Michael Riedel and West Side Story Turmoil- Page 2

[orangeskittles]

Posted: 8/19/09 at 10:25am

OMG why does Riedel hate theatre?! He's an evil hateful b*tch who should spend all eternity watching Taboo in hell!!!

[dramamama611]

Posted: 8/19/09 at 10:33am

I think he loves theater. Good theater and responsible performers.

Here, I think he makes valid points.

[homeimp]

Posted: 8/19/09 at 10:39am

The outstanding production of WSS at Canada's Stratford Festival does not seem to have this problem. Maybe it comes with being part of a repertory company. You show up for work, and that's it. Of course it may possibly have something do with the actors playing only 4 WSS shows a week and alternating with their other show. Still, isn't being onstage what all actors were born for? Or is this casual attitude toward missing performances a sign of the times? Do what you need to do and nothing more. Deeply disappointing.

[dshnookie]

Posted: 8/19/09 at 10:57am

Now I dont feel as bad about not seeing Karen a few weeks back.

It wasnt my unlucky night, it's just that she's hardly ever in.

:sigh: good stuff.

[jansal]

Posted: 8/19/09 at 10:59am

So Karen took the Tony and ran?

[somethingwicked]

Posted: 8/19/09 at 11:00am

Whatever happened to Aléna Watters, the standby they hired for Anita?

It seems like she was out of the picture before she ever even went on.

[D2]

Posted: 8/19/09 at 11:09am

"But they are confronted with the tangible (paper) evidence that they're not seeing the first string. Nobody likes to open their program and find that they're not seeing the regular cast."

Most audience members, even seeing the "tangible (paper) evidence" have no clue what that means and don't realize they're seeing someone else in the part, unless it's a HUGE star they've seen on television reruns hundreds of times.

[AlgonquinProd2]

Posted: 8/19/09 at 11:14am

I disagree. I think many audience members...whether they know who is who or not....feel cheated when they see so many people out of a performance. The obvious mindset is that if they were understudies, they weren't as strong as the principle cast, and so we're seeing an inferior show. It happens, and one or two understudies people can live with, especially in a large cast like WSS, but when it reaches double figures as it reportedly has done, it does get a bit dispiriting.

Michael Riedel may love or hate theater, and people do tend to complain a lot about him, but he does seem to be the one journalist referred to most often on the chat sites.

[dshnookie]

Posted: 8/19/09 at 11:17am

I'm not liking this persistent argument that almost excuses these absences because the majority of theatergoers don't know who is who, who's a lead, who's out etc.

Even if it's only a very small percentage of theatergoers expressing disapproval for absent performers, the issue at hand is not that the majority of theatergoers don't recognize performers by name but that THESE PERFORMERS ARE HARDLY EVER IN.

This argument that the audience doesn't know the difference between a swing and a lead is perhaps the very same argument that the performers use to justify their absences.

This argument is FLAWED.
Updated On: 8/19/09 at 11:17 AM

[WestVillage]

Posted: 8/19/09 at 11:17am

^ I don't think that's true. I've overheard many tourists make comments when they see the understudy inserts, disappointed that they are not seeing the "regular" actor, and hoping the understudy is good. For a show like WSS, it may not be about the specific actor, but when they see that Maria, Anita and Tony are all understudies, they realize those are the lead roles and seeing understudies for 3 leads does not make anyone happy.

[wickedfan]

Posted: 8/19/09 at 11:19am

I'm seeing flashes of Spamalot circa 2005.

[ZiggyCringe]

Posted: 8/19/09 at 11:24am

"By the way, am I the only who thinks he can stop with the Donna Murphy thing? Yeah, she missed shows, and I get that, but it's been 5 years."

Yeah, Donna Murphy, Laura Benanti.

Here's the thing. You SHOW UP.

The wacko thing is that those women are talented to the Nth degree. I adore both of them. But freakin' show up to the show!

Karen Olivo and the whole WSS cast who are NOT showing up to the show, SHAME ON YOU.

And good on Riedel for pointing this out.

Don't blame the gossip columnist for reporting what's actually happening.

[Dolly_Levi]

Posted: 8/19/09 at 11:26am

I seem to recall a story from the early days of Hairspray where it was Harvey Fierstein who held a cast meeting and told the "kids" that it was an honor to be working on Broadway and that they should stop "calling out" so frequently.

[D2]

Posted: 8/19/09 at 11:41am

Don't get me wrong - I'm not condoning continuously missing performances. That's a performer's job, and that's what they're paid to do. 8 times a week. If you can't hack it, find another line of work or get a sit-com.

But I've also seen just as many audience members who don't know or care who's playing what as I've seen audience members who are upset. Just check the floor as you're leaving and see how many of those slips are left for the house staff to clean up. And when talking to friends, relatives, whatevers who are not as "into theatre" as I am, I've noted that the only thing they ever remember is that they've seen the show. Not who played what role, when they saw it, and in some cases what it was about. WE care about these things, but we're a very small "world."

[somethingwicked]

Posted: 8/19/09 at 11:43am

An interesting story has emerged over at ATC.

Someone there claims that Laurents wanted to fire Karen Olivo, whose absences he found to be unwarranted. When allegedly forbidden to do so by the producers because of the publicity of her Tony win, he apparently sent out a nasty email directed at her that was forwarded to the entire company.

The poster goes on to say that Cody Green was legitimately injured but ended up being used as a scape goat to prove the direness of the point to the cast (it didn't hurt that the producers loved his understudy.)

