Making It On Broadway - thoughts — Page 2

Thank you Orion. I thought my post was rather self explanatory, but clearly it got lost translation. I also beg to differ about "disparaging" the actress. The only people doing any disparaging, were the whiney actors/actresses who the author interviewed who made being (in or out of) the chorus of a B'way show seem about as tedious as having to hang on scaffolding and clean windows for a living. Gratitude didn't seem to be a strong theme with the actors in the book.

Now *that*, if nothing else, should be blatantly obvious.

Careful Shawk, or you'll get a severe tongue "typing" from NYC20042.

:)

Hey guys,
I totally appreciate all your points of view. I just thought I'd chime in as a contributor to the book.
When Jodi and David first started collecting stories quite a number of years ago, they had no idea the direction that the book would eventually take. It was the interviews themselves that set the tone and took us all on the journey, you included.
It's very easy to say that we become disgruntled, or are frustrated with the apparently shame-ridden task of "chorus boy" or "chorus girl". The point is that we all came to New York for a reason: because there is a burning inside which many of you feel too that cannot be denied. Even after one becomes "bitter". It is sad at times when you long for the innocence of ignorance, especially when the reality of the business of show business kicks in.
The desire to perform is not extinguished with your first Broadway contract. If anything, gasoline is poured on your fire. You think "well a tv series MUST be next for me I'm sure". But the true nature of the beast is as terrifying as it is beautiful. You can't just walk away, even when you want to. What are you supposed to leave the business to go do when there is one thing and one thing only that feeds your soul? You can't just walk away when what feeds you begins to feed ON you.
Of course the book is filled with stories from one segment of the community. Jodie extended herself amongst the people she knew and that they knew. But while you can say only one side is represented, all those other points of view are what we normally hear about Broadway in every other boring book about the boards. You wanna rehash the glam and glitz and keep your head in the sand, go for it. But I will personally hang anyone from the TKTS booth who has any more rude comments about someone's credits. (Anyone who knows me knows that while I've got a tone of humor right now, you might want to worry that I'm a little serious.)
A career is built in time. There is no such thing as overnight success. I am proud to have been in the chorus at times learning from amazing people like Douglas Sills, for one, and even felt fortunate to be in the chorus of the notorious DOTV. (If you're gonna go down you might as well ride the Hindenburg at mach 5 with your hair on fire screaming like Geronimo.) I don't care if I'm headlining in Vegas, supporting cast off-Broadway, or holding my banana in the back row of the jungle on Broadway. It doesn't matter. Don't belive me? Name all the winners of the Tony Award off the top of your head for the last five years. And if you can do that, name how many have really crossed over to "Entertainment Tonight" land.
Harvey Evans was in the original cast of West Side Story, performed "Tulsa" in GYPSY with Merman, eventually UNDERSTUDYING decades later in the Oklahoma revival. His is a career anyone would be blessed to emulate. Knock that mean resume-dissing crap off. There's nothing creative about being nasty.
Other than defending Jodie and David, the thing I really wanted to say is that I wish this book had been written before I got my first Broadway show. I would have been miles ahead of the game had I not had to learn these things for myself. It's a discovery process that takes a long time once you get past the deep sadness of realizing your dream, while still beautiful, is nothing like you had imagined.
So all I can say is, learn what you can from the book, it's not the final word on theater. Any discussion of the things that can help improve what we all love is a good thing.
Now play nice, make an appointment with your acting or vocal coach, and go buy a ticket to see something...

Doug Storm

thank you for posting, doug. i agree that this book is a welcome change of pace from the usual books about the theater profession written for people on the outside looking in. the authors took a strong stand, presented their credo, and that is never a bad thing (even if the overall tone of the book was based completely on the interviews themselves, the authors did agree to take this stand by writing the book). however, when all of these stories are written on paper and taken out of the context of the particular actor's life, it's difficult to understand that they are not just merely complaining .. after the first 20 pages or so it was difficult for me to keep the names and faces straight in my head and it became like a steady wash of "broadway actors" rather than individuals. your story about giving the girl the poster provided a second layer to the book. it showed a glimmer behind everything and, to me, suddenly the book became multi-faceted. hopefully when people on this board were complaining that the book was too much of a downer, they meant that they wanted a little more dimension behind it. i think that this book could still have taken the same stand but had a few more stories of "yes. this is why i am doing this" shining through the cracks.

at my school i have heard the words "when i get famous" or "when i'm on broadway" more times than i can count. most of all, i'm so glad this book was written so i can lend it to them ... this book doesn't ruin dreams, i think it just creates another dimension for them to think about and should definitely be used as a learning tool.

Updated On: 8/11/04 at 06:14 PM

You are so right.
But I guess what I failed to make clear is that the tone of the book isn't something the the authors sought after. The tape recorders ran and the actors mouths did too. The reason why the names eventually bled away is because the book did exactly what it was meant to for you the reader. Which is to tap into the collective vibe of a great deal of the community. The common thoughts and feelings.
It's not about the individual stories. More of a psychological profile of a huge segement of professional actors.
I for one was quite shocked when I realized so many of my colleagues were feeling the exact same way. It was very freeing, to tell you the truth.
As far as "dreams" go, performing on Broadway is truly more business than show. Regional and community theater have more heart in their art because it's filled with people who are there for no reason other than they LOVE it. At the level of Broadway, it becomes a career. And like anything else, a grind. How you pay your bills.
Sure it's great to be able to get up and play make-believe for a few hours lying to a roomful of strangers and occasionally forgeting about life while you channel one of your many personalities. But after a while, it becomes your cubicle.
You're right. Not everyone loves their jobs. But those of you who are sitting back thinking "man I'd REALLY love to be doing THAT right now" should know that it's not all wine and roses.
Someone told me once that the people who think the grass is greener on the other side of the fence has been smoking a lot of it.
Dudes, (and dudettes), it's glorious. Prepare for it. Go for it. Do it. Or sit back and love it. Just know every angle. Even the side you have to wipe once and a while.

^ See, but I didn't really get that message from the book. I got that megamusicals are basically rote, Disney is making everything commercial where you're the same as the next guy playng a clump of grass or whatever, that the performers, even those who want to care, are ground down by the system, woe, woe, and again woe. I think a few more reflections something along the lines of what you just said, not removing any of the gritty, unpleasant reality that some have experienced, would have made a difference. I'm not saying that those experiences are not valid, only that it makes the book seem slanted.

Anyway, kudos to you for going after what fulfills you.

I'm going back to my data entry now.

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Updated On: 8/11/04 at 07:52 PM

Thanks, Doug, for sharing your many eloquent thoughts about ''Making It on Broadway.'' Having interviewed one of the co-authors (David Wienir), I, too, am convinced that neither he nor Jodi Langel started with a specific agenda, but certainly common threads and similar opinions kept popping up. My hat's off to all the actors who were candid enough to share the nitty-gritty details of a life in the theater, and the authors for cataloguing them. Is the book perfect? No. I agree with Blue Wizard that it could've dealt more with race, which is an area this book sidesteps, but is a factor in showbiz as it is in life.

As for the topic of sexuality, that's a tricky area. Actually, there are, of course, gay men quoted in the book, but almost none of them talk about being gay in the theater. The truth is: A number of gay actors are not ''out'' publicly and won't talk about it because they fear it might affect their careers.

I'm sure the authors of ''Making It on Broadway'' never intended their book to be the definitive and last word on the topic. Maybe it'll encourage other writers to tackle those other aspects of theater, too (i.e., race, sexuality). But the book has started a dialogue, and ultimately, that's a healthy thing.