NYT: The Grody-Patinkin Family Is a Mess. People Love It.- Page 2

[lastmidnights]

Posted: 7/14/25 at 8:25pm

Alex Kulak2 said: "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."

The only things I think you're missing here are that they had several other people in talks to join the show in the future, of which I have first-hand knowledge. I believe one was Rainn Wilson, but I might be mixing up who was approached and who was in talks. This controversy ended all discussions on that front. Nobody was interested in even considering joining the company anymore.

That and the fact that Oak AGREED to the deal to bring in Mandy, and was still going to be compensated during the weeks he didn't have to work. He let the "racism" rumors run rampant while he stayed silent, knowing he had agreed to the deal to have Patinkin come in for 3 weeks, while he got to have a paid vacation.

So, yes, I don't think it's fair to say he's the reason the show closed. But he certainly did nothing to help them get on better footing going forward. You would think he would have appreciated being paid to do nothing, considering he came in completely unprepared to play the role, never played the instrument parts correctly, would forget lines, and was openly unpleasant with the cast/staff backstage. Even after Mandy backed out and they "made room for Oak" (what all his friends were asking for!), he declined to continue in the role and cut his run short. 

He also blamed the producers for not "cultivating diversity" when TGC was among the most diverse shows on Broadway at the time, and launched the careers of wonderful actors of color, like Denee Benton and Amber Gray. I've been thinking of all this recently, since his casting announcement in that MTC production. I was convinced he was never going to work in NY theater again (beyond Hamilton), after this, but of course, that didn't happen. Every producer I know involved with this show will never work with him again.

Updated On: 7/14/25 at 08:25 PM

[Call_me_jorge]

Posted: 7/14/25 at 8:33pm

I think the greatest travesty was TGC not winning Best Musical that season. They cast Oak before the tony awards, but it was clear they were trying to push the show as the star instead of whoever was playing Pierre. Once they didn’t win they basically had to do a marketing 180. They quickly moved Brittain Ashford out in favor of Ingrid Michaelson and signed on Mandy to step in for Oak. The Kagans were basically following the same model that the Weisslers have used for years at Chicago.

[bear88]

Posted: 7/14/25 at 9:35pm

Okieriete Onaodowan has had a nice career since the Great Comet fiasco. He was a long-running regular on a popular TV series, leaving only because he wanted to do so, returned to Broadway and has another stage gig next year.

I’m sure there are people who wouldn’t want to work with him, but Onaodowan has done fine. 

I always felt that it was unfortunate that Great Comet, one of my favorite musicals, is remembered as much for its ugly Broadway ending as for its unique achievements and the careers it helped to launch. I always felt particularly bad for Dave Malloy, who got caught up in the mess and came across as genuinely wounded. Octet felt like it was influenced by the whole thing.

As for Grody and Patinkin, I went down that rabbit hole last night. It’s all very amusing and sweet and, as I just re-read James Lapine’s Putting It Together, in which both are interviewed, it’s interesting to get a sense of their dynamics as a couple outside of their sometimes fraught recollections of Sunday in the Park with George.

[Up In One]

Posted: 7/14/25 at 10:30pm

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."

Let’s be honest, the writing was on the wall the moment Groban bowed out in early July. With him went the million-dollar weeks, the buzz, and most of the audience. The producers’ answer was a well-intentioned but transparently last-ditch “special” three-week run with Mandy Patinkin, with only three weeks' notice. But Mandy wasn’t taking over the role, he was stepping in to try and stabilize a production already losing altitude. His three weeks would end just in time for the traditional September box office doldrums to do more harm. The Comet producers were looking at a big bill to transform the Imperial back to its traditional config and I am sure the Shubert's already had Carousel lined up for the spring. 

And while he brought plenty of gravitas, not even Mandy could turn the tide. The title couldn’t survive without Groban’s name above the marquee, and the poorly handled social media debacle didn’t do the show any favors.

It wasn’t Mandy’s fault, it was too little, too late. The producers saw what was coming in the advance sales. So yes, Cynthia Erivo may have closed Comet, but "early" is more the operative word. 

