Matilda Bully!- Page 2

[GlindatheGood22]

Posted: 1/24/14 at 11:28am

I am deeply skeptical, considering it's Riedel. I don't doubt that over the course of rehearsals children have gotten yelled at, but I think he's vamping on the Trunchbull comparison a little bit too eagerly. No one should humiliate kids, and if it's been happening at the Shubert then the person responsible should have to answer for it. My guess is he's just an idiot who doesn't know how to work with children.

Updated On: 1/24/14 at 11:28 AM

[bwayphreak234]

Posted: 1/24/14 at 11:34am

The kids do not stage door?

[neonlightsxo]

Posted: 1/24/14 at 11:42am

^ This is definitely what we should be focusing on.

[Mattbrain]

Posted: 1/24/14 at 11:49am

No, phreak, they don't.

[PalJoey]

Posted: 1/24/14 at 12:16pm

I'm thinking this might have been a cynical ploy on the part of the producers to get sympathy for the new little girls: leak a letter to Riedel damning the AD (who may or may NOT be guilty of the charges in the letter), then issue a statement saying the matter has been resolved.

I should think that if Equity received reports that child actors were being abused, they would take it seriously.

This smells like a manufactured crisis...

[winston89]

Posted: 1/24/14 at 12:44pm

It's true, they don't do the stage door thing. There was an article about them around Tony time last year. They were talking about how not only do they don't sign after shows, but most of the time the cast doesn't know which girl is going on for Matilda until they see her onstage during the show.

[ghostlight2]

Posted: 1/24/14 at 12:50pm

"most of the time the cast doesn't know which girl is going on for Matilda until they see her onstage during the show."

I find it hard to believe that which Matilda is going on is not on the call board at half hour.

[thebeautyis3]

Posted: 1/24/14 at 12:55pm

According to her Broadway.com vlog, Leslie Margherita said that they find out the Matilda during an announcement at half hour.

[Wildcard]

Posted: 1/24/14 at 12:57pm

I wouldn't be surprised if the AD treated the adult actors the same way. In which case, is this a situation where he's treating the kids as he would the adults? It may be unprofessional but many directors aren't.

[Rainbowhigh23]

Posted: 1/24/14 at 1:01pm

The Matildas are so tiny it might be dangerous for them at the stage door.

[trpguyy]

Posted: 1/24/14 at 1:10pm

"According to her Broadway.com vlog, Leslie Margherita said that they find out the Matilda during an announcement at half hour."

They'd find out earlier if they showed up to the theater before then - it's posted on the call board.

[winston89]

Posted: 1/24/14 at 1:48pm

The following is a quote from an article in The New York Times, it came out around the Tonys and was talking about the high number of child actors this past season. This is what they said about the girls playing Matilda.

"He established several strict rules for Broadway’s four Matildas (Sophia Gennusa, Oona Laurence, Bailey Ryon and Milly Shapiro.) They must be interviewed together or not at all; their performance rotation is always changing so that audience members cannot target their tickets for any particular Matilda (each goes on twice a week and stands by twice a week). Even fellow cast members don’t always know which one they’re performing with till they get on stage. All special events — from opening night to the show’s number on the Tony Awards next Sunday — are equally distributed. (Instead of making the quartet eligible to compete for the best actress prize, a Tony committee chose to give them a special award instead.)"
New York Times: Broadway Babies

[KathyNYC2]

Posted: 1/24/14 at 2:32pm

And NO stage doors/autographs or photos. They enter at the regular stage door before the bulk of the audience arrives but after the show, they leave through a side door. The Matilda people want them to remain regular kids...out of the show biz limelight as much as possible, and not get swelled heads. The main concern is that they are able to adjust to "real life" after the show is over..which is why none of the kids stay in the show for years and years as well. This is supposed to be a wonderful opportunity/experience in their lives - not their lives.

[disneybroadwayfan22]

Posted: 2/6/14 at 8:49am

Tim Minchin spoke about the scandal. Apparently, I couldn't have been a lie.

http://insanefinn.tumblr.com/post/75793967241/another-aussie-in-la

Oh well, I won't talk about that because I'm not trying to point people, but some journo wrote something horrible about how we treat the children, which is our obsession, we've spent years, you know... it's absolutely our priority.
Anyway, I can't talk about that because it made me *so* upset. So upset that I can't talk about it and it's incredibly hard not to talk about it. But if I talk about that journalist then he'll.. I mean he's already written three or four, five sort of articles staring us up. So if I spoke out against him, you then think he'll write *nice* articles about my next piece of work?

[LizzieCurry]

Posted: 2/6/14 at 9:28am

It would be nice if that tumblr user would link to a source.

[disneybroadwayfan22]

Posted: 2/6/14 at 10:00am

Apparently, it's from a podcast:

https://itunes.apple.com/au/podcast/another-aussie-in-la/id596317318

[DAME]

Posted: 2/6/14 at 10:34am

"This smells like a manufactured crisis..."

I agree P.J. It is a piece of **** show anyway. They should just close it.

[Mattbrain]

Posted: 2/6/14 at 10:59am

I just listened to the podcast and it sounds like Minchin was calling bull**** on the whole thing…or at least hovering around the area of calling bull****.