#1
Posted: 7/7/04 at 10:37pm
Having seen a few postings that imply that all responses to my being on the board are ass-kissing (which in Eddie Varley’s case is completely true), I would like to write down how and why I decided to post on the message boards as “myself”
*note: to gather my thoughts, I re-read some old postings and copy and pasted a few sentences, so there, I give my critic’s something to make fun of right away! *
I lurked the boards for a few years (movies score ones before HAIRSPRAY brought me back to theatre). I enjoyed some people’s perspective and abhorred others, especially those that ripped shows apart from first previews. A show used to be able to mature away from the spotlight, before the ability to post international messages became part of our modern world. How ironic I still find it that folks who claim to be theatre lovers contribute to the struggling of shows. Which, in fact, is giving them more credit than they ‘deserve’, but still, it hurts the process, no doubt about it.
Rumors and gossip can plant a seed in someone's (an employer's) head about people they may be working with...and the anonymity of the Internet allows anyone to say ANYTHING about someone...it's quite unfair and that's why I decided to post here under my own name...put my name where my mouth is, so to speak.
So, I started with an ‘essay’ about what it’s like to realize people might misinterpret my quotes in an article in The New York Times. I embraced BWW as a place that could help me to stop kvetching to everyone I met and just do it once by writing it down and hitting send!
That first time, I ended my piece by speaking about a legendary figure in theatre who had been bad-mouthing Scott & I for both our Tony ‘moment' and our work. I later deleted that section as the realization that what one posts on the Internet stays around forever, a constant speed bump to forgiveness and the healing that time can bring.
The Internet is like one huge game of "Telephone", and as I read misinformation, I saw myself as the BWW Sprint Guy, clearing up the connection! I started to respond to posts by people "in-the-know" when it came to HAIRSPRAY, to combat rumor spreading. I suggested if someone was gonna post all this info, they oughta not be afraid to use their real name in the post. This brought out this lovely PM from Jose’ (ooh, printing from a PM, am I gonna go to jail?)
Here’s what he had to say about my stance…
I wouldn't post this publicly but I have to say... Shaiman, you're an interesting study in human behavior. Someone who has been blessed with much good fortune, whether deserved or undeserved (depending on who's assessing), has the time and the inclination to pick on other people who have not had the same level of blessings as you but who wish to post anonymously. I'm referring to your "Hello, I'm Marc" thread. Does it really matter to you who LocalOneCrew might be? Is he/she a threat to your position or security? You may have a valid point but to publicly call attention to the individual is bad form coming from someone at your pinnacle in the theatre community. Your behavior reminds me of Leona Helmsley screaming at the housekeeping staff. Using one's position to intimidate. It makes you look silly (too much time on your hands) and sad (a huge need for attention). You're one of the privileged few and others would love to have the good fortune that has fallen to you. Some of them may even deserve it more. But, hey, life's not fair. In the meantime be kind today to those who are less fortunate. There but for the grace of God. I'm sure you know that there was a 20 year period when even Oscar Hammerstein couldn't get himself arrested in the musical theatre world. Just a private personal opinion but one that perhaps might be of value to you. Jose'
Well!!! First of all, calling a person by their last name is so high school! And yes, I was using my position to intimidate. To intimidate someone who was using their 'closeness to the action' to print half-truths or out and out false rumors. Because I cared about the people he was writing about! And doncha love how people who have the time to write long diatribes online invariably ALWAYS tell others “someone has too much time on their hands”. (Obviously from this endless post, I do NOT say that to others!) As far as my ego is concerned, HE'S 100% RIGHT! I just don’t think it’s sad, as a matter of fact, if we eliminate everyone who has a huge need for attention, then show business will consist of just my accountant and one usher at a community theatre in Tulsa!
Of course I am totally aware that by posting in here I might be stroked now and then (Phantom2, insert joke here), and it’s lovely!! I’m human! You can know your work is appreciated by being part of a big hit (movie or theatre) but hearing a personal experience from a stranger can be much more fulfilling than a box office report. Can anyone really blame me for that fringe benefit of being a presence here?
And despite certain people’s claims or assumptions, I have NEVER been obnoxiously hit on by anyone trying to use this sudden “connection” to further their career. Not one! And kiddos, I ain’t naïve. I heard from a lot of the younger posters with sweet PM’s that reminded me of myself when I first fell in love with Musical Theatre. I also got quite a few PM’s from folks more in my (suddenly seemingly ancient) age range, with whom I could relate from our shared cultural signposts.
Once I started posting my ‘stories’, I realized how sad it was that I stopped myself from posting on Broadway.Com and All That Chat when HAIRSPRAY was out-of-town in Seattle, to share how glorious it was to see it blossoming, to share what it felt like to be a lover of musical comedy getting to see his most fantastic dreams come true...but I knew it would just be a chance for some to find something negative about my posting at all, i.e. "He’s just trying to grease the pan for it's opening". Also a shame, cause by posting, I would have had a record of moments I hope to remember always.