 

[PipingHotPiccolo]

Posted: 7/14/25 at 11:19pm

all this emphasis on whether the show was going to survive or not post/during Mandy, completely missed the point.

Patinkin was a big name get. the idea that wanting him to replace Oak was some sort of racism is PEAK progressive insanity- the kinda accusation that undermines all the legit, troubling racial insensitivities that plague the industry. it was just ugly and wrong, smearing good people out of petty hurt feelings. i mean just say it out loud now: the Comet team was racist for being unhappy with Oak and wanting Patinkin. Its MAGA thinking, its that stupid.

who cares if the show was going to close anyway? who cares if Patinkin was not going to sell the tickets they had hoped? Oak wasnt selling (nevermind he was unprepared and unimpressive). A stain on his crew for perpetuating this nonsense, including Erivo. 

And while I am glad he is working (because people make mistakes, especially young people), he has NOT lead any big shows or nabbed any lead roles anywhere. Maybe that will change but the notion that this didnt hurt his career because he did a supporting spot next to Chastain (which he was very good!) is silly.

[bear88]

Posted: 7/15/25 at 2:34am

PipingHotPiccolo said: "all this emphasis on whether the show was going to survive or not post/during Mandy, completely missed the point.

Patinkin was a big name get. the idea that wanting him to replace Oak was some sort of racism is PEAK progressive insanity- the kinda accusation that undermines all the legit, troubling racial insensitivities that plague the industry. it was just ugly and wrong, smearing good people out of petty hurt feelings. i mean just say it out loud now: the Comet team was racist for being unhappy with Oak and wanting Patinkin. Its MAGA thinking, its that stupid.

who cares if the show was going to close anyway? who cares if Patinkin was not going to sell the tickets they had hoped? Oak wasnt selling (nevermind he was unprepared and unimpressive). A stain on his crew for perpetuating this nonsense, including Erivo.

And while I am glad he is working (because people make mistakes, especially young people), he has NOT lead any big shows or nabbed any lead roles anywhere. Maybe that will change but the notion that this didnt hurt his career because he did a supporting spot next to Chastain (which he was very good!) is silly."

I certainly don’t know the parts Onaodowan wasn’t offered, or if it had anything to do with the events of July and August 2017, so I can’t say anything for sure.

But it doesn’t seem like Onaodowan’s career path has been that different than it probably would have been if he had bowed out of Great Comet gracefully. He was in a mega-hit musical in a featured (but not award-nominated) role, then did what he probably would have done anyway - get a steady acting gig in a TV series. He’s no star - the Great Comet producers were foolish to think he was going to be a draw replacing Josh Groban - but he seems to be employed on a regular basis.

As for the other high-profile players, Cynthia Erivo seems to be doing OK for herself. Rafael Casal was never a name, but he subsequently co-wrote and co-starred in Blindspotting, first the film with Daveed Diggs and then the TV series.

I still have strong opinions about how those actors and others handled that situation but it feels like a stretch to suggest that any of their careers were harmed. Some of the creatives in Great Comet went on to big success themselves. Sam Pinkleton, Tony-winning director of Oh, Mary!, was the choreographer of Great Comet, to choose a less-obvious example.

Great Comet, as much as I personally love it, never had a chance at Best Musical that season - not against the Dear Evan Hansen juggernaut or the much-loved Come From Away. Both of those shows ran and toured for years. It took years for Great Comet to get a West Coast premiere, at a small theater in Berkeley where some of Dave Malloy’s early works also debuted. It was brilliant; my wife enjoyed it even more in the small venue than she had on Broadway. We saw it twice.

This post and the discussion has moved far afield from Grody and Patinkin’s charming YouTube clips. Sorry about that.

[TarHeelAlan]

Posted: 7/15/25 at 7:24am

BorisTomashevsky said: "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."

It now reads "He is a Tony-winning star, known for his roles in musical-theater classics like “Evita” and “Sunday in the Park With George..."

[abcd12]

Posted: 7/15/25 at 9:51am

TotallyEffed said: "I’m scared."

…why?

[TotallyEffed]

Posted: 7/15/25 at 10:58am

abcd12 said: "TotallyEffed said: "I’m scared."

…why?"

 

Threads about Mandy Patinkin are always scary.