Inside Hairspray - it's BAD

[nameless.chorus.boy]

Posted: 3/9/05 at 6:18pm

Hello everyone, I am new to posting here BroadwayWorld, but I have visited a few times over the past few months. From my screenname, you probably guess what I do for a living.

I just got back to NYC from Indianapolis. I went to see the first performance of the new tour cast of Hairspray, and I wanted to post some comments about the tour and the Broadway company.I am good friends with a bucnh of people from the show, so I see a lot of what happens onstage and off and it is really starting to bug me.

When the show opened, it was great and deserved every award it got. Now, it is just awful. The producers are thinking with dollar signs and wanting to cut costs and the show is just BAD now. The company managers are AWFUL and need to be fired. All of the good people are leaving because they are sick of it all.

First of all, the tour. They have some REALLY great cast members. Especially some of the new ones. In fact, they are better than the Broadway cast. But the producers are trying to cut costs and the show is starting to look CHEAP. They are forcing out their good people in order to save a buck by getting someone who will work for cheap and the company managers are just plain RUDE to the company members. They routinely screw over people in the company and it is allowed to happen. The sets for the show are looking bad too. They keep trying to cut stuff to save money and the show is worse off for it.

Now, the broadway production. They cut some costumes about 6 months back because they didn't want to pay enough costumers for the production. They just reworked the finale fairly recently and it is just plain STUPID. Why do they have the cast dancing in the aisles? You can't mic them and some people are walking over them on the way out. The entire cast needs major work. Most of them are awful in every sense of the word - especially Jordan Ballard and Carly Jibson. There are a few bright spots, but the show needs to be heavily recast soon.

Margo Lion and company keep trying to cut costs and they are ruining their show. Word of mouth is not good lately and lower ticket sales haven't clued them in that there is a problem. In fact, they still want to make MORE changes that would make the show worse.

GET A CLUE!

If they want that show to run, they have to make major changes ASAP before it is too late.

Hairspray used to be the best show on Broadway. Get it back to what it was before it is too late! It seems like Jack and Jerry want nothing to do with the stage version any more. Sad. Very sad.

[popular_elphie]

Posted: 3/9/05 at 6:22pm

That's sad, because I really love Hairspray.

But I do not think that Carly is all that bad. I believe she portrays Tracy well. I didn't get to see Jordan as Amber (Becky Gulsvig is an amazing one, though), so I can't say anything in defense of her.

I really hope that Hairspray isn't going down the tubes.

[SueleenGay]

Posted: 3/9/05 at 6:22pm

And another argument against Non-Equity tours...oh, wait, it IS an Equity tour. Never mind.

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 3/9/05 at 6:24pm

Well, that's word of one mouth, yours. I'm not sure if that counts as a tidal wave of bad will or not.

[nameless.chorus.boy]

Posted: 3/9/05 at 6:24pm

Carly Jibson misses as many shows as she bothers to show up for and talks so fast that you can't understand her if you don't know the script.

The tour is Equity.. "but only for now"


As far as bad word of mouth, it is out there. I hear it regularly walking down the street in midtown. Updated On: 3/9/05 at 06:24 PM

[mallardo]

Posted: 3/9/05 at 6:27pm

I don't know whether any of this is true or not but, Carly Jibson, bad???? Are you kidding? I hope so.

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 3/9/05 at 6:30pm

Seriously. You hear it regularly as you're walking down the street in midtown? Sounds kind of like a movie.

"Extry Extry! Read all about it! Prince Charles to Wed Mistress!"

"Oh my deah, you know what a patron of the ahts I am, but I recently saw Hairspray and there was dancing in the aisles. So uncouth!"

"Excuse me madame, I couldn't help but overhear, my friends at the yacht club told me to sell my tickets to Hairspray on ElectricBay on the Interweb due to some hideous cost cutting measures!"

"NO!"

"Yeeahus!"

[nameless.chorus.boy]

Posted: 3/9/05 at 6:33pm

You know what I mean.

