Namo--you remind me of the speech in the Lanford Wilson play "The Mound Builders" in which one of the characters describes the red fire-alarm boxes that were on every street corners in New York until they became obsolete.
Inside the red box there was glass window, behind which was a phone to central fire command. There was a small knocker to break the glass and a sign that read, in small type: "Break glass; lift receiver; answer operator." And then in big type was the message: You MUST answer to get help."
I see an announcement being made that Julie Taymor will no longer be with the show so they are going to close and reboot it and that will be the last time we will ever hear of this show.
Bwayphreak, the metaphor makes no sense because it's a phoenix itself that becomes "burnt char". It's not like there's some third thing that either turns into a phoenix or turns into ashes. It makes no sense to say a show hasn't turned into a phoenix or into char; they're not even separate things. What's she saying, she wants her show to be like a creature that bursts into flame and then turns to ash once a month? It's at least as nonsensical as some of the stuff Charlie Sheen says.
"I think Disney's tighter reins have a lot to do with that."
This never would have happened if Disney was behind this show. Not saying the show would have been a smash hit, but I don't think the preview period would have lasted this long. I know 2 people who have worked for them and they said that they are pretty strict with their shows and actors.
"It was a dark and stormy production" Ken Mandelbaum furiously typing his latest book Not Since Spiderman.
If anyone ever tells you that you put too much Parmesan cheese on your pasta, stop talking to them. You don't need that kind of negativity in your life.
Come on. This is a hard call, and always is when outside help is sought by producers.
THAT SAID, why didn't the producer sit her down with this talk 3 months ago? Think what you want of Taymor's ego - and it has nothing to do with that bipolar, crack-smoking wife-beating celebrity in the news - at the end of the day, this production was a product of weak producing.
As for the producers sitting her down and talking to her, do they have a lot of experience producing musicals? it seems from reading about them they don't. I could be wrong though. Please correct me if I am.