"It Sure Beats 'Mona Lisa Smile 2'" - Newsweek Article on Celebrities Invading Broadway

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 4/10/06 at 3:42pm

Not sure if it's online, but it's an interesting column on page 13 of this weeks issue (with Katie Couric on the cover). It talks about salaries (Harry Connick is making $1,100 a week for Pajama Game, compared to Julia Roberts who is making $35,000 a week for 3 Days) and different actors takes on the theater.

They quote Mel Brooks as saying "You can fail through a couple bad reviews and go back to good parts in movies. Actors do Broadway because they'd like to try acting once in their life."

Interesting read.

[Craig]

Posted: 4/10/06 at 3:51pm

I would assume that's a typo and you mean $11,000

[Dre2387]

Posted: 4/10/06 at 3:52pm

cause $1,100 is less than equity.

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 4/10/06 at 3:53pm

No, sir.

Here's the quote:
"Why would an A-list star like Julia Roberts, who has no stage experience, risk it? It's certainly not for the money. Harry Connick Jr. is making only $1,100 a week in The Pajama Game, says Roundabout Theatre's artistic director, Todd Haimes."

[Horton]

Posted: 4/10/06 at 3:56pm

But the roundabout pays on Lort contracts, therefore, it is possible.

[Craig]

Posted: 4/10/06 at 4:03pm

Ah right....

Forgot the whole LORT thing. Even more reason to appreciate the hard work he's doing in the show.

[Luckydave14]

Posted: 4/10/06 at 4:07pm

Wow, I'm surprised he is making so little in the show. I wonder if they are giving him a percentage of the profits as well.

[Lenexajones]

Posted: 4/10/06 at 4:08pm

What is "Lort"?

[Luckydave14]

Posted: 4/10/06 at 4:08pm

http://msnbc.msn.com/id/12223572/site/newsweek/

Here is the article

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 4/10/06 at 4:35pm

Well, there's no way a non-for-profit theatre would ever share profits (which technically don't exist for a noncommercial production anyway) with an actor. Stars for Roundabout (and MTC and Lincoln Center) shows always make the LORT minimum -- I've heard several of them talk about it before.

Connick is a multimillionaire and hardly is desperate for cash. Neither are Alan Cumming, Cyndi Lauper, Gabriel Byrne, Cynthia Nixon, Natasha Richardson, Mary-Louise Parker, and all the other film/tv celebrities who star in shows produced by not-for-profits every season (and they make about half that $1100 when they do Off-Broadway like Cherry Jones, Brian O'Byrne, Alec Baldwin, Dianne Wiest, Liev Schrieber, Vanessa Redgrave, and so many others do regularly). These folks all have means for making their millions or whatever throughout the rest of the year -- they CHOOSE to do theatre for little money for a few months because they want to and good for them.

Updated On: 4/10/06 at 04:35 PM

[blaxx]

Posted: 4/10/06 at 5:38pm

$35, 000? Wow, I didn't think she even needed more money in her life...guess she does.

[blaxx]

Posted: 4/10/06 at 5:38pm

$35, 000? Wow, I didn't think she even needed more money in her life...guess she does.

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 4/10/06 at 5:43pm

I actually thought she was making a LOT more than $35K. She's ten times the star that Lane, Broderick, Close and Peters are and they reportedly made even more than that. Heck, even Bebe Neuwirth was making $25K in Chicago and she's hardly at the same level of fame as Roberts.

Updated On: 4/10/06 at 05:43 PM

Posted: 4/12/06 at 3:43am

gotta love the LORT!

[Horton]

Posted: 4/12/06 at 7:13am

but with LORT, I mean with somebody such as Vikki Clark, you have to respect her performance in Piazza, I am not saying that she is making the min. but its not like she is ritch, so you really have to appreciate her.