The end of SARA RAMIREZ's career?- Page 3

[Aigoo]

Posted: 8/12/05 at 12:35pm

At first, I thought, "The END of her career on Broadway? That might be a bit too dramatic..."

But then I realized everything BAD gets spread around you in show biz. A Tony Award doesn't do much for your name when you're getting your new job.

[TabooPhan1]

Posted: 8/12/05 at 12:35pm

"Don't hate me, but based on seeing the Tony's and hearing the OBCR, I still have no desire to see this show and I don't think she is really all that. The fake Gospel/R&B thing she does is a bit tired. Just my opinion."

You're totally entitled to your opinion, but I just thought I'd say to give it a chance, because you're not seeing everything on the cast recording or the Tonys. It really was amazing, even if you're not a Python fan. I didn't see Sara (as many people apparently have not), but I wish someone would knock some sense into her, cause she's an amazing talent...

[MojaniD]

Posted: 8/12/05 at 12:37pm

I say fire her and give her Tony award to Kelli O'Hara.

[Yorkie1276]

Posted: 8/12/05 at 12:38pm

Ana Marie Alberghetti won a Tony Award for her performance in Carnival and then missed a ton of performances. It ended her career.

[sports620]

Posted: 8/12/05 at 12:39pm

FYI- while at the stage door for Pillowman last night I couldn't help but look over and see who was signing over at Spamalot. DHP was of course out there (he's so nice) and then I looked around and was shocked to see Ramirez out there as well. I had heard about her frequent absences and had been to the tuesday performance after the Tony Awards that she missed. It's pretty sad that I was actually surprised to see a performer at their own show!

Off topic- Pillowman was great!!

[Sant]

Posted: 8/12/05 at 12:39pm

Tim wasn't in when I saw it either, and at first when I heard the news (= before the show started) I was a bit disappointed, but after King Arthur's first scene I wasn't a slightest bit disappointed, John Bolton who played the role was magnificent!

[Plum]

Posted: 8/12/05 at 12:39pm

I saw the full cast in May, and didn't really realize how lucky I was until afterwards. In any case, Ramirez sounded geniunely hoarse at the Tonys, but to be that sick for the whole run? It seems...doubtful.

Sorry to go off-topic, but is anyone else driven nuts by Riedel's one-sentence "paragraphs"? My God, can't he come up with a little bit more snark and make a column that doesn't read like it was written by an exceptionally lazy 7th grader?

[WonderBoy]

Posted: 8/12/05 at 12:40pm

What ever happened to the Musical Theatre performers that were troupers? Hell, I've gone on stage extremely sick, with hardly any voice at all and vomiting in the wings. Sure, Tuesday night shows suck just like matinees but come on! Gimme a break!

Updated On: 8/12/05 at 12:40 PM

[chinkie azn jai]

Posted: 8/12/05 at 12:40pm

I feel lucky now that I've seen Sara in Spamalot and Laura in Nine. hehe and with all these stage door stories of Sara not going through the stage door, she went through the stage door in chicago, but no one in the crowd stopped her to get an autograph/picture.

[Aigoo]

Posted: 8/12/05 at 12:40pm

There's nothing you can do about her Tony. It's done. There will be other disappoinments and celebrations once again, next year.

And TabooPhan, I do agree with you. I don't know if she understands this or not (I'm sure she does, she's an intelligent woman) but there are TONS of other performers out there that are entirely capable of this role. She's an amazing talent, but with a bad attendance record to her name, it'd be hard working up the trust of her future employers.

[Plum]

Posted: 8/12/05 at 12:44pm

Hey, don't act as if laziness is something that magically appeared in the last twenty years. Stars have had extended absences and phoned in performances for as long as Broadway has existed, and the vast majority of performers today make it on stage every day and work through illness and injury. It's just that the few prominent cases of absenteeism are, well...prominent, which means that it feels like 50 performers named, say, Donna Murphy are constantly missing time.

In other words, I'm not going to believe this is an increasing trend based purely on anecdotal evidence and whining.

[Yorkie1276]

Posted: 8/12/05 at 12:46pm

A question about Miss Murphy: Has she had poor attendance her entire career or was Wonderful Town the first instance in which she just didn't show up repeatedly? She was at the performance I saw and was fabulous.

[Hanna from Hamburg]

Posted: 8/12/05 at 12:48pm

I believe she was also out quite a bit in King and I. However, I know that she had problems (maybe still does) with her back, and the 60 pound dresses she had to lug around in that show killed her back even worse.

[BobbyBubby]

Posted: 8/12/05 at 12:48pm

I did a show once and was deathly sick for half the run. I puked in a bucket offstage when I wasn't on. During dance numbers I would go off stage, puke, and then dance back on as if nothing happened.

Posted: 8/12/05 at 12:48pm

Do actors get paid for missed performances?

[Magdalene]

Posted: 8/12/05 at 12:51pm

To be fair, Sara did sign autographs after the show I was at (and I agree, John Bolton was wonderful!), and Sara was very nice.

[ShuQ]

Posted: 8/12/05 at 12:54pm

Well, yes, she also sent me an autographed headshot, of course she's nice. But what does that have to do with her missing performances? I just think it's a shame because she's stellar. Oh well...that's more time she'll have to take care of our kids.

[Rathnait62]

Posted: 8/12/05 at 12:57pm

"What ever happened to the Musical Theatre performers that were troopers?"

The word is "troupers." Ironically, it originates from the word "troupe" which is a company of performers.

[WonderBoy]

Posted: 8/12/05 at 1:23pm

Thanks babe. I changed it.

trouper
(noun) 1 : a member of a troupe; especially : ACTOR ; 2 : a person who deals with and persists through difficulty or hardship without complaint

[TheatreDiva90016]

Posted: 8/12/05 at 1:33pm

Performers are not paid for missed performances.

Why would someone pay you to be out sick?

[baddadnpa]

Posted: 8/12/05 at 1:36pm

It happens everyday in corporate America.

[Aigoo]

Posted: 8/12/05 at 1:38pm

Which Broadway happens to be getting DANGEROUSLY close to becoming.

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 8/12/05 at 1:38pm

Just saw this over at ATC:

"According to the new production contract (you can read it on the Equity website), you are not compensated for sick days. However, you accrue 1 sick day after 4 consecutive weeks of work, not to exceed 4 sick days per year. There are more details in the contract if you want to go the site.

BTW - it also mentions that if you make more than $3,500 a week you are not eligible for sick days."

[Michael Bennett]

Posted: 8/12/05 at 2:05pm

I think that makes sense. Understudys are paid more when they perform, so why should the Producers suffer by paying frequently absent performers?

[Cabchic]

Posted: 8/12/05 at 2:14pm

Everyone is replying to this as though it were 100% true which we do not know for sure that it is. I hope that she was indeed sick and not just taking advantage. I have seen both Sara and Jenny Hill(understudy) perform and you cannot even compare the two. I can say that I went to a show and when I saw she was out again, I sold my ticket so there are people who would be upset at not seeing her. I think more than the other cast members she makes the most difference in the show when she is out. I did meet her several times at the stage door and she was extremely polite to everyone. Granted you can be nice in front of fans and be different behind closed doors. I actually thought Tim had a worse absentee record than Sara. I did hear that she had a planned vacation this week...could not be worse timing for that. Anyway, I hope this gets resolved because she is so talented and it would be a shame for her to ruin her career now that she's finally getting recognized.