Luckily, I started to realize that as long as did my best to keep to HAIRSPRAY related things I knew as fact or relate stories from my own career that could help steer others in some way (or simply entertain and get me ready to write a book!), it was silly to let the “Letters To The Editors” types, who will ALWAYS gripe about something, to stop me from enjoying this new forum.
(And I simply cannot help the fact that my stories feature name-dropping of the highest order. Should I edit myself because I've been in show-biz for almost 30 years!? Uh, if you're doing the math, I started in NYC at age 16)
Mostly I wanted to let the young ‘uns know they were allowed to ENJOY theatre!! I was reminded here (at times) of what it was like to be a teenager (cue the corny music), doing shows in community theatre and discovering a new Broadway Cast Album every week. Thirty years later, I still get chills when the house lights go down and, I swear, I cry at every curtain call. I only hope that everyone here revels in that joy, and doesn't get mired in the mud. Real life offers us enough reason to bicker, why use theatre to yell at each other?
That being said, I did enjoy the healthier debates with some, trying to convince them that in theatre, entertaining and challenging are not mutually exclusive!
Ah, and then I discovered THE OFF-TOPIC BOARD! Glory Be! This was a chance to really piss off the bulldogs, a chance to relax now and then and share in the goofier aspects of life, like my insane obsession with my pets. Oh, Woo!!
This has REALLY gotten the goat of some very serious people! Dudes, look away! Unless I invoke your names (as mine has been recently, hence this response) just don't enter those threads! Lord knows I skip the "is such and such hot?" threads and the "does so and so sign on Saturdays?" threads. If the glory that is Woo offends, move on! Yes, I also roll my eyes at LOTS of what is posted on the boards. Things I poked fun of in my FABULOUS video, or the immature bathroom jokes or the ENDLESS lame sexual double entendre, but ya know what? I can click right past them! It takes a village!
Now, many friends and my own better half wonder why I started and continue to post. First of all, IT’S AN ADDICTION! And a far better one than I could be practicing! But mostly, I tell them, I have fallen into a community, full of ridiculous julky lingo, actual funny folk like Eddie Varley (I CAN'T post THOSE PM's!) and fabulous smart allecks like NAMO!! There is room for all!
ok, my hand hurts, but I reserve the right to add to and/or edit this tome at all times!
*note: to gather my thoughts, I re-read some old postings and copy and pasted a few sentences, so there, I give my critic’s something to make fun of right away! *
I lurked the boards for a few years (movies score ones before HAIRSPRAY brought me back to theatre). I enjoyed some people’s perspective and abhorred others, especially those that ripped shows apart from first previews. A show used to be able to mature away from the spotlight, before the ability to post international messages became part of our modern world. How ironic I still find it that folks who claim to be theatre lovers contribute to the struggling of shows. Which, in fact, is giving them more credit than they ‘deserve’, but still, it hurts the process, no doubt about it.
Rumors and gossip can plant a seed in someone's (an employer's) head about people they may be working with...and the anonymity of the Internet allows anyone to say ANYTHING about someone...it's quite unfair and that's why I decided to post here under my own name...put my name where my mouth is, so to speak.
So, I started with an ‘essay’ about what it’s like to realize people might misinterpret my quotes in an article in The New York Times. I embraced BWW as a place that could help me to stop kvetching to everyone I met and just do it once by writing it down and hitting send!
That first time, I ended my piece by speaking about a legendary figure in theatre who had been bad-mouthing Scott & I for both our Tony ‘moment' and our work. I later deleted that section as the realization that what one posts on the Internet stays around forever, a constant speed bump to forgiveness and the healing that time can bring.
The Internet is like one huge game of "Telephone", and as I read misinformation, I saw myself as the BWW Sprint Guy, clearing up the connection! I started to respond to posts by people "in-the-know" when it came to HAIRSPRAY, to combat rumor spreading. I suggested if someone was gonna post all this info, they oughta not be afraid to use their real name in the post. This brought out this lovely PM from Jose’ (ooh, printing from a PM, am I gonna go to jail?)
