No Michelle Williams
No Michelle Williams
Swing Joined: 6/3/12
No Michelle Williams#1
Posted: 4/12/14 at 2:53pm
Had tickets for "Cabaret" last night. Was very disappointed that Michelle Williams was out. Her understudy was very good but, I did want to see what Miss Williams brought to the part. I saw the show 16 years ago, Alan Cumming is still brilliant. The rest of the cast was excellent, too.
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/5/11
No Michelle Williams#2
Posted: 4/12/14 at 2:59pmYou really didn't talk about her understudy Andrea Goss, how was she?
Swing Joined: 6/3/12
No Michelle Williams#2
Posted: 4/12/14 at 5:05pm
She is very talented. I just felt that she was too polished a musical theater performer to fit in with the concept of the production.
My overall feeling was that the production was ground breaking 16 years ago. I was no longer shocked by the directorial concept.
I do think it is wonderful that a whole new generation will get to see it, but if I wasn't a subscriber, I wouldn't have gone again.
No Michelle Williams#3
Posted: 4/12/14 at 6:56pmShe's been out since Thurs, anyone know what's going on? We had hiptix on Thurs that we couldn't reschedule until August (for worse seats), much to my frustration.
No Michelle Williams#4
Posted: 4/12/14 at 7:34pmDid she catch Alan's flu? Any other time when a lead is out, someone, somewhere gives us a play by play in regards to what is going on. That is, unless you're Donna Murphy circa 2004.
No Michelle Williams#5
Posted: 4/12/14 at 7:42pmSorry, but what happened with Donna Murphy in 2004?
No Michelle Williams#6
Posted: 4/12/14 at 7:50pmDonna Murphy missed many performances of the revival of "Wonderful Town" in 2003-2004. (I saw that show twice and, by coincidence, she was there--and terrific--both times. On the other hand, I also saw Jersey Boys twice in an attempt to see John Lloyd Young, but he was out both times. You win some, you lose some.)
No Michelle Williams#7
Posted: 4/12/14 at 7:54pmI was referencing the producers of Wonderful Town, and how they allegedly told Donna Murphy to conceal the reason for her many absences.
No Michelle Williams#8
Posted: 4/12/14 at 8:08pmI believe Laura Benanti was told to keep quiet about her Into the Woods absences.
Broadway Legend Joined: 11/4/04
No Michelle Williams#9
Posted: 4/12/14 at 8:20pmBenanti was actually sued by the producers reportedly for falsifying her absence excuse but the suit was dropped. I think that's the story.
No Michelle Williams#10
Posted: 4/12/14 at 8:26pm
As I recall neither the producers nor Laura realized at the time how severe the injuries she was sustaining during Into the Woods really were (I believe it was several pinched nerves that were left untreated). She felt the repercussions from that for years and it was said to be a factor in her spotty attendance record in The Wedding Singer as well until she was finally able to get the nerve damage corrected.
Edit: it was a herniated disc that went misdiagnosed and untreated at the time.
http://www.playbill.com/news/article/78607-Nine-Star-Laura-Benanti-Recovers-from-Surgery
Updated On: 4/12/14 at 08:26 PM
No Michelle Williams#11
Posted: 4/12/14 at 8:28pmI adore Benanti, but her missed performances in The Wedding Singer were not necessarily due to her broken neck injury from Into The Woods.
No Michelle Williams#12
Posted: 4/12/14 at 8:33pm^ Mmmmmmmm, yeah, yeah they were.
No Michelle Williams#13
Posted: 4/12/14 at 8:37pm
No, no. Not entirely. She was dealing with another serious health problem at the time.
Updated On: 4/12/14 at 08:37 PM
No Michelle Williams#14
Posted: 4/12/14 at 8:44pmI'm curious, Dr. Kitchell (and anyone else who felt that this rival wasn't as daring/shocking/so on and so forth as it was 16 years ago) do you think that that is because you were already familiar with it, or just because, well, 16 years have gone by?
No Michelle Williams#15
Posted: 4/12/14 at 10:16pmI don't think it is possible for something to be shocking across that many years, whether someone saw it or not, since if Cabaret pushed the needle back then, other shows like Spring Awakening or (insert some other example) were inspired to push it further because of Cabaret. So, it doesn't exist in a vacuum... just like Chorus Line may have shocked in the 70s, and Book of Mormon does now, so the line is always being advanced. Some people who were a bit surprised at A Chorus Line now might see a restaging and be happy to finally see a good old fashioned show again, etc.
No Michelle Williams#16
Posted: 4/12/14 at 11:15pm"Broken neck injuries"? "Pinched nerves"? Jesus! It's theater, not football. IF these people can't handle singing for two hours a night, they should look for another, less "perilous" line of work.
Vita, dulcedo, et spes nostra
Salve, Salve Regina
Ad te clamamus exsules filii Eva
Ad te suspiramus, gementes et flentes
O clemens O pia
No Michelle Williams#17
Posted: 4/12/14 at 11:24pm^^Benanti sustained her back injuries from a "fake" fall down a set of stairs after Cinderella flees the ball. Apparently though, it wasn't very fake.
Broadway Legend Joined: 7/9/12
No Michelle Williams#18
Posted: 4/12/14 at 11:26pm
"IF these people can't handle singing for two hours a night, they should look for another, less "perilous" line of work."
What a remarkably insightful comment. You're so right. I don't recall ever seeing any physical activity taking place on a Broadway stage. Why those folks in Pippin just stand there for 2 hours, barely move at all. Next actor injured on a show should be beaten severely as a sign of our displeasure until they are healthy enough to return.
No Michelle Williams#19
Posted: 4/13/14 at 2:17amWhat a silly comment SM2-every line of work has an element of 'danger'. An accountant can get a paper cut and bleed to death [or of boredom]. I was in a show and an overhead bar fell from the flies and knocked 6 chorus girls unconscious-no danger there eh! [strangely the audience didn't seem to notice-maybe they were all too bored as well.
No Michelle Williams#20
Posted: 4/13/14 at 3:16am
Ignore SM2. All you need is one look at his profile to see that every single post he makes here is sarcastic and nasty.
Updated On: 4/13/14 at 03:16 AM
No Michelle Williams#21
Posted: 4/13/14 at 5:13am
"I adore Benanti, but her missed performances in The Wedding Singer were not necessarily due to her broken neck injury from Into The Woods."
In the recent book NOTHING LIKE A DAME, Benanti herself states that the reason her attendance was spotty in shows post Into The Woods was because of the injuries she got from falling down the stairs. So yes, the missed performances were indeed from her misdiagnosed injuries.
Broadway Legend Joined: 11/9/04
No Michelle Williams#22
Posted: 4/13/14 at 9:07amThe health problems Miss Benanti suffered during The Wedding Singer were caused by lingering effects of her Into The Woods accident. While not the same problem, they indeed are/were related.
No Michelle Williams#24
Posted: 4/13/14 at 11:50amI'm seeing the matinee today, I would love to know if Michelle Williams was on last night as well. Thanks!
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