She's at it Again!!! — Page 2

I've worked enough in the real world to see slackers aplenty.

Fantasia has shown that she's one of them.

Oh you wonderful musicals fan! You have finally seen the light and agreed that she is one of the slackers!

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She missed two performances the day of the Tony award ceremony (which she was forced to sit out by the producers to save her voice for the evening telecast even though she wanted to perform,) an entire eight show week due to a plaguing illness, and one or two sporadic shows also related to that same sickness.

No one can give an exact number of how many times she's been out, but her absences are in the ballpark of eleven or twelve missed performances.

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No, Jimbo.

I was just typing too fast.

Wishful thinking on your part. Sad, you poor deluded, obsessed person you. :-/

You really should tell us why you have this obsession with Fantasia. I mean really. Your fixation on her is very bizarre.

I agree with Wonderful Wizard and SomethingWicked. Dammed if you do, dammed if you don't. I also think that it seems like she is always gone more because someone always starts a new thread whenever she isn't there.

What I don't understand is how people can act so harshly when someone is ill. And we know that when you don't take the time to regain your health totally, you stay sick for a lot longer. I also think she is pushing herself too much and her body is fighting back.

I wonder if this a case of people "sitting in their underwear...judging". The fact is, the vast majority of people on this board can only speculate what it's like to lead a major production 8 nights a week in such a demanding production. It's easy to sit behind our screens and judge people when, in the end, we only dream about what people like Fantasia are up there doing...even if she isn't doing it as much as some people think she should.

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Updated On: 8/16/07 at 10:36 PM

"I find that quite good enough"

Are you one of the ticket holders who shelled out a small fortune expecting to see Fantasia and saw Saycon Sengbloh instead?

Are you the producer who had to refund the money to irate patrons?

It's not just Fantasia that I'm discussing here - it is this attitude that performers on Broadway should be cut some slack because what they do is considered grueling and super human. It isn't, folks - yes, it's a grind, and some roles are harder than others. But that's the choice they made when they chose this career and were lucky enough to get a job on Broadway. I'm sorry, a 92% attendance rate is not good enough. Not for a star. It's a commitment to your audience and your producers. As I said, if she really is that ill, then she should withdraw from the production until she is well enough to perform at 100%. I felt the same way about Murphy, Peters and Benanti. And I realize it is a tough call to make, with all the millions banking on their names to fill the seats. But in the end, more good would be done if someone who is ill leaves to get well and is temporarily replaced than a constant stream of no shows.

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Updated On: 8/16/07 at 10:38 PM

I wonder if this a case of people "sitting in their underwear...judging". The fact is, the vast majority of people on this board can only speculate what it's like to lead a major production 8 nights a week in such a demanding production.

Are you watching me on Jimmycam without paying your subscription fee? Anyway, I lead a team of 30 each and every day in highly stressful situations, some life and death, and I don't miss any of my performances, no matter how sick I am!

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"Are you one of the ticket holders who shelled out a small fortune expecting to see Fantasia and saw Saycon Sengbloh instead?

I am sure those ticket holders who shelled out a "small fortune" want the best show that large sum of money could buy, and would rather see a healthy understudy who can meet the requirements of the role to their full potential rather than a sick star who would deliver a lackluster performance under the weather.

"But that's the choice they made when they chose this career and were lucky enough to get a job on Broadway."

Those same patrons made a similar choice to risk a performer not being in when they bought their tickets. Their only guarantee was to see "The Color Purple," and they bought the tickets knowing that and recieved just what they were promised. If they weren't happy with that, they had the option to refund and get their "small fortune" back in full.

If Fantasia was to "withdraw from the production" until she was better as you advise, she'd STILL be criticized for being absent. She took a whole week off in hopes of kicking this bug and was panned when she did that. It isn't her fault that the illness isn't going away.

Obviously the producers whose investment is at stake are satisfied enough to have renewed her through the end of the year.

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Updated On: 8/16/07 at 10:42 PM

Still waiting for explanation of your obsession with Fantasia.
Not healthy, you know.


I agree. You really should stop defending her. It's not healthy. You don't want to end up with a bad attendance record, do you?

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Obviously the producers whose investment is at stake are satisfied enough to have renewed her through the end of the year.

Oof. You beat me to it. I was going to say how I think it's funny that we are having this discussion, and yet her contract was extended.

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Updated On: 8/16/07 at 10:48 PM

Record sales are on the mark
Cuz thats about the time the rumors start
Where all the people talking outta they ass
Well, someone gotta school, ya cause ya got no class!
Well I've paid my dues
I'm a seasoned dame
So why you gotta throw salt in my game?
You hide behind the computer screens so that you dont have to be seen
How could a person be so mean?


Who are you, and what do you do
That makes you think you're above me
But have you walked in my shoes?
The pedestal
You put yourself on
Well since I'm breaking it down now
It's gonna collapse and be gone!
-- Fergie, "Pedestal

Not Broadway lyrics, but effective nonetheless.

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Updated On: 8/16/07 at 10:55 PM

Since tomorrow is Friday, I think I'll just work half a day like my idol Fantasia!

That's a good idea, Jimbo.

You need to the rest your brain; otherwise, it'd burn out just from the obsession with Fantasia.

You need help.

Nope. It is you who needs help! You'll never get a job when you grow up if you maintain that kind of attendance.

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