State department of labor closes Spiderman tonight- Page 3

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 12/22/10 at 8:02pm

There's already a ton of reporters (tv and print) interviewing people out front.

[Katurian2]

Posted: 12/22/10 at 8:07pm

Can't wait to see these on the evening shows tonight. Would love to see a pic of the whole scene. Have a ton of customers been showing up yet? It seems the real rush should come in like 20 minutes though, yeah?

[wonderwaiter]

Posted: 12/22/10 at 8:11pm

Back in '78 I attended a performance of Evita and since it was a Sunday night Patti let me borrow the big white dress - she really appreciated the Apple Brown Betty I baked for her. I wore it into the office the next day and my coworkers got a big kick out of it. The girls in the secretarial pool just laughed and laughed...

[uncageg]

Posted: 12/22/10 at 8:13pm

NY1 said they were going to follow-up their earlier report with patron interviews later this evening.

[KylieS]

Posted: 12/22/10 at 8:27pm

LOL, DMM, did you seriously just try to pull out homophobic crap on a *Broadway message board*? Oh, you wacky little man!

(And, preemptively: I'm gay too, so I also get arbitration rights on what is and is not homophobic, which means the tiebreaker goes to the other guy who called you homophobic and we win! Also, I'm pretty sure I see tufts of troll eyebrows poking out from under your Mickey hat, but I'll be nice and pretend I don't see them.)

[songanddanceman2]

Posted: 12/22/10 at 8:33pm

Wow you know theatre fans are bored when their excited about seeing footage of refunds

[wonderwaiter]

Posted: 12/22/10 at 8:37pm

[PitPro2004]

Posted: 12/22/10 at 9:23pm

So does this mean a show that was clocked at almost 3 and a half hours on first preview will now be 5 and a half hours? Maybe they should have two intermissions now like the Met Opera!! At least they'll sell more booze, better the chance to recoup!!

I KNEW there was a silver lining in here somewhere...

[uncageg]

Posted: 12/22/10 at 9:32pm

Adam Pascal posted on his Facebook page and they have a comment from an investor:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/atlantic/20101222/cm_atlantic/couldthespidermanmusicalsagagetanyworse6302_1

[Katurian2]

Posted: 12/22/10 at 9:38pm

Does anyone know just how much investors are involved at this stage in the process? Are they making some sort of private lobby for the show to close ASAP? Can they have any sort of sway in that? And why would the second act 'be in the courtroom?' Is there really a great deal of fraud going on behind the scenes we haven't even heard about yet?

[Wishing Only Wounds]

Posted: 12/22/10 at 9:44pm

It's a thread like this that reminds me why I love this site.

[uncageg]

Posted: 12/22/10 at 10:03pm

From what appears to be an updated article on the NY Times website:

"Assemblyman Rory I. Lancman, a Democrat of Queens and the chairman of the New York State Assembly’s subcommittee on workplace safety, sent a letter to Mr. Cohl on Wednesday expressing concern about the current state of the production. Mr. Lancman said he would hold a news conference on safety issues and “Spider-Man” on Thursday outside the theater."

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/23/theater/23spider.html?src=twt&twt=nytimes

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 12/22/10 at 10:07pm

If there is 1 more accident, there will be no way to stop the uproar to close it down.

[Katurian2]

Posted: 12/22/10 at 10:11pm

I'm sorry. I'm all for safety and all in the show, but if it comes down to politicians shutting the show down, I think that'll be a very sad day for Broadway and art in general. I really hope the THEATRE community finds a way to rectify this in a responsible manner, and without grandstanding politicians meddling.

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 12/22/10 at 10:17pm

I think the politicians had to step in because the producers were just going ahead. After the accident, they should have voluntarily closed it until all safety questions were answer. They did nothing. Had the state not acted, the show would have gone on & possibly a more serious accident might have happened.

