Someone took and leaked nude photos at Take Me Out — Page 4

Jesse Williams addresses leak of Broadway nude scene

The idea that this was a publicity stunt has been getting bandied about a lot and I'm fairly doubtful that anyone at 2nd Stage is that cunning. Odds are many people have taken pics or vid of this production- there is no way just one person out of thousands at this point is the only one. But maybe just one was foolish enough to share them.

However, in all of the fuss being made, the implication is still, "if you want to see what all the fuss is about, you need to pony up and buy a ticket." And the price is going up and the production has received more publicity than it would've even solely based on its Tony noms. And, it should be noted that, as a nonprofit, 2nd Stage is getting this cast at bargain rates anyway. 2nd Stage gets to take money with one hand while wagging its finger with the other.

So, yeah, I kind of think the whole language of consent around this affair is far murkier than it appears at first glance. And if the theater community is suddenly jumping on this "theater is a sacred place, a safe space for artists to try things," then the embrace of bootlegs by the fan community needs to be re-examined.

(sidebar: Williams seems pretty chill about it, all things considered- and especially compared with the outrage displayed by people who this does not affect)

Updated On: 5/14/22 at 12:47 PM

ACL2006 said: "The show hasn't been at TKTS since this occurred. Coincidence, doubtful?"

Yes, it was. It was up for both shows on Wednesday, at the very least.

Interesting to see how Second Stage may have overestimated the effect of the leak, or how long the hype would last, when they hiked the prices. There are currently 29 orchestra seats still available for tonight's show, all at $299. (And yes, it's currently at TKTS for 40% off--or $128-189.) Plus 12 in the mezz. But they likely sold enough at the raised prices to make it worth it, even with the empty seats.

Updated On: 5/31/22 at 04:36 PM

Multiple people bumping this thread pointing out the rise in ticket sales, as if that proves any point?

Things in the world naturally yield ripple effects. Bad things are capable of yielding some good consequences. That's life, but it doesn't completely negate the bad thing.

If a construction worker falls off a faulty ladder, they might get some nice worker's comp out of it, maybe even a profitable law suit, plus some quality time at home with their kids. But you wouldn't throw that in the face of someone who has criticized the ladder manufacturer.

Thank you for clarifying your comment - I apologize for making that assumption, but several people do seem to have been making the argument I was addressing, even if you weren't one of them.

As for what you WERE saying, you raise good points, and I agree that capitalizing on the photo is not a great look. At first I was more inclined to give them the benefit of the doubt that this could be partly a result of its Tony publicity, or even that they were just responding to the increased demand the way any company reasonably might, regardless of where it was coming from (even if it is a bit greedy)

But looking back through the grosses, it look like they raised the top ticket price to $300 the SAME week as the leak, which is, again, not a great look.

JBroadway said: "Multiple people bumping this thread pointing out the rise in ticket sales, as if that proves any point?

Things in the world naturally yield ripple effects. Bad things are capable of yielding some good consequences. That's life, but it doesn't completely negate the bad thing.

If a construction worker falls off a faulty ladder, they might get some nice worker's comp out of it, maybe even a profitable law suit, plus some quality time at home with their kids. But you wouldn't throw that in the face of someone who has criticized the ladder manufacturer."

I'm curious about your position here. For the record, I consider you one of the most reasonable, level-headed people on this board (and one of the most interesting, just to load even more flattery onto this response).

Do you really think it's a big deal that someone posted those pics? I get that it's a crass thing to do, and I get that people aren't supposed to be taking pictures or recording any performances at all, anyway. But does this really take advantage of the actor or abuse him in any way? I mean, he's choosing to appear naked to whomever plucks down the money for a ticket. There have been stories going back to the days of Hair and Equus about tons of attendees through each show's run pulling out their flash cameras and snapping pics the moment an actor was nude. I can't imagine any of the actors cast in Take Me Out think something similar isn't happening at their performances, or that it particularly offends them. I wouldn't think they would agree to do nudity in a show if they have a problem with people seeing them naked--and I'm sure they get that there are audience members who just want to see nudity and don't connect it with "art" or "theatre." Pretty much every porn site has a cache of photos of "normal" actors from some nude scene or sex scene they did on film. It isn't particularly surprising that with advances in technology, you're going to get pics circulating of actors on stage in the buff, too. Doesn't it just kinda go with the territory?

Updated On: 6/1/22 at 01:24 PM

@joevitus,

Respectfully, everything in your post deflects from the actual moral issue at hand.

Predictability doesn’t make it ok, precedent doesn’t make it ok, and the assumption that “they’re ok with being seen naked” doesn’t make it ok.

As with all cases of bodily consent, people set boundaries based on circumstances. Consenting to appear nude in a room full of people is a different boundary from consenting to be seen nude by the whole world. And once a person sets their boundary, it is (or should be) the responsibility of all other parties to respect that boundary – not the responsibility of the person to enforce their own boundary.

We also don’t know how the actors feel about it. It’s not our place to assume they’re ok with it, and in fact the use of Yondr pouches seems to indicate that they aren’t. But even if they were, it likewise isn’t our place to apply that indifference to the behavior overall. If a stranger villated my consent by grabbing my ass, I probably wouldn’t be too broken up about it – but many people understandably would be. And it wouldn’t be right for people to say “well, HE was ok with his ass being grabbed, therefore ass-grabbing isn’t a big deal.”

Lot666 said: "@z5 said: "in general [2nd Stage is] the worst theater to ask for accommodations. Trilling to get a ticket switched bc of injury was impossible and the guy at the box office had a huge stick up his ass."

Not in my experience. Out of seven shows purchased, Take Me Out was literally the only one that quickly issued a refund due to COVID infection, with absolutely no resistance."

Same. I got an exchange because my companion got COVID and also the first time I saw it, they were able to accommodate a seat change due to my height being an issue in the orchestra seats. (Granted, this was in previews when the house wasn’t exactly full)

Play Esq. said: "I booked my tickets for next week after the Tony nominations came out and prices have blown up since! Trying to get a friend into the show but she doesn’t want to pay those exorbitant prices. Anyone know what the daily rush line is like/how early to arrive?"

I don't believe there is an in-person rush, only the mobile rush on TodayTix. It opens at 9am. I haven't tried it since the early days, but I would assume it's a harder ticket to get now.

It's also regularly been on TKTS if she wants to try that. It's still really expensive due to how much they raised the regular price, more than anything else currently on the board, even at 40% off. So greedy.

Updated On: 6/2/22 at 02:43 PM