Paulson expose On Great Comet controversy — Page 2

1. Talk is cheap: they had no star lined up, and were not going to get one.

2. Rain Wilson is not a star. And he would not sell enough tickets to keep this show afloat. And he lacks the chops.

3. Someone said he would sell tickets but not as well as Groban. Bear in mind that during Groban's lengthy tenure the show was only able to return 15% of its investment. Like I've been saying since it was announced, this show was born to fail.

HogansHero, your blindness is frankly laughable. You have no data to establish that whatever TV star they are referring to wouldn't sell tickets, especially when Ingrid was able to sustain them through her run.

PaulWom said: "HogansHero, your blindness is frankly laughable. You have no data to establish that whatever TV star they are referring to wouldn't sell tickets, especially when Ingrid was able to sustain them through her run. "

So, he needs to counter opinion with data? Seems a tad unfair.

This unfortunate situation is a direct result of what our ultra-PC, 'post-truth' hysterical activism culture is doing to us. While always with good intentions, there appears to be a large fraction of our society who get so emotionally charged around issues towards race, gender and sexuality that they are blind to the truth (we aren't ALWAYS victims of our demographics in every situation, such as this one). While ironically ignoring the devastating way some of these demographics are treated in religious circles within Western countries and world-wide.

We are going too far, and we need to calm down before this madness continues.

Quick thoughts:

Howard Kagan confirmed what I wrote last night on another thread. The plan was for the show to win Best New Musical and become a must-see sensation even after Josh Groban left. That didn't work out, an outcome he must have realized months before the Tonys, so then he got desperate. The story is quite right in deeming Great Comet a long shot. Kagan seems to have good taste in theatre, and I am grateful that he financed this project; he's just not very good at mapping out a realistic path to success. Every show can't be Hamilton. The audit suggests that other investors are wondering where all the money went.

The story states that a TV star was ready to step in and was getting musical training. Ah, those wasted accordian lessons. But would the star who backed out after the Onaodowan fiasco broke been a big enough name to keep the show afloat? My guess is that Kagan must not have thought so because producers were hoping Mandy Patinkin was going to stay after Sept. 3 and the whole Patinkin scheme seemed so desperate in the first place. Why were those three weeks so critical if a bankable star was about to join the cast?

Unless Onaodowan is just lying, it sounds like a delicate situation was mishandled. It's quite possible that everything would have gone south regardless, but even Dave Malloy admitted that they overlooked the bad optics - a problem that might have been avoided if the folks in charge had realized the firing a black actor after two weeks is going to prompt hurt feelings and some likely blowback. If any POC was involved in dealing with that matter, I will be surprised.

But Onaodowan doesn't help his cause by saying, weeks later in an on-the-record interview, that Great Comet and its diverse cast can essentially pound sand even while admitting that the motivation for his dismissal was not race-related. He doesn't give any indication that he's bothered that the show is closing, and that fellow performers who won't collect Hamilton checks for years to come will be out of work in a few days. I cannot see how that's in the best interest of his career.

In the end, though, the musical wasn't going to be long for Broadway no matter what happened. I certainly agree with the cast and creators that it's tragic for the show to be leaving this way.

Updated On: 8/29/17 at 10:24 PM

I can assure you that Oak was complicit in all of this. He even had a chance to make things right but let his ego get in the way.

HogansHero said: "1. Talk is cheap: they had no star lined up, and were not going to get one.

2. Rain Wilson is not a star. And he would not sell enough tickets to keep this show afloat. And he lacks the chops.

3. Someone said he would sell tickets but not as well as Groban. Bear in mind that during Groban's lengthy tenure the show was only able to return 15% of its investment. Like I've been saying since it was announced, this show was born to fail.



"

Talk is, indeed, cheap. And so is saying things like what I have bolded, without backing it up. As it stands right now, they are empty words. Unless you have insider information (which I suspect you probably don't), then everything you said, that I have bolded, is mere speculation.

Updated On: 8/29/17 at 10:54 PM

"especially when Ingrid was able to sustain them through her run. "

But the show is not sustainable at Ingrid's numbers. And anyone who thinks it is is the delusional one.

@broadwayrox speculation, yes, but informed speculation. The point is: the show was not sustainable with Ingrid, would not have been with Rain Wilson and there was no one big enough and good enough who would do it for any significant period of time. Groban returned 15% of the investment over the better part of a season. That's awful. How much bigger would you need to cure that? A show cannot take 5+ years to recoup and expect to maintain any level of interest. Like I said, born to fail, but everyone can believe what they want to believe and call anyone who doesn't line up behind them blind, delusional or any other cute words. But people who know this business line up on my side. Ask any you can find; it's what they have been laughing about for a year.

Davie10086 said, "Indeed he will. As for Casal and Ervivo for starting / contributing the social media fire - they have nothing else to say? I guess they like to lead everyone onto the road of oncoming traffic, and then run away from the fatalities. "

Totally agree. What do they intend to do to help the cast find jobs. Ervivo should go back to England. Casal, still don't know what he does, but apparently nothing in the show.

HogansHero said: "@broadwayrox speculation, yes, but informed speculation. The point is: the show was not sustainable with Ingrid, would not have been with Rain Wilson and there was no one big enough and good enough who would do it for any significant period of time. Groban returned 15% of the investment over the better part of a season. That's awful. How much bigger would you need to cure that? A show cannot take 5+ years to recoup and expect to maintain any level of interest. Like I said, born to fail, but everyone can believe what they want to believe and call anyone who doesn't line up behind them blind, delusional or any other cute words. But people who know this business line up on my side. Ask any you can find; it's what they have been laughing about for a year.



"

I did not call you blind, or delusional, so please don't @ me on that. I prefer to ask questions to make people think, rather than name-call. All I was doing was responding to what you said. And I take very little issue with anything else you said (although I would never laugh at a show that has helped as many people as Comet has).

GeorgeandDot, where might I find the block button for our resident troll (sorry... poster) HogansHero? Hypothetically speaking, of course

HogansHero said: ""especially when Ingrid was able to sustain them through her run. "

But the show is not sustainable at Ingrid's numbers. And anyone who thinks it is is the delusional one.



"

If its true the show has been averaging at 700,000 a week, then the show is sustainable at ingrids numbers