[starlight2]

Posted: 3/9/05 at 6:35pm

I do agree about the costumes, sad state of affairs, but that is all I agree with ahving seen both the tour and the B-Way show, when did you actually see the show in NYC, the date?

[SueleenGay]

Posted: 3/9/05 at 6:35pm

I say BOYCOTT! Go see Brooklyn instead!

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 3/9/05 at 6:36pm

Actually, I have to say I don't know what you mean. I haven't heard this bad word of mouth from anybody except you. Apparently, in your '30s Movie Musical Version of NYC, people on the street are all a-twitter about the state of Hairspray.

I simply find that assertion dubious, is all.

[nameless.chorus.boy]

Posted: 3/9/05 at 6:37pm

Last time I saw the show in New York was two weeks ago.

[starlight2]

Posted: 3/9/05 at 6:42pm

Just curious, because I saw it 2 weeks ago and Jordan Ballard was out the whole week, I asked at the stage door and someone said she was in the hospital with tubes in her or something like that, I, along with probably you, saw an understudy or swing, they do not always put the flyers in the programs. Just FYI

[nameless.chorus.boy]

Posted: 3/9/05 at 6:44pm

I said that it was the LAST time I saw the show in New York. I have seen it numerous times and had to suffer through Jordan.

[Joshua488]

Posted: 3/9/05 at 6:46pm

So, is the Broadway company of HAIRSPRAY losing money or are the producers just greedy? Because unless ticket sales have slumped significantly, I can't understand why they would be cutting costumes and staff.

[John Darling]

Posted: 3/9/05 at 6:49pm

Please tell me you're kidding! I recently saw Hairspray and it quickly became one of the BEST shows I have ever seen. AND, Carly Jibson was the best part of the show!! Couldn't agree with you more.

[Rathnait62]

Posted: 3/9/05 at 6:50pm

By "work for cheap," you mean Equity production contract minimum? That's not cheap. That's quite a decent salary.

Secondly, perhaps the producers are being forced to cut costs because the show has been running a while and is not the hottest ticket on Broadway anymore. If they're making less money, they are going to have less money to spend. The simplest math.

[ShuQ]

Posted: 3/9/05 at 6:53pm

I have a feeling that you don't know all of the facts. How do you know that the producers are just RUDE to their cast and that they are paying them less? Are you in the cast? One major rule on this board: Don't speak if you don't know.

[SueleenGay]

Posted: 3/9/05 at 6:55pm

Why don't they just start doing the 90 minute version that will open in Vegas? Obviously, if they don't care enough about the show to do the full length version they aren't gonna let a few ripped hems and missing buttons bother them.

[Rathnait62]

Posted: 3/9/05 at 7:06pm

According to the pm's I am for some reason receiving from Mr. Nameless, he knows exactly what it takes financially to produce a Broadway show (because chorus boys often double as producers) and the changes are not for any good reason whatsoever. But I'd rather we discuss this on the thread here rather than PM's, if the situation is truly so outrageous.

[nameless.chorus.boy]

Posted: 3/9/05 at 7:11pm

The show is still selling extremely well.. even with TKTS. nuff said.

[Joshua488]

Posted: 3/9/05 at 7:16pm

Well, it's really not "nuff said", because we can't believe anything you're saying.

Your choice to remain anonymous kills your credibility.

'Nuff said.

[SueleenGay]

Posted: 3/9/05 at 7:27pm

Your choice to remain anonymous kills your credibility.

Joshua 488(what kind of name is 488, anyway) with that logic you would have about 5 people here who are credible. You don't really think someone named Margo Channing posts here, do you?

[Joshua488]

Posted: 3/9/05 at 7:29pm

Whoa! All I'm saying is that if he claims he knows what he's talking about, why not just say how he is involved? Not that difficult... Why are you so offended by my comment? I didn't mean to offend anyone. Damn.

And numbers are not uncommon in a username, by the way. Updated On: 3/9/05 at 07:29 PM

[Rathnait62]

Posted: 3/9/05 at 7:29pm

You mean Margo isn't really a middle-aged female Broadway star??? Please, Sueleen! Next you'll tell me Sueleen Gay isn't your real name!! Oh my head...