For those who want to see Donna in WT- Page 3

[NoticeMeStuart]

Posted: 9/14/04 at 9:24pm

she only missed one show when she was in passion!!!!
don't know bout king and I bt I don't think it was too many either.
this WT thing is so weird.

[Broadwaylady]

Posted: 9/14/04 at 9:32pm

Donna Murphy was excellent in Wonderful Town. To me, she was the whole show. I am sure she has a legitimate reason for being out. Try and see her before she leaves.

[Rathnait62]

Posted: 9/14/04 at 11:07pm

After all that, she's out again? I would be very interested to see the amount of $ lost by returned tickets over the period of time she's been in (and not in). I don't think Donna will be sweating another Broadway show. I think this will be it for her.

[Spiritoflaw]

Posted: 9/14/04 at 11:23pm

I don't think we have even a fraction of the facts to come to any conclusions about the future of Donna's career on Broadway or elsewhere. Illness, any form of disability, physical, psychological or spiritual... these things are not intentional. I am totally convinced that whatever it is that's causing her to stay out of the theatre is of a serious nature and is probably causing her more pain and anguish than anyone here can even begin to fathom.

[Rathnait62]

Posted: 9/14/04 at 11:32pm

The reason doesn't matter, Spirit. What matters is that she has not stepped out of the show altogether as most people would have were they having the kinds of problems that would create this many absences, but has allowed this to go on so long and dampen the morale of the cast and crew, let down many many ticket buyers, and assured that the show is now pretty much in the toilet. In the future, producers will not forget what happened to what was a very promising production.

[Spiritoflaw]

Posted: 9/15/04 at 12:18am

Yes, Rathnait62, I see the point you are making. In a way, if Donna had pulled out completely, it would be over and we would stop being disappointed every day. WT was not selling very well even during the time when Donna was performing 8 times a week. She was there 8 times a week from January through late May or early June of this year, when she had upper respiratory problems right before the Tony Awards. She took 3 days off to do that TV pilot. I don't think it's fair to blame her if the show wasn't selling well. A lot of people just weren't attracted to what they felt was "old fashioned" and boring material. There are many people on this message board who find it boring and don't want to see this show at all. And it has nothing to do with Donna being there. Maybe it wasn't advertised in the best way. It's possible Brooke Shields can make the economic difference. Certainly more people are familiar with her than with Donna Murphy

[alterego]

Posted: 9/15/04 at 2:50am

When a show is either poorly reviewed or is doing badly at the box office a strange illness sometimes descends on it's leads. It's called lethargy (lack of interest). I once heard heard of a production Donna Murphy was in referred to as The B**ch and I.

[redhotinnyc2]

Posted: 9/15/04 at 9:04am

Did Wonderful Town receive bad reviews?

[Rathnait62]

Posted: 9/15/04 at 9:24am

The Times review was mixed, mostly good, but a complete and utter love letter to Ms. Murphy - basically saying run to see it because of her.

[redhotinnyc2]

Posted: 9/15/04 at 9:30am

Hmmmm - then I don't understand alterego's post.

[twogaab2]

Posted: 9/15/04 at 9:46am

Alterego:

As the "I" in "King and I" refers to the Anna, does that make the bitch Lou Diamond Phillips? Just curious.

Updated On: 9/15/04 at 09:46 AM

[redhotinnyc2]

Posted: 9/15/04 at 9:48am

twogaab2 - EXCELLENT!!!!!!

[jrb_actor]

Posted: 9/15/04 at 9:51am

WT was well reviewed.

Who's to say Donna isn't being allowed to back out any earlier than she is leaving--assuming she "needs" to back out at all?

Donna is not a b!tch or a diva--I have encountered the lady many times and have observed her rehearsing on stage many times. Not once did she come off as anything less than professional and nice.

[Rathnait62]

Posted: 9/15/04 at 9:56am

No one is saying she's not nice. All we're saying (or at least I'm saying) is that if she was having problems serious enough to be out as much as she has been, the professional thing to do would have been to step out long before it got to this point.

[jrb_actor]

Posted: 9/15/04 at 10:00am

And my point, darlin, is maybe she didn't have that option. So, let's all realize that we do not have all the facts and stop damning her.

And, yes, there are people questioning her niceness/divaness in this thread--I can only imagine that IssaMe thinks so ill of her as to start these vicious threads, betraying the trust and confidentiality of his/her company.

Oh well--I know that plenty of you vampires feed off of the nastiness, so dig in!

[Rathnait62]

Posted: 9/15/04 at 10:03am

Didn't have that option? Of course she has that option. It's called "giving notice." I'm not judging her as a nice or not nice person, or speculating on what she's going through, and don't wish ill things on her at all...I'm just saying that obviously there is something in her life keeping her from fulfilling her obligations to her employers and coworkers and customers. It's seriously affected the entire production, and it won't be a production that the people involved with look back on with fond memories, sadly.

[jrb_actor]

Posted: 9/15/04 at 10:05am

She was on contract, no? I know performers can give notice, but I wonder if her contract allowed that? And even if her contract did--just because you legally can do something, doesn't mean there aren't other forces and strings pulling you to do what they want.

[Rathnait62]

Posted: 9/15/04 at 10:06am

Yes, all production contracts have provisions for giving notice on both sides. And I don't understand what "forces" could keep her from doing that.

[jrb_actor]

Posted: 9/15/04 at 10:09am

Then, don't assume you know for sure she could back out.

Politics exist in this business, too, you know.

[Rathnait62]

Posted: 9/15/04 at 10:10am

Trust me, I know this business. Unless someone had her tied up in a basement, I don't see the problem.

[jrb_actor]

Posted: 9/15/04 at 10:12am

oh come on! I'm amazed that you don't know of any times where someone made a promise. A deal. A verbal agreement. A threat. Whatever. If you haven't seen that side of things, then you have not seen it all.

[Rathnait62]

Posted: 9/15/04 at 10:14am

Why would someone "threaten" someone to not leave when their show was losing reputation, morale, and money? If you're talking about her producers, which would be the only logical people, that wouldn't make any sense.

[jrb_actor]

Posted: 9/15/04 at 10:16am

But how do you KNOW? That is ALL I am saying.

Until Donna is put on trial for these evil crimes, let's assume there's a valid reason for things. K?

[Rathnait62]

Posted: 9/15/04 at 10:18am

I can't come up with a valid reason for missing that ridiculous amount of performances and not stepping out. There just can't be one. And the producers wouldn't want all the disruption.

[jrb_actor]

Posted: 9/15/04 at 10:21am

Well. I am so glad that we have you in this world to be so all seeing and all knowing without having the facts before her.

It's truly stunning. They should give you a reality show. You and Sonia, the pet psychic. You could be Rathnait, the Broadway psychic.