited from a different lead producer but unless that producer was going to fire a whole bunch of people (Kreitzer? Chavkin? Eden?) or lock the creatives in a room until the show was transcendent, it probably wouldn't have made a bit of difference.

Jenny Niederhoffer –– who had never lead-produced anything on Broadway, but here she was in the hot seat –– may have also been a problem.

[OhHiii]

Posted: 4/4/25 at 2:37pm

ErmengardeStopSniveling said: "Even our very best producers have had flops where the team cannot get on the same page.

They might have benefited from a different lead producer but unless that producer was going to fire a whole bunch of people (Kreitzer? Chavkin? Eden?) or lock the creativesin a room until the show was transcendent, it probably wouldn't have made a bit of difference.

Jenny Niederhoffer –– who hadnever lead-produced anythingon Broadway, but here she was in the hot seat–– may have also been a problem."

Kreitzer adn Chavkin have proven to be very strong personalities and from what we saw from both of them following the pans, their egos were clearly in the way of a fruitful collaboration. And I more meant a seasoned producer in addition to Seaview. Every producer has to have a first, of course! 

At the end of the day the production suffered from wanting to be too cool than the material and subject matter allowed.