NYT: The Grody-Patinkin Family Is a Mess. People Love It.

[MezzA101]

Posted: 7/12/25 at 9:22pm

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/12/magazine/mandy-patinkin-kathryn-grody-gideon-interview.html?unlocked_article_code=1.WE8.et60.ZP0iiQ2k8e-G&smid=nytcore-android-share

[BrodyFosse123]

Posted: 7/12/25 at 9:35pm

 

[TotallyEffed]

Posted: 7/12/25 at 9:40pm

I’m scared.

[Call_me_jorge]

Posted: 7/12/25 at 10:34pm

I always wonder how his Pierre would’ve been. What a lovely and passionate family.

[dramamama611]

Posted: 7/13/25 at 10:05am

I will never get over being denied his Pierre.  (Had tickets.)  EVER.

 

Messy, like life and the rest of us.    Love all the yiddish words they used!

[BorisTomashevsky]

Posted: 7/13/25 at 10:13am

His Pierre would have been the performance you’d regret ever missing. Shame on the people who took his casting personally and closed a great show early.

Updated On: 7/13/25 at 10:13 AM

[CapnHook]

Posted: 7/13/25 at 10:21am

Shame on Cynthia Erivo, specifically!

[BorisTomashevsky]

Posted: 7/13/25 at 10:37am

CapnHook said: "Shame on Cynthia Erivo, specifically!"

Yes indeed. The witch who led the witch hunt. 

[BrodyFosse123]

Posted: 7/13/25 at 11:55am

BorisTomashevsky said: "CapnHook said: "Shame on Cynthia Erivo, specifically!"

Yes indeed. The witch who led the witch hunt."

Thankfully, after her ridiculous comments about the altered fan made WICKED movie artwork, she’s since learned to stay off social media with any of her venting. As she admitted shortly afterwards, she realized these opinions and thoughts should be shared to friends and not post about them on social media. 

[ljay889]

Posted: 7/13/25 at 12:00pm

The article says he won a Tony for SITPWG, which is incorrect. 

[BrodyFosse123]

Posted: 7/13/25 at 12:25pm

ljay889 said: "The article says he won a Tony for SITPWG, which is incorrect."

Indeed. Patinkin was nominated in 1984 but the Tony Award went to George Hearn for LA CAGE AUX FOLLES. 

[BorisTomashevsky]

Posted: 7/13/25 at 12:41pm

BrodyFosse123 said: "ljay889 said: "The article says he won a Tony for SITPWG, which is incorrect."

Indeed. Patinkin was nominated in 1984 but the Tony Award went to George Hearn for LA CAGE AUX FOLLES."


The Mandy Effect at work. 

[rosscoe(au)]

Posted: 7/13/25 at 10:09pm

CapnHook said: "Shame on Cynthia Erivo, specifically!"


That whole personae that she puts on. 

[Jonathan Cohen]

Posted: 7/13/25 at 10:32pm

BorisTomashevsky said: "His Pierre would have been the performance you’d regret ever missing. Shame on the people who took his casting personally and closed a great show early."

Comet of 1812, ultimately, closed for one reason - Mandy Patinkin himself wasn't comfortable with his casting costing another actor his job. Yes, other people brought the issue to his attention, but the main reason that closed and a similar controversy didn't derail Sunset Boulevard isn't even the racial optics. It's that Glenn Close didn't care Patti LuPone had been under contract to star in Sunset Boulevard on Broadway, and she didn't quit. 

I don't think he did anything wrong, but Patinkin is the reason you didn't get to see his version of Pierre. 

[TheatreFan4]

Posted: 7/13/25 at 10:39pm

People gotta get over the Great Comet **** at some point. Its been almost a decade. 

[Alex Kulak2]

Posted: 7/13/25 at 11:06pm

TheatreFan4 said: "People gotta get over the Great Comet **** at some point. Its been almost a decade."

As much as I would have loved to see Patinkin in the role, there's this weird belief that his casting would have saved the show, when the box office numbers make it clear that without Groban, the show was running on a furnace of burning investor money. All Patinkin's casting would have accomplished was a December closing notice instead of the one they got in September.

[bear88]

Posted: 7/13/25 at 11:31pm

As I recall, Patinkin was only scheduled for a three-week run in Great Comet (not sure if he would have extended, but he was starring in Homeland at the time, so that might not have been possible). Those three weeks would have sold very well, but the production would have been back in the same dilemma after Patinkin left.

Please correct me if my understanding of the situation is incorrect. 

[Jonathan Cohen]

Posted: 7/13/25 at 11:49pm

That was exactly the situation. Great Comet was toast on Broadway no matter what, casting Patinkin was just a short-term fix. I think the reason some people are still fixated on it 8 years later is because getting to see Patinkin in the role during those 3 weeks would have been really cool. There's no version of events where the show was going to survive long-term.

[TheatreFan4]

Posted: 7/14/25 at 12:25am

Jonathan Cohen said: "That was exactly the situation.Great Comet was toast on Broadway no matter what, casting Patinkin was just a short-term fix. I think the reason some people are still fixated on it 8 years later is because getting to see Patinkin in the role during those 3 weekswould have been really cool. There's no version of events where the show was going to survive long-term."

They're also obsessed with burning Cynthia at the stake because she's weird. 

[SmokeyLady]

Posted: 7/14/25 at 2:30pm

TheatreFan4 said: "Jonathan Cohen said: "That was exactly the situation.Great Comet was toast on Broadway no matter what, casting Patinkin was just a short-term fix. I think the reason some people are still fixated on it 8 years later is because getting to see Patinkin in the role during those 3 weekswould have been really cool. There's no version of events where the show was going to survive long-term."

They're also obsessed with burning Cynthia at the stake because she's weird."

I don't think anyone is obsessed.  She is a great singer and performer.  But obviously she is not very bright.  I thought all her comments re Comet and the Wicked poster art were so stupid. 

[DurantPlummer41]

Posted: 7/14/25 at 4:24pm

I believe the rumors at the time were that Mandy would lead in September, then a familiar but unexpected TV star was set to take over as Pierre. Rainn Wilson was heavily rumored but also pulled out after the payout of Oak's remaining contract.

[uncageg]

Posted: 7/14/25 at 4:37pm

ljay889 said: "The article says he won a Tony for SITPWG, which is incorrect."

 

I contacted the writer. He fixed it.