THE GREAT COMET Announces September Broadway Closing; Final Performers for Role of 'Pierre' — Page 8

The good news that is that it's a wonderful show that many people got to see. None of us lost any of our investments or our jobs because of this. It closed off-Broadway in 2014, and it would have more or less died there if it weren't for the continued efforts to bring it to Broadway. It went from being a footnote in the book of Musical Theatre, to a full-fledged member of the musical theatre canon, which will hopefully live on to inspire many artists for years to come.

Was this a crappy situation? Yes. Am I worried about the message this sends about what can and can't be viable in commercial theatre? Absolutely. I won't make the ludicrous request that people stop complaining or focusing on the negatives. But while we do that, let's not lose sight of the positives, and what really matters: the love of the art form.

#TheCometLives #ArtIsn'tEasy

HogansHero said: "so glad some of you think you have this all worked out. enjoy."

So you think the general discourse here can be summed up as...

GeorgeandDot said: "Hogan's probably Rafael Casal."

Nope. You haven't been here long, or you wouldn't say that even as a joke. and I honestly don't recall your presence in other threads. In this one, much of what you say goes far in providing justification for the worst fears some hold about our better selves.

hmph said: "HogansHero said: "GeorgeandDot said: "Hogan's probably Rafael Casal."

Nope. You haven't been here long, or you wouldn't say that even as a joke. and I honestly don't recall your presence in other threads. In this one, much of what you say goes far in providing justification for the worst fears some hold about our better selves.

"

I honestly have no idea what you're trying to say with that last line, but honestly. Do you know anything about the situation? Because it seems like you really don't, but you'll continue to tell others how to react to the show closing. What's the deal?



"

Every post I've seen him make is condescending. He seems to get off on telling other people that they're wrong and how ridiculous everyone is. He also seems to think it's his job to tell people what is and isn't okay to discuss on a discussion board.

I can only agree with the poster who questioned Oak's future. I am sure that anyone who has the opportunity to hire him is going to think about 10 times before saying yes, unless it is for a pre-announced limited engagement or Cynthia Erivo demands that he be in the cast if she is signing on. Yes, I am being sarcastic.

I have to assume a lot of powers-that-be are saying that he used the race card when it was not appropriate and that he is probably not worth taking the chance on hiring a high maintenance prima donna when there are a lot of other talented people trying out for the same role. Admittedly only from my education reading these various chats, those who paint him as a trouble maker built more compelling arguments than those who argue for victim.

The whole thing is sad, especially when TGC is still grossing $300 - 400K more than shows that have not announced closing notices. Mandy might have provided a little more time to sustain good grosses while they looked for some alternative, however unlikely. All the publicity certainly didn't help future sales.

Hogan, you sound delusional. Are we suggesting that we ignore multiple sources telling us that Oak isn't completely innocent in this situation just preserve your optimistic outlook? That sounds delusional to me.

The show did not close because of anyone being "too PC." The show is closing because it is an expensive show to run and a difficult one to sell without a star. The show was already struggling and this backlash (caused by Oak and his friend Casal along with a few others such as Erivo) was the final nail in the coffin. They chased away their last shot at keeping the show open till September where another star would have stepped in. Now no one wants to touch the show and they have no leading man. Technically, yes Twitter did sink the show. After all, it was trending on Twitter.

Overall I'm reminded of some lyrics from the show:

After all, you must understand

That besides your pleasure

There is such a thing as other people, and their happiness and peace

And that you are ruining a whole life

For the sake of amusing yourself!

Updated On: 8/9/17 at 01:21 AM

Margo319 said: "I thought I would find the comments blaming Oak hilarious, because it's just so goddamned ridiculous that ANYONE would blame him for any of this. But, it's not funny, it's actually really disgusting.

This show is NOT closing because of any actor or being politically correct. Musicals DO NOT close because of tweets. The musical is closing because producers were unable to fund it. Shows close because of money, not fu*king social media.

This hurts me deeply. This show broke down so many barriers. It has been presented in so many different locations, it's been a very special thing in New York for many years. It was a true gift and I will treasure the experience always.



"

Disgusting like tacitly endorsing an attack on the show for being racist when race had nothing to do with it? Disgusting like having months to learn a part and coming in unprepared. We'll never know how much the twitter campaign cost the show. It's safe to assume Patinkin would have bought them at least a few more weeks of shows. And if it's true that the controversy scared off any one else from joining, then those tweets did have an impact.

The show probably didn't have much left to it, but it most likely had more than a few weeks and this disastrous finish. The producers have plenty of blame to take as well. Why do you have an issue apportioning Oak any blame? You called other posters racists for insinuating he could be the problem in other threads.

Ok Hogan, so are you Oak's agent or Casal's agent?

Updated On: 8/9/17 at 01:37 AM

schubox, I did suggest to someone that they might want to consider taking down a post that contained an innuendo of sexual harassment that I considered irresponsible based on hearsay, but to me that is far afield from discussing the theatre, and I would hope most decent human beings would agree with me about that.

I'm sorry if you don't like how I sometimes express myself, but as I said I get bored when people want to talk about each other and forget this is about the theatre. I suspect we've said about everything we need to on this subject. I hope to meet you in another thread some day where we might even agree about something. Like what a great loss the theatre had today with Barbara Cook's passing. That's more important to me that Comet's passing.

Friendly reminder that you can block people on this site. Believe me, it makes the experience much more enjoyable and you won't miss any important information or insight. You just have to be ready to scroll quickly in case someone quotes a poster you've blocked.

Updated On: 8/9/17 at 02:55 AM

So I've lost the plot...did we figure out which Mamet play we're talking about Yet?

Ervio should be blacklisted for provoking unwarranted racist drama and I hope the producers grow a set of balls and blitz the media stating the truth and their side of the story.