Here’s what he had to say about my stance…
I wouldn't post this publicly but I have to say... Shaiman, you're an interesting study in human behavior. Someone who has been blessed with much good fortune, whether deserved or undeserved (depending on who's assessing), has the time and the inclination to pick on other people who have not had the same level of blessings as you but who wish to post anonymously. I'm referring to your "Hello, I'm Marc" thread. Does it really matter to you who LocalOneCrew might be? Is he/she a threat to your position or security? You may have a valid point but to publicly call attention to the individual is bad form coming from someone at your pinnacle in the theatre community. Your behavior reminds me of Leona Helmsley screaming at the housekeeping staff. Using one's position to intimidate. It makes you look silly (too much time on your hands) and sad (a huge need for attention). You're one of the privileged few and others would love to have the good fortune that has fallen to you. Some of them may even deserve it more. But, hey, life's not fair. In the meantime be kind today to those who are less fortunate. There but for the grace of God. I'm sure you know that there was a 20 year period when even Oscar Hammerstein couldn't get himself arrested in the musical theatre world. Just a private personal opinion but one that perhaps might be of value to you. Jose'
Well!!! First of all, calling a person by their last name is so high school! And yes, I was using my position to intimidate. To intimidate someone who was using their 'closeness to the action' to print half-truths or out and out false rumors. Because I cared about the people he was writing about! And doncha love how people who have the time to write long diatribes online invariably ALWAYS tell others “someone has too much time on their hands”. (Obviously from this endless post, I do NOT say that to others!) As far as my ego is concerned, HE'S 100% RIGHT! I just don’t think it’s sad, as a matter of fact, if we eliminate everyone who has a huge need for attention, then show business will consist of just my accountant and one usher at a community theatre in Tulsa!
Of course I am totally aware that by posting in here I might be stroked now and then (Phantom2, insert joke here), and it’s lovely!! I’m human! You can know your work is appreciated by being part of a big hit (movie or theatre) but hearing a personal experience from a stranger can be much more fulfilling than a box office report. Can anyone really blame me for that fringe benefit of being a presence here?
And despite certain people’s claims or assumptions, I have NEVER been obnoxiously hit on by anyone trying to use this sudden “connection” to further their career. Not one! And kiddos, I ain’t naïve. I heard from a lot of the younger posters with sweet PM’s that reminded me of myself when I first fell in love with Musical Theatre. I also got quite a few PM’s from folks more in my (suddenly seemingly ancient) age range, with whom I could relate from our shared cultural signposts.
Once I started posting my ‘stories’, I realized how sad it was that I stopped myself from posting on Broadway.Com and All That Chat when HAIRSPRAY was out-of-town in Seattle, to share how glorious it was to see it blossoming, to share what it felt like to be a lover of musical comedy getting to see his most fantastic dreams come true...but I knew it would just be a chance for some to find something negative about my posting at all, i.e. "He’s just trying to grease the pan for it's opening". Also a shame, cause by posting, I would have had a record of moments I hope to remember always.
Luckily, I started to realize that as long as did my best to keep to HAIRSPRAY related things I knew as fact or relate stories from my own career that could help steer others in some way (or simply entertain and get me ready to write a book!), it was silly to let the “Letters To The Editors” types, who will ALWAYS gripe about something, to stop me from enjoying this new forum.
(And I simply cannot help the fact that my stories feature name-dropping of the highest order. Should I edit myself because I've been in show-biz for almost 30 years!? Uh, if you're doing the math, I started in NYC at age 16)
Mostly I wanted to let the young ‘uns know they were allowed to ENJOY theatre!! I was reminded here (at times) of what it was like to be a teenager (cue the corny music), doing shows in community theatre and discovering a new Broadway Cast Album every week. Thirty years later, I still get chills when the house lights go down and, I swear, I cry at every curtain call. I only hope that everyone here revels in that joy, and doesn't get mired in the mud. Real life offers us enough reason to bicker, why use theatre to yell at each other?
That being said, I did enjoy the healthier debates with some, trying to convince them that in theatre, entertaining and challenging are not mutually exclusive!
Ah, and then I discovered THE OFF-TOPIC BOARD! Glory Be! This was a chance to really piss off the bulldogs, a chance to relax now and then and share in the goofier aspects of life, like my insane obsession with my pets. Oh, Woo!!
This has REALLY gotten the goat of some very serious people! Dudes, look away! Unless I invoke your names (as mine has been recently, hence this response) just don't enter those threads! Lord knows I skip the "is such and such hot?" threads and the "does so and so sign on Saturdays?" threads. If the glory that is Woo offends, move on! Yes, I also roll my eyes at LOTS of what is posted on the boards. Things I poked fun of in my FABULOUS video, or the immature bathroom jokes or the ENDLESS lame sexual double entendre, but ya know what? I can click right past them! It takes a village!
Now, many friends and my own better half wonder why I started and continue to post. First of all, IT’S AN ADDICTION! And a far better one than I could be practicing! But mostly, I tell them, I have fallen into a community, full of ridiculous julky lingo, actual funny folk like Eddie Varley (I CAN'T post THOSE PM's!) and fabulous smart allecks like NAMO!! There is room for all!
ok, my hand hurts, but I reserve the right to add to and/or edit this tome at all times!
Updated On: 7/8/04 at 10:37 PM
***broadwaystar2b virtually gives Mr Shaiman a huge hug***