Here's hoping all this drama results in better attendance at the Palace.

http://www.talkinbroadway.com/allthatchat/d.php?id=1763546

Updated On: 8/19/09 at 11:43 AM

[Mattbrain]

Posted: 8/19/09 at 11:51am

But we know why Donna called out...because of a vocal injury.

[ZiggyCringe]

Posted: 8/19/09 at 11:54am

"Most audience members, even seeing the "tangible (paper) evidence" have no clue what that means and don't realize they're seeing someone else in the part, unless it's a HUGE star they've seen on television reruns hundreds of times."

YES, but...

I've been in lots of audiences, where they said "Kristin" or "Bebe" or "Linda" was OUT.

That audience, whether they know it's Chenowith, Neuwirth, Lavin, or NOT, they always sigh, because they do know that they're getting an understudy.

Not to dog the understudies. Often, they're better than the originals.

I'm just replying.

[Eris0303]

Posted: 8/19/09 at 11:57am

I'm not excusing the absences which have been noted on this board many times. Since there has been so much discussion of it here and on ATC there's, obviously, an issue.

The point I was trying to make with my previous post is that I feel the quote about the patrons "screaming" is an exaggeration. Sure, some people are upset about it but I doubt to that degree. That makes it sound like the audiences are close to rioting - which they are not.

[hushpuppy]

Posted: 8/19/09 at 12:00pm

I don't recall hearing anything about Elaine Stritch missing perfs in THE FULL MONTY or Angela Lansbury missing performances in BLITHE SPIRIT. Granted, they didn't have to perform complicated dance routines, but when 80+ year olds have better attendance records than a young 20-something, it does say a lot for work ethic.

Merman wrote about it as 'taking the veil' and Christine Ebersole and Elaine Stritch have talked about the huge importance of getting enough sleep, but performing 8 shows a week has got to be incredibly strenuous (I've never been closer to the stage than 5 row center, so I have no first-hand knowledge). But I think the Harvey Fierstein quote said it best. It is not only a privilege to appear on Broadway, it's an obligation - to your employers, your fellow cast members, and the audience. If someone is paying over $125 for 3 hours entertainment, they deserve to see the first-string cast.

[bethnor]

Posted: 8/19/09 at 12:06pm

^^^^

the western fascination with showing up to the work sick has always been an interesting one. with some diseases, when you are "recovering" is when you are maximally infectious.

rest assured, if H1N1/H5N1/SARS/"panic virus du jour" ever turns out to be serious, very few of us will be given the choice (self-quarantine will be part of the CDC's/WHO's control measures).

[ZiggyCringe]

Posted: 8/19/09 at 12:08pm

"the western fascination with showing up to the work sick has always been an interesting one. with some diseases, when you are "recovering" is when you are maximally infectious.

rest assured, if H1N1/H5N1/SARS/"panic virus du jour" ever turns out to be serious, very few of us will be given the choice (self-quarantine will be part of the CDC's/WHO's control measures). "

Well, when you have "Sushi/Mercury" poisoning, all bets are off.

[ColorTheHours048]

Posted: 8/19/09 at 12:18pm

I personally find it ridiculous how often actors call out of their shows. Sure, injury and fatigue and illness are all factors. But take a show like WSS. If you are so injured, so tired, so sick that you call out so often, you should not be in the business of show. It is a grueling profession. Step up or get out.

While I, myself, have never worked on a production quite as big as anything on Broadway, I have done my fair share of shows. Last summer, I took part in the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. This rapid-fire theatre festival required the cast and myself to come in, put together our set and lights essentially from scratch, perform, break it all down, head home, sleep, and do it again the next day. Exhausting? Absolutely. But it's what I expect and long for from doing theatre. It's why I do it.

If you can't take the pressure and the strength that doing a Broadway show eight times a week requires, let someone step in who can do it for you. Who is equally as talented. Who deserves it. You're on Broadway!! Millions DREAM of being where you are!! And you call out?

/end rant

[shesamarshmallow]

Posted: 8/19/09 at 12:18pm

Oh right, because it's MUCH better to have them dance through a minor injury and risk a more severe one than to disappoint the incredibly small portion of the audience who knows who the absent actor is (I ignore, of course, the larger portion of the audience who are disappointed by the mere fact that they're seeing an understudy, since they're clearly idiots).

Alena Watters was only hired as a vacation standby for Anita while Yanira Marin got over her injurys. Too bad, because from what I heard at the At This Performance concert, she was amazing.

[hushpuppy]

Posted: 8/19/09 at 12:25pm

shesamarshmallow: I don't think we're discussing those actors who call out sick with legitimate injuries. Riedel's column and most of the comments here concern those who, instead of going home and getting vocal rest and a good night's sleep, would rather stay up all night and party and then call out sick the next day.

[ZiggyCringe]

Posted: 8/19/09 at 12:26pm

"Oh right, because it's MUCH better to have them dance through a minor injury and risk a more severe one than to disappoint the incredibly small portion of the audience who knows who the absent actor is (I ignore, of course, the larger portion of the audience who are disappointed by the mere fact that they're seeing an understudy, since they're clearly idiots)."

Hey, Laura Benanti, nice to hear from you!

Dancers SHOW UP. Good actors SHOW UP. Opera singers SHOW UP.

(Unless they want to be thwacked on message boards, that is.)

I'm just saying.

Updated On: 8/19/09 at 12:26 PM