"Why Hamilton Was Ariana DeBose’s Last Time in the Ensemble" Playbill Article

[beltingbaritone]

Posted: 1/6/17 at 3:47pm

Have been seeing his article shared a lot on Facebook just now. Half of what I've been reading is praising her for taking control of her career, while the other half is chastising her for a lack of humility. Thought I'd see what the BWW-ers stand!

http://www.playbill.com/article/why-hamilton-was-ariana-deboses-last-time-in-the-ensemble

[oncemorewithfeeling2]

Posted: 1/6/17 at 4:02pm

I took it to be about her taking control and wanting to make changes. She's a very talented performer who has shown, at least to me, growth when she's on stage. She's been one of the few contestants from So You Think You Can Dance that has attempted broadway and is viewed as more then just a dancer. When casting was announced for Hamilton and she wasn't a cover for any of the female leads, I was surprised. Now, I see that it was a deliberate choice.

I can see how people might say the article was tacky and shows that she's far from being humble, but I think it's more about her taking charge and wanting more then her lacking humility.

[neonlightsxo]

Posted: 1/6/17 at 4:05pm

I applaud her for taking control and for her ambition. Often as women, we're taught to be quiet and humble and not stand up for ourselves. I understand the criticism-- this part made me cringe a little

I was—forgive the phrase—young, scrappy and hungry, but every time I was met with a challenge, I would like to think that I rose to it. And, I think that’s why I consistently worked, to be perfectly honest.”

Lots of people that are talented and rise to the challenge don't work consistently, so I think that was a little arrogant, that comment. But overall I don't see a problem.

[beltingbaritone]

Posted: 1/6/17 at 4:16pm

Tony Yazbeck said something similar in his TheaterPeople episode about how casting directors had come to only think of him as an ensemblist, and he had to have a deliberate conversation with his management about turning down all ensemble work if he wanted to be considered for leading men parts. It makes sense, but it sure is unfortunate that it has to be one or the other.

Updated On: 1/6/17 at 04:16 PM

[neonlightsxo]

Posted: 1/6/17 at 4:18pm

That does seem to be the way of the business.

[BrodyFosse123]

Posted: 1/6/17 at 4:58pm

Or in the case of headliner Cassie Ferguson, you sometimes need to take an ensemble track if you're not booking any lead roles and you have bills to pay.  

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 1/6/17 at 5:04pm

Well, Cassie never even came close and nobody had the guts to tell her. It would be nice to be a star, but she's not. She's a dancer.

[gypsy101]

Posted: 1/6/17 at 6:07pm

all she ever needed was the music and the mirror and the chance to dance for you.

[trpguyy]

Posted: 1/6/17 at 6:17pm

It doesn't read well to me. Perhaps I'd be more understanding of a seasoned performer in her/his 30s who's been typed into the ensemble for a decade. But 25 seems a bit young to be too good to appear in the ensemble on Broadway, which is widely regarded as the pinnacle for musical theatre performers.

[TFMH18]

Posted: 1/6/17 at 6:24pm

Remember when we were supposed to, for some reason, sympathize with Karen Cartwright for only booking a role in the ensemble of a Broadway-bound musical and not the lead? Yeah, that. The entire treatment of and stigma around being trapped in the ensemble is harmful to everyone in this business. 

 

[ebontoyan]

Posted: 1/6/17 at 6:48pm

Good for her for taking control of her career!

[somechrysanthemumtea]

Posted: 1/6/17 at 7:40pm

Sorry, but I think it's ludicrous that people are really trying to criticize her for the article. Her career was doing great - but if she's wanted to do leading lady roles, and she decided to take a particular road in order to get there - what on earth is wrong with that?

I don't think she ever directly criticized being in the ensemble, she just said that it wasn't what she wanted her end goal to be. 

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 1/6/17 at 7:44pm

Just being honest - this article is the first time I've heard her name. Theater (Broadway, especially)  is a hard enough sell without a "name", so for someone like her to say she won't do ensemble or supporting work anymore is ridiculous. When Oscar winners can't even keep a show open sometimes, who is she to say she's too good to play anything other than the lead? 

[Hairspray0901]

Posted: 1/6/17 at 8:03pm

I don't have any feelings towards the article but let's not forget TONY WINNER ALICE RIPLEY was just featured in the ensemble of American Psycho last spring. I don't think there's anything wrong with being in the ensemble, if anything, they usually have the toughest jobs.

[sephyr]

Posted: 1/6/17 at 8:08pm

I don't think there is anything wrong with being persistent in what you want for your career. All the greats in the past had to make that decision for themselves. And no there's nothing wrong with being in the ensemble, plenty of actors would love to do so, but there's also nothing wrong with wanting to play lead roles consistently and build up a brand and name for yourself. Ariana is one of the nicest people I've met since I've been in New York and she deserves to do what she wants to. 

