Oak Speaks out on great comet controversy- Page 6

[BroadwayConcierge]

Posted: 10/5/17 at 1:35am

hmph, I was literally JUST about to ask if Speed is Rafael Casal, LOL. 

[PaulWom]

Posted: 10/5/17 at 1:40am

hmph, I do hope more actors speak out on how awful Oak was, seeing as he's trying to co-opt the legacy of the show to make it about himself. It would suck if the theater community held him up as a false idol.

[Speed]

Posted: 10/5/17 at 1:45am

Oak is a human being and a professional actor himself. Deserves better than "narcissistic nobody."  Andy Karl may be a Broadway veteran but he was entrusted with TWO huge Broadway musicals (Rocky and Groundhog Day) and completely failed to turn either into a hit.  Pierre isn't really a lead role like what Andy had in Rocky and GD.  Shouldn't Andy be held to a higher standard?  Maybe Andy is the "big old nobody" that should never be hired again.  Also, it was always going to be hard for Oak to have Andy's "veteran" career because he is BLACK and there just aren't enough roles for him.  Hamilton has given voice to a lot of actors who had never had the opportunity on Broadway because the roles didn't exist.

Updated On: 10/5/17 at 01:45 AM

[Speed]

Posted: 10/5/17 at 1:46am

And I love that you called Oak's role in Hamilton a SMALL supporting role.  You couldn't give him respect by simply calling it a supporting role.  The racism is very obvious.

[bear88]

Posted: 10/5/17 at 1:48am

I should quit posting about Great Comet, just like Onaodowan should stop talking about it. 

But once again, just to reiterate what I've written in past threads:

- Lead producer Howard Kagan certainly doesn't get off the hook here. In the end, it was the producers' call to hire Onaodowan to replace Groban for an 8-week run starting July 3. It never made sense at the time it was announced in February, because there was simply no way Onaodowan was going to bring in the audiences that Groban attracted. The bet was that Hamilton fans would want to check him out; the bet was wrong. Kagan was clearly hoping to win Best Musical, but it was obvious even in February that Dear Evan Hansen and perhaps one of the spring shows (which turned out to be Come From Away) would block that path. This was one of many questionable decisions by Kagan, who is credited (by me anyway) for bringing the show to Broadway but who needed to have everything go right for the musical to stand a chance of breaking even. And despite bringing in about $1 million a week for months, it didn't come close.

- My first reaction to Onaodowan's dismissal was sympathy. He only had been playing the role for two weeks, and the move to bring in Mandy Patinkin for a three-week run struck me as a desperate ploy by the producers that would be a band-aid to the real problem, that the show cost too much and wasn't a huge hit. 

- The one person I've learned to trust in this whole affair is show creator Dave Malloy, who is probably too honest for his own good. He's the one who admitted that he should have paid more attention to the "racial optics" of Onaodowan's dismissal, that he compared it to the replacement of longtime Comet star (and Malloy friend) Brittain Ashford with pop star Ingrid Michaelson. And why? Because they needed the box office boost because Onaododwan - through no fault of his own - wasn't a draw. Michaelson was leaving in August, and the late-August advance box office was dismal. That's a big problem for an expensive show.

- Even if one disregards Riedel's gossip columns and the New York Times piece, there is Malloy, who confirmed that Onaodowan wasn't ready to go on July 3 after months of time to prepare. “I had to go in for a week because he was unprepared, and he tweeted that we were unprepared,” Malloy told Vulture. “That was strange and hard.” It's very hard to sympathize with someone who isn't ready to do his job.

- And then there were the online attacks on the show itself. That's been covered at length, but what was Onaodowan's role? He certainly made no effort to help and instead fanned the flames. He's still doing it, more than a month after the show closed. The only conclusion one can draw is that Onaodowan, out of a mixture of pride and hurt feelings, wanted Great Comet to die. Malloy seems both mystified and upset at the irresponsibility of the campaign against his show. The diverse cast and Denee Benton could pound sand. Onaodowan lost his job a few weeks early, with pay, because the show needed a star - and that's when he decides diversity isn't cultivated. Because it was all about him. Now he's Colin Kaepernick. 

- Yes, it's true. Great Comet wasn't going to last too much longer at the Imperial no matter what Onaodowan did. Neither he nor Cynthia Erivo or Rafael Casal killed the musical. It was a flawed financial endeavor that required the producers to catch every break and for the show to become a sensation. But it didn't have to die ugly. And I do blame Onaodowan, an artist who should respect the hard work of his colleagues, for that.

Updated On: 10/5/17 at 01:48 AM

[PaulWom]

Posted: 10/5/17 at 1:51am

Speed, by all accounts, Andy karl is a professional who shows up and gets the work done. By most accounts, on Comet, Oak is not- he showed up to rehearsal without knowing all his instrumentation, despite having FIVE months to prepare. And looking at the way Oak handled this situation and the lack of respect he had for everyone in that building, I know why he won't (and shouldn't) be hired now- he's a narcissistic asshat (and yes, nobody). 

