MURPHY'S FLAW - nypost.com- Page 2

[jrb_actor]

Posted: 5/21/04 at 2:23pm

In Aida or Evita or Phantom, cmleidi? Ethel didn't SING in that way, making it easier to go on with a hoarse throat or what not.

Yes, Hugh and Antonio never missed a show. That's awesome! It doesn't make Donna less talented or deserving of the Tony that she didn't choose to go on sick.

[robbiej]

Posted: 5/21/04 at 2:37pm

No, jrb, but La Merm also did not sing with a mic.

Singing GYPSY 8 shows a week with an orchestra bigger than any currently on Broadway without the aid of amplification would be the equal of doing AIDA or EVITA with a body mic...at least in my opinion.

Posted: 5/21/04 at 2:39pm

Just out of curiosity, what was Heather's performance attendance during her part of the run of Aida?

[jrb_actor]

Posted: 5/21/04 at 3:07pm

Robbiej--you may have a good point, but I disagree agree with it at the moment. SMOOCH! :)

[cmleidi]

Posted: 5/21/04 at 3:26pm

"Yes, Hugh and Antonio never missed a show. That's awesome! It doesn't make Donna less talented or deserving of the Tony that she didn't choose to go on sick."

I saw WONDERFUL TOWN. Murphy was in, and she was outstanding, but if I have to choose between two outstanding performances (Pinkins and Murray), I would choose the performer who shows up over the performer (for whatever reason) who missed a significant number of performances. The Tony encourages business so why waste it on someone with a spotty attendance record?

I think it would be interesting to discover why certain performers who get sick can do the eight shows a week while other performers (sick or not) can't. What do Banderas, Seldes, Rivera, Firestein and Jackman have that the other performers do not? Is it physical constitution? attitude?

[jrb_actor]

Posted: 5/21/04 at 3:33pm

Well, for the record--Donna has given more performances of WT than Tonya has for Caroline this season--if we want to count up who has done the most performances of their role this season to award the Tony...

That would then be the dark horse--Stephanie.

[cmleidi]

Posted: 5/21/04 at 3:51pm

"Well, for the record--Donna has given more performances of WT than Tonya has for Caroline this season--if we want to count up who has done the most performances of their role this season to award the Tony..."

Percentage wise (number of absences versus number of shows), Murphy has missed more performances. To be fair, Murphy would only have to miss one performances to have a less stellar attendance record than Pinkins (who has done about two and a half months less than Murphy). I wonder if Murphy has performed more than Chenoweth.

[jrb_actor]

Posted: 5/21/04 at 3:54pm

From what I have heard---yes. Murphy isn't out as much as some people would like to think.

[sparky310]

Posted: 5/22/04 at 4:54pm

i read that nasty column to...he had no business writing such drivel...if he has inside track on tonly voting..he should be shutting up..not influencing other voters...her attendance is between she and her employer and no one else...his column was self serving and inflammatory and he should personally apologize to miss murphy for such a senseless and unjustified attack.

i have seen both miss murphy and miss pinkins and the bottom line ...which he should have addressed is that miss murphy's performance is by far stronger, further reaching in terms of character and talent and hits many different emotional levels...this is not true of miss pinkins whose character is very one level....although she has a great voice...but still a one level performance.
pardon my agressive tone but that article was just vicious and quite frankly i'd like somone at the NY post to tell us how many days a year he has been absent or late or left in the middle of the day.

[AnothaPartofMe]

Posted: 5/22/04 at 5:28pm

I saw Donna Murphy's understudy on Saturday-- you missed nothing if you saw Linda Mugleston (pretty sure it was her) because she was amazing.

[lc1965]

Posted: 5/23/04 at 12:34pm

Just my 2 cents: I agree w/ those who say that theatre work is more stressful than film & TV in the sense that you cannot stop & must give your all or it shows horribly -- no retakes.
And, I agree w/ -- was it Al Dente -- who said performers (& even ofc workers!) should not go to work if they're sick & spread the bug. This January something awful was raging through Bway. Pretty much everyone at Taboo got it & had to miss shows, even Euan who didn't often miss. I should mention, though, that Jeffrey Carlson went on sick as a dog & no one knew. He's amazing. He really whupped some butt then, but I'm not sure how many performers could have managed such endurance.
HOWEVER, I should mention that the industry rumor, which I believe was the underpinning of Riedel's column, was that Murphy was missing shows because she was playing games in a contract dispute & not really ill. Not unheard of, yet not thought highly of, either (the practice, not the person!)

[jrb_actor]

Posted: 5/23/04 at 12:47pm

Not that I KNOW whether or not that is true, I would say from what I have seen and heard at the theatre that Murphy never missed for contract disputes--just an ugly rumor.

[NYCbabe3789]

Posted: 5/23/04 at 1:11pm

I found most of what Reidel said to be correct about the Tony. If Donna is out when the Tony voters are visiting, why would they vote for her?

But I DON'T like how he picks on some performers and not others. Not that I think that certain performer(s) deserve to be picked on, but Donna is not the only one missing shows and it's unfair to single her out like that.

[cmleidi]

Posted: 5/23/04 at 1:49pm

lc1965 mentions that Jeffrey Carlson went on sick, and that no one knew. This goes back to the question that I've asked. Why is it some performers can have the same situation (illness for example) and show up and do fabulous work while others don't show? Is it a particular attitude that certain people have? Do certain performers have techniques that mask their illnesses?

I would be interested to see if non-Broadway performers who come to Broadway have a better attendance record than those who have been trained in the theatre. If they do have a better attendance record, it would seem the problem is not the eight shows a week, but something else entirely.