Oak Speaks out on great comet controversy- Page 3

[eugenia2]

Posted: 10/4/17 at 1:46pm

 what a load of crock.  the author knows nothing. 

 

[theater_tech]

Posted: 10/4/17 at 1:49pm

Welp, I know all my points have been reiterated by others, but indulge me on my huge outburst of anger when I saw this headline. 

Why the **** is he doing this??

Setting aside the moral decency of letting this great show to rest, or EVEN to his former cast and crew members, what is he trying to get out from saying this? Not only do his points are irrelevant, but they can easily be debunked. Comet is diverse in all aspects, from the score to the singers' voices to even the choreography. Rachel Chavkin has explained multiple times her reasons for cultivating a diverse world for Comet. The show is even PROUD about it. 

Defining whether something is diverse or not by the number of a minority group in the cast is NOT diverse. 

This show is like a man who has been wrongly executed and finally laid to rest, but Oak just dug his corpse out and repulse everyone with its stench to make an invalid point. 

[theater_tech]

Posted: 10/4/17 at 1:50pm

ChildofEarth said: 
Thank god for twitters that name when an understudy is going on because I will be using that next time he’s in a show."

That is some fine serving of burn, good sir. I tip my hat to you. 

[LizzieCurry]

Posted: 10/4/17 at 1:50pm

Bettyboy72 said: ""Norm Lewis as the "first black man to play the phantom!! come see it!!"

Actually Norm Lewis was the first black Phantom and he sold a crap ton of tickets because he was the real deal. "

*first black Phantom on Broadway. Don't forget Robert Guillaume and Nicholas Nkuna.

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 10/4/17 at 1:50pm

If anyone wants to see Oak, his next role will be as "Trainee" at the Times Square Olive Garden. He'll be performing 5 times a week from 4pm - Closing. 

[KJisgroovy]

Posted: 10/4/17 at 1:54pm

It's so odd to double down like this so long after the whole situation kind of blew over. 

[RndmAnswrs4RndmQstns]

Posted: 10/4/17 at 1:54pm

Jordan Catalano said: "If anyone wants to see Oak, his next role will be as "Trainee" at the Times Square Olive Garden. He'll be performing 5 times a week from 4pm - Closing."

Ah, one more reason to avoid that Olive Garden!

[schubox]

Posted: 10/4/17 at 1:55pm

KJisgroovy said: "It's so odd to double down like this so long after the whole situation kind of blew over."

Definitely. Feel like he could have done some non-theater stuff for a while, coasted on some Hamilton royalties for a year or two and most people would have forgotten all about this 

[Fordham2015]

Posted: 10/4/17 at 1:57pm

Jordan Catalano said: "If anyone wants to see Oak, his next role will be as "Trainee" at the Times Square Olive Garden. He'll be performing 5 times a week from 4pm - Closing."

Is Ellen's Stardust Diner hiring?

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 10/4/17 at 1:59pm

I think the last thing Ellen's wants now is more controversy. 

[BroadwayConcierge]

Posted: 10/4/17 at 2:04pm

Jordan Catalano said: "I think the last thing Ellen's wants now is more controversy."

Actually lol’d at this.

[rodrigo_ca]

Posted: 10/4/17 at 2:42pm

Wow, the guy is fierce. First he went out of his way to make one of the actually diverse shows get out of NYC and now he's doing the same to his own career! Talk about commitment, people.

 

Looks like he'll forever live on the shadow of Hamilton. Good thing that will at least give him some royalties.

 

 

[Btb1993]

Posted: 10/4/17 at 2:58pm

Wow...What the hell is his point by continuing to bash this show? Like give it a rest already Oak. I too will be frequenting the understudy twitter for whatever show he does next....

[CorkySt.Clair]

Posted: 10/4/17 at 3:05pm

theater_tech said: 

This show is like a man who has been wrongly executed and finally laid to rest, but Oak just dug his corpse out and repulse everyone with its stench to make an invalid point."

Theatertech, this describes the situation perfectly. For most of us on the boards and many more besides, the fortnight of Comet drama was aggravating and felt unfair. Now he's gotta bring back all those feelings? Why....? 

[evic]

Posted: 10/4/17 at 3:10pm

The closest he will be to working on Broadway again is flipping burgers at McDonald's on 42St.  He is a TURN OFFand all producers and directors should boycott his ass and not see him for anything.  Let Cynthia try to get him work.

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 10/4/17 at 3:11pm

I'd be happy never seeing Cynthia in anything again, too. 

[Ado Annie D'Ysquith]

Posted: 10/4/17 at 3:19pm

"Hey, aren't you the guy who...? Uh, never mind. Just Supersize my fries, please."