Also, Karl was not "entrusted" with being the sole selling point of his musicals, and neither was Oak. In the NyTimes, it was made clear that the producers were trying to sell the show without a huge star like Groban. Clearly, it didn't pan out, so Mandy was brought in to try and save it.

personally, I also feel very little sympathy for Oak's run being cut short. Nobody forces you to take a role. Oak didn't develop it, he was hired as a replacement. Replacements get moved, fired, etc. all the time.. that's show business. Is Drew Gehlig blowing up Waitress right now because Jason Mraz is stepping in?

Updated On: 10/5/17 at 01:51 AM

[theater_tech]

Posted: 10/5/17 at 2:08am

bear88 said: "Yes, it's true. Great Comet wasn't going to last too much longer at the Imperial no matter what Onaodowan did. Neither he nor Cynthia Erivo or Rafael Casal killed the musical. It was a flawed financial endeavor that required the producers to catch every break and for the show to become a sensation. But itdidn't have to die ugly. And I do blame Onaodowan, an artist who should respect the hard work of his colleagues, for that."

bear88, i was hoping that you'll show up. 

Updated On: 10/5/17 at 02:08 AM

[BroadwayRox3588]

Posted: 10/5/17 at 2:08am

Why should Andy never be hired again? On what grounds would he deserve to be blacklisted?

[PaulWom]

Posted: 10/5/17 at 2:09am

Don't engage with Rafael Casal. This absolutely is him... I'm recalling his tweet in which he attacked the headline of an article about Patinkin and Oak ("Celebrity or Diversity", I believe it was called), and he said "The problem with this headline is that it implies one is a star and the other isn't."

"Don't you DARE say that. My baby is gonna be a STAR!"

[PaulWom]

Posted: 10/5/17 at 2:10am

BroadwayRox, I didn't say Andy shouldn't be hired again! I said Oak shouldn't.

[BroadwayRox3588]

Posted: 10/5/17 at 2:12am

PaulWom said: "BroadwayRox, I didn't say Andy shouldn't be hired again! I said Oak shouldn't."

My bad, this was directed at Speed (or possibly Casal?). I should've quoted their comment. You're good. :)

[BroadwayRox3588]

Posted: 10/5/17 at 2:12am

double post

Updated On: 10/5/17 at 02:12 AM

[GeorgeandDot]

Posted: 10/5/17 at 2:20am

He's not entitled to anything.  If they want to fire him they can fire him.  Oak turned out to be a narcissist who was unprofessional and unprepared and also didn't bring in an audience.  Bye.  He got dumped for a bigger name and then decided to become a "SJW."  The a-hole actually thinks he's some sort of martyr.

Look, here's the difference between him and Karl:  Karl is a 3 time Tony nominee.  Oak is one of the supporting roles in Hamilton (one of the few that didn't recieve a Tony nom, I might add) and was a replacement for this show.  He's a nobody.  If he had originated the role and been nominated for a Tony I would feel differently, but he was the replacement and he acted like a narcissistic diva the whole time.

 Now, Speed, I don't know why you get off to calling everyone racist here unless you're a troll or you have a personal relationship with Oak, himself, either way, get your ridiculousness out of here.  You're defending Oak's half baked argument with more half baked arguments.  No one has any problems with Oak because he's black, they have a problem with him because he's a jerk who put a hard working and incredibly diverse cast out of work and then tries to compare himself to Kaepernick, who was standing up (or rather kneeling) for PoC who were getting murdered in the streets and then proceeds to compare the creative team to Donald Trump.  It's revolting, insensitive, tone deaf, and idiotic.  I hope he never works again.

[CindersGolightly]

Posted: 10/5/17 at 2:37am

Want to highlight this comment: 

GeorgeandDot said: "Basically Oak deserved to get fired the second he showed up to rehearsals unprepared. He was lucky to make it so far."

Unrelated to the above reply, but I started disliking him when he tagged his Instagram posts as #HamilTony during the Tony Awards - he's always been entitled. This whole situation hasn't shocked me once. At least, not his reactions or statements 

Also, side note: why does tag EVERY INSTAGRAM POST with #KatyPerry? I really don't get it.

[SchuylWERKsister]

Posted: 10/5/17 at 4:06am

I can't even get through all of this. This thread is more labored than the Betsy Wolfe Carousel thread. 

The workshop cast of Frozen is just having all the issues.

[Speed]

Posted: 10/5/17 at 5:59am

GeorgeandDot said: "He's not entitled to anything. If they want to fire him they can fire him. Oak turned out to be a narcissist who was unprofessional and unprepared and also didn't bring in an audience. Bye. He got dumped for a bigger name and then decided to become a "SJW." The a-hole actually thinks he's some sort of martyr.