Normally I do not agree with NYS Government but have to this time. Taymor is obsessed with this show & she has blinders on . All she sees is the show and the hell with everything else including the safety of the actors. The acting community has come out against the show and I have never seen anything like this in my life.

[blaxx]

Posted: 12/22/10 at 10:19pm

I really hope the THEATRE community finds a way to rectify this in a responsible manner

There's no way to rectify a performer who might not be able to go onstage ever again, is there?

[Katurian2]

Posted: 12/22/10 at 10:25pm

Of course not, but you hardly ever see this meddling in other arts- specifically film I'm thinking. Just the other day, Uwe Boll sent 6 people to the hospital cause of an explosion on his set. Is the government grandstanding on his set now? No. He's an arse, but he followed protocol, and something went wrong. Like it occasionally does!

Natalie Portman broke ribs on the set of Black Swan, an extra was near killed on the set of Transformers: 3, stuntmen are hurt frequently never to be hired again. People were struck by friggin lightening for Passion of the Christ! But there was maybe one news story on these things, and they was done. The film community suffered and solved it. Not politicians.

Every time you make art, you take a risk. The performers and dancers know that. I'm sorry they aren't being looked out for enough, but it's part of the profession that they put themselves in that position. External forces like politicians should not meddle.

Updated On: 12/22/10 at 10:25 PM

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 12/22/10 at 10:26pm

I got rectified in a theater once.

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 12/22/10 at 10:27pm

Nope

No matter how much he is compensated his life is ruined. No show is worth it. This show was jinxed from the beginning. Even if it makes it to opening night, we all know the critics will be ready the rip it to shreads. Although I feel sorry for the actors & all those who are employed by it, this mess needs to be ended now.

[blaxx]

Posted: 12/22/10 at 10:33pm

Every time you make art, you take a risk. The performers and dancers know that. I'm sorry they aren't being looked out for enough, but it's part of the profession that they put themselves in that position.

Truly? An ARTISTIC risk, yes. But if you're telling me that any performer shouldn't be surprised if a major accident comes their way, as making art involves "risk", that is plain wrong.

Are you telling me ALL performers knowledging put themselves in a position where they are risking their HEALTH and WELL BEING?

No, I don't think that "the performers and dancers know that".

You might want to re-phrase your opinions.

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 12/22/10 at 10:38pm

There are no such things as jinxes, so maybe if we could refrain from magical thinking, things might go better.

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 12/22/10 at 10:40pm

With my magical thinking I sometimes wish people would disappear. Sometimes it works & unfortunately sometimes it doesn't

[Katurian2]

Posted: 12/22/10 at 10:42pm

ALL performers? OK, you're right, no. But performers who are dancers- most specifically those who are dancers in a show that obviously right from the beginning would be one with a great deal of stunts and wiring.

Maybe you don't plan for a major catastrophe like this, but there is always the possibility for a dancer of a broken foot, a damaged leg or other physical damage incurred on or off the job. They know that- same as an athlete (dancers are athletes anyway), and continue on anyway for their own personal convictions.

[blaxx]

Posted: 12/22/10 at 10:55pm

That's the whole point. I don't give two pennies about Spider-Man.

I do feel for the guy who is going to get some money, then never work again. In a few weeks most won't ever remember who he ever was, producers included.

His professional career is over because he trusted he would be safe.
Now, as an isolated accident I would consider this unfortunate. But at this rate, you can tell something is just not right within the production and the show will forever be linked to malfunctions and accidents.

I don't blame the artistic ambition, but my humble opinion is that they just don't have the bodies and resources to make the vision come to life. I have the impression that they budgeted everything but these kind of resources, they didn't know what they were, so they couldn't measure what it would take to make them work safely either.

No, I don't think that an officer or figure of authority putting an end to it or asking for a major re-structure of the operations of the show is a bad idea at all.

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 12/22/10 at 10:59pm

I agree with your 4th paragraph in particular, blaxx.

I can't imagine how high the probability of accidents would get if the show ever gets to the longrunitis stage.