[dramamama611]

Posted: 10/4/17 at 3:21pm

I'm not sure I get what he wants to be "cultivated".....the tone of the show?  Did he want Pierre to be a stereotypical "brotha"?  That's not the story they were telling here.   I wonder if that's what some of the issues he was having with Rachel were about, his desire to change the landscape of the part.   IF that's the case, isn't his real problem with playwrights....but still keeping an "us" v "them" situation and throwing away color blind casting.

 

I'm disappointed, it was so much easier to lay much of the 'blame' for this getting out of hand on Erivo and his friend (sorry I don't remember his name...Raphael?), but that is obviously not the case.

 

And yes, I believe people should speak up about what they are feel is right, but in this case, since he felt strongly, that should have been part of this dialogue before accepting the role.   Grave meet foot.

[PaulWom]

Posted: 10/4/17 at 3:31pm

Noticed Ken Clark, who was in the ensemble, post this on a reddit thread (https://www.reddit.com/r/Broadway/comments/74817j/oak_opens_up_about_comet_controversy_you_have_to/#171666) about this article (he goes by the username schmark19)

"Oak has no idea what he's talking about. He wasn't there during the beginning, he didn't see Rachel and Dave and Sam agonize over and seek guidance regarding how best to responsibly represent our diverse community. He is wrong for this, he was wrong for not taking his responsibility as Pierre seriously and frankly, shame on him for speaking ill of a show that bent over backwards to diversify Broadway. 

Oak is covering for Oak. While it was certainly not his fault the Comet closed, he did not pull his weight in trying to save it. And yes, the cast all but BEGGED him to stay. 

His priority - and I'm not even sure he's wrong for it - was and is protecting his own marketability. It's got nothing to do with Comet."

 I also remembered this tweet Billy Keissling, also in the ensemble, put out at the Chita Rivera Awards https://twitter.com/buhbuhbilly/status/907734779382128640

Honestly, the only think I disagree w Ken about is that I don't think Oak is blameless in the show's closing, but we've all had that debate forever. Wish Oak would just disappear, tbh

Updated On: 10/4/17 at 03:31 PM

[bear88]

Posted: 10/4/17 at 3:39pm

I'm starting to get the feeling that Forbes isn't very good at covering the theater. First, they take a shot at Michael Moore because his financially successful one-man show doesn't have the same box office revenue as other, more expensive shows. (I kind of wrote that one off to Forbes' conservative editorial bias, although you wou would think a publication about business would get that right.)

And now this, basically a chance for Onaodowan to say whatever he wants without fear of contradiction. And he still comes off badly. I guess Denee Benton was a gimmick, as was the diverse ensemble.

In the end, the trouble I have with Onaodowan is that he makes everything about him. That goes for his high-profile supporters too. The failure to 'nurture diversity' had nothing to do with Benton, or the ensemble, because they don't matter. It was because he got fired three weeks early from a temporary, replacement job - with pay, when he wasn't prepared (see Dave Malloy's restrained comments), in a show that was on the verge of closing.

And still, he complains, linking himself to Colin Kaepernick (whose career actually is done because of a brave act of principle). Great Comet closed early, throwing people out of work at least a little earlier than expected. It's been a month since Onaodowan's run would have ended, and still he's bashing the closed show and disrespecting his fellow performers.

Updated On: 10/4/17 at 03:39 PM

[Skimbleshanks2]

Posted: 10/4/17 at 3:57pm

Much like the way tourists saw his name on the marquee, I imagine the majority of FORBES subscribers saw OAK's name in the headline, briefly thought, "Who?", then quickly moved onto something else.

Updated On: 10/4/17 at 03:57 PM

[Kad]

Posted: 10/4/17 at 4:33pm

The article also seems to position Oak as someone who took a stand.

But he didn't, really.

[DottieD'Luscia]

Posted: 10/4/17 at 4:57pm

I kind of wonder if Oak has any representation (i.e., agent) at the moment. I don't think any agent and/or manager would be too pleased with him right now.

[Dave28282]

Posted: 10/4/17 at 5:03pm

"diversity must be nurtured"

I see....nurtured as in, they must have kept you in the role? Because you are black? And anyone replacing you had to be black?

That's not nurturing, that's racism.

Be a man and accept that you were fired for other reasons Oak.

Updated On: 10/4/17 at 05:03 PM

[raddersons]

Posted: 10/4/17 at 5:04pm

bear88 said: "I'm starting to get the feeling that Forbes isn't very good at covering the theater. "

It's a business magazine, and theater isn't exactly known as a great investment. I'm surprised there's an article about this at all. It's very clear to me that whoever wrote this knows nothing about the New York theater scene, let alone any theater scene.