Look, here's the difference between him and Karl: Karl is a 3 time Tony nominee. Oak is one of the supporting roles in Hamilton (one of the few that didn't recieve a Tony nom, I might add) and was a replacement for this show. He's a nobody. If he had originated the role and been nominated for a Tony I would feel differently, but he was the replacement and he acted like a narcissistic diva thewhole time.

Now, Speed, I don't know why you get off to calling everyone racist here unless you're a troll or you have a personal relationship with Oak, himself, either way, get your ridiculousness out of here. You're defending Oak's half baked argument with more half baked arguments. No one has any problems with Oak because he's black, they have a problem with him because he's a jerk who put a hard working and incredibly diverse cast out of work and then tries to compare himself to Kaepernick, who was standing up (or rather kneeling) for PoC who were getting murdered in the streets and then proceeds to compare the creative team to Donald Trump. It's revolting, insensitive, tone deaf, and idiotic. I hope he never works again."

Wow. So human beings only deserve respect if they get nominated for Tonys?  That's horrible.

 

[BroadwayBaby4]

Posted: 10/5/17 at 7:33am

Speed said: "GeorgeandDot said: "He's not entitled to anything. If they want to fire him they can fire him. Oak turned out to be a narcissist who was unprofessional and unprepared and also didn't bring in an audience. Bye. He got dumped for a bigger name and then decided to become a "SJW." The a-hole actually thinks he's some sort of martyr.

Look, here's the difference between him and Karl: Karl is a 3 time Tony nominee. Oak is one of the supporting roles in Hamilton (one of the few that didn't recieve a Tony nom, I might add) and was a replacement for this show. He's a nobody. If he had originated the role and been nominated for a Tony I would feel differently, but he was the replacement and he acted like a narcissistic diva thewhole time.

Now, Speed, I don't know why you get off to calling everyone racist here unless you're a troll or you have a personal relationship with Oak, himself, either way, get your ridiculousness out of here. You're defending Oak's half baked argument with more half baked arguments. No one has any problems with Oak because he's black, they have a problem with him because he's a jerk who put a hard working and incredibly diverse cast out of work and then tries to compare himself to Kaepernick, who was standing up (or rather kneeling) for PoC who were getting murdered in the streets and then proceeds to compare the creative team to Donald Trump. It's revolting, insensitive, tone deaf, and idiotic. I hope he never works again."

Wow. So human beings only deserve respect if they get nominated for Tonys? That's horrible.

"

No but getting nominated for Tonys does help sell tickets, something that is necessary for a production to stay open and something that Oak clearly could not do without the assistance of Ingrid Michaelson.

Also having a good work ethic earns respect. Showing up months after you were first announced, not knowing your part, and forcing the production to find a replacement for a week, does not. In case you were wondering about Andy Karl's work ethic, he managed to do the show with a torn ACL, so yeah that man deserves a lot of respect, regardless of Tony's.

[Itonlytakesajourney]

Posted: 10/5/17 at 7:33am

That's true. Oak is literally trashing Great Comet and its need to "nurture diversity" when almost the entire cast is poc or LGBT. I love how he's pretending the only reason he got fired was because he's black, look Oak, you came in late with little knowledge of the show. That's not professional and never will be. 

 

[adamgreer]

Posted: 10/5/17 at 7:46am

I want Speed/Casal (notice he hasn't denied that assertion yet) to come on here and defend the fact that Oak showed up to rehearsals unprepared, so much so that his debut had to be pushed back a whole week.  Inexcusable, given that he had 5 whole months to prepare. 

[carnzee]

Posted: 10/5/17 at 8:01am

So a poster on the other board named "King Speed" has posted comments on how unprofessional Mandy Patinkin is.

Whoever this "Speed" is, he clearly has an agenda and shouldn't be taken seriously.

[RndmAnswrs4RndmQstns]

Posted: 10/5/17 at 8:04am

Speed said: "I, personally, am more famous than most people on Broadway but I'm not entitled to their roles if I ask to play them."

Sigh...

[Tandrews]

Posted: 10/5/17 at 8:21am

I do not think we will be seeing Mr. Oak anytime soon...only LMM can save him now. Ham could use his energy as Mulligan/Madison.

[Call_me_jorge]

Posted: 10/5/17 at 8:33am

I think lin has too much respect for Dave Malloy to save oak.

[ArtMan]

Posted: 10/5/17 at 9:00am

"Speed" has already identified himself as the actor Eric Millegan, who was a regular on Bones.  He stated this in the thread  "who's the most famous people on this board."

[Dave28282]

Posted: 10/5/17 at 9:01am

Speed said: "I, personally, am more famous than most people on Broadway but I'm not entitled to their roles if I ask to play them."

No Rafael, you are not famous, you are notorious. And not for any work you have done, but for your world alienated statements and tweets and views on this case that will haunt you for the rest of your career, or what's left of it. Whenever people will Google you they will either find this mess, or your Wikipedia of which the main contributor is yourself.

I don't know if it was a dumb move to help your buddy or that you could use some attention for your latest (film)project but be careful is my advice. Nobody wants to work with an agitator.