[HeleneIsASlut]

Posted: 1/6/17 at 8:09pm

Did she every say specifically that she wanted to be the lead? She said she didn't want to play ensemble roles and wanted to go onto principle roles. She's totally capabale of playing the lead (Leading Player in Pippin, Diana Ross in Motown), but she seems creatively satisfied in Bronx Tale (where she isn't the lead). Which I think is all she wants and the ensemble wasn't creatively satisfying to her.

[bjh2114]

Posted: 1/6/17 at 8:13pm

HeleneIsASlut said: "Did she every say specifically that she wanted to be the lead? She said she didn't want to play ensemble roles and wanted to go onto principle roles. She's totally capabale of playing the lead (Leading Player in Pippin, Diana Ross in Motown), but she seems creatively satisfied in Bronx Tale (where she isn't the lead). Which I think is all she wants and the ensemble wasn't creatively satisfying to her."

Well... if you read it... "But, the young actor wanted a leading role all to herself. “I don’t like being a part-time leading lady,” she says. “That, to me, was not enough.""

And obviously she isn't the lead in A Bronx Tale because she isn't a man.  But she is certainly the FEMALE lead, if you can call it that.  She has the biggest female role in the show.

[troynow]

Posted: 1/6/17 at 8:20pm

I think there is nothing wrong with a person having dreams and reaching goals. What the article is lacking is the real star quality. Humility. Being humble. There is no need to infer/imply gesture or nod to anyone who has not seen your potential in a negative light. The article lacks maturity because its not completely true.

Ariana was not kind backstage at Motown when she was denied the lead role that she was too young for. Not being cast as Diana was heartbreaking but no reason to show that onstage and have to be spoken to by managment.

Calling out mid show multiple times of your new hit Hamilton. Causing mass show disruption is  not "star quality" or maturity. 

You never here of Betsy Wolfe making these types of statements or Chita Rivera, Mandy Gonzalez. Being humble and consistently showing up doing "the work" on and off stage is what matters. Kindness. 
 

Ari could take a lesson in this. 

[beltingbaritone]

Posted: 1/6/17 at 8:35pm

My friend reminded me on Facebook that in Patti LuPone's memoir, she said her management hated that she took a regional job at the Guthrie right after Evita. She told them if she just sat around in her apartment waiting for the next Eva Peron, she'd still be sitting there. Not that that'd indicative of DeBose's circumstances, but just food for thought.

[LaneBryant]

Posted: 1/7/17 at 1:47am

I'm rolling my eyes really hard at this. I mean, good for her..... But good actors are storytellers. They strive to do good work and tell good stories. They want to be great craftsmen and artists of the highest type. Sometimes the supporting role is stronger and meatier and better than the "Leading Lady". Just say you want to do excellent work. Strive for excellence and let your actions speak for themselves..... the rest is unnecessary. 

[Just_John]

Posted: 1/7/17 at 3:29am

Anyone hating on her for this has no understanding of the business. She saw her worth as an actress, pursued and succeeded. She should be given nothing but major kudos for making it big on Broadway and she's only 25!! There's plenty of actors who make the decision to turn down all ensemble and understudy/stand by roles. Most of them are not so lucky. 

[aaaaaa15]

Posted: 1/7/17 at 6:01am

No issue with this. I agree with neonlightsxo that it takes a lot of unlearning what women have been taught all their lives for us to be able to say 'this is what I want, this is what I'm good enough for and this is what I'm going for.' I remember people ripping Alicia Vikander to shreds for saying in 2014 that she could have three films in contention at the Oscars. Then two of those films did win Oscars including winning an Oscar herself. Confidence gets you much further than being too humble.

Updated On: 1/7/17 at 06:01 AM

[aaaaaa15]

Posted: 1/7/17 at 6:24am

Also I can't believe people are using Patti as an example of humility. The woman that literally run away and hid during Les Mis so that she wouldn't have to play ensemble roles as well as her principal character.

[The Distinctive Baritone]

Posted: 1/7/17 at 6:19pm

She came across as arrogant and ungrateful to me in this article. And she's 25, it's not like she's been pounding the pavement for years and years. Her comments really rubbed me the wrong way.

Updated On: 1/7/17 at 06:19 PM

[Mr. Nowack]

Posted: 1/7/17 at 6:31pm

The Distinctive Baritone said: "She came across as arrogant and ungrateful to me in this article. And she's 25, it's not like she's been pounding the pavement for years and years. Her comments really rubbed me the wrong way."

I admire her ambition but yea DB summed up how it came across to me. I mean it's totally her right to turn down any roles that aren't leading but I feel like that's just not how the industry works.