The Nastiest Person on Broadway pt. 2

What will Melissa Errico do for sex the next few weeks with Patrick going to Australia?

I can only apoogize for my egregious spelling error r1. Although it should be clear enough in context .

I want info on the Matthew Broderick/Nathan Lane friendship. I've heard stories posted here where Lane has been downright nasty to Broderick in public, saying some vile shit to him, yet they have a great professional relationship?%0D %0D Did they have an affair during The Producers?

NO...they did NOT have an affair. %0D %0D Broderick is very cordial to Lane, but after THE ODD COUPLE, he decided to distance from him a bit. He saw and experienced Nathan at his most toxic.

Wonder if it had something to do with how lousy Broderick was in that show?

wasn't there a story about Nathan, matthew and Will Ferrell hanging out in Will's hotel room naked

replying from the previous version of this thread? btw,what happens to the original thread? Does it get deleted?

The relationship between Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick disintegrated completely during the inept revival of "The Odd Couple" a few years ago. They are publicly cordial but there is little love lost there.

It is easy to be best mates when you are riding high in an indisputable hit but Nathan started complaining without discrimination about Broderick early in rehearsals.

He began telling people he didn't know the lines and he wasn't even trying. This appeared to be true, whatever demons Matthew was battling were beginning to have impact on a performance that he was never suited for in the first place.

Anyone who knows Nathan Lane knows he doesn't hide his disdain and the slogging disrespect Nathan Lane has reserved for understudies whom he didn't like started to be directed at Broderick who was clearly having life problems at the time and was not helped in any way by Nathan's cruelty.

Unfortunately Nathan had a point, Matthew didn't really get the part and it seemed as though he had given up but Lane was not really much better and if he had put the considerable energy he spent carping about Broderick to any willing ear into his performance he might have been better.

To the poster in the previous thread commenting about Antony and Cleopatra: I had the misfortune of seeing the 1998 production but sadly missed the Michael Gabon/Helen Mirren pairing which I am sure was quite superior in every respect.

There were many problems with that A&C at the National but firstly the issue lay at the feet of Alan Rickman who truly appeared to have given up and was just wearily moving through the motions, it appeared. Helen Mirren on the other hand, was quite interesting at times and took quite an interesting take on the speeches but for some ungodly reason there was generic music playing under/over too much of her speeches.

The production was kind of tired all around and there was an unfortunate set that you could almost see the actors resenting having to clop about on. And then there was the poor snake.

Alan Rickman by the way truly hated the production [not Helen however] and referred to its director, Sean Mathias as "that Welsh git" and the production as "an abortion"

Someone at the Shubert Organization in the states told me when they were mounting Dance of Death that it was suggested to do an offer for Alan Rickman to play the part David Strathairn played in an effort to have a "British Theatre Royalty" box office troika for the box office.

I don't know if Rickman was ever actually offered the part, perhaps Mathias was no more fond of him, but it obviously didn't happen. Interestingly, James Riordan who covered the part looks quite a bit like a young Alan Rickman. Oh, forgot to mention how fine Sam West was as Octavius in that Antony and Cleopatra.

As well, the snake was very good.

I have been reading James Gavin's Lena Horne bio and you'd be hard pressed to find a nastier or more miserable person that Lena - %0D Any stories from the DL?

Fuck the actors. Who are the nastiest composers?

I'd never heard about Lena being nasty before - ans speaking of nasty, James Gavin takes the cake. He's also not the most truthful author, although he may be in this case. I do remember Lena showing her contempt for the Tony audience by stroking her Tony as she said something about "I will take this praise when it COMES... whenever it COMES..."

Richard Rodgers was notoriously nasty.

R7, you are fabulous. Please make frequent posts.%0D %0D "Someone at the Shubert Organization in the states told me when they were mounting Dance of Death that it was suggested to do an offer for Alan Rickman to play the part David Strathairn played in an effort to have a "British Theatre Royalty" box office troika for the box office."%0D %0D Interesting, though I can't imagine that Rickman would have taken such a subsidiary role...or wanted to put up with McKellan, though it would be interesting to see the bitch fighting between those two.%0D %0D "To the poster in the previous thread commenting about Antony and Cleopatra: I had the misfortune of seeing the 1998 production but sadly missed the Michael Gabon/Helen Mirren pairing which I am sure was quite superior in every respect."%0D %0D That was me, and the Mirren/Gambon production was more than superior - it was sublime. Her Cleopatra in that production was one of the truly great classical performances I've seen. People here who have criticized her as a stage actress (primarily due to that awful production of A MONTH IN THE COUNTRY she did for Roundabout, directed by Scott Ellis) should have seen that to know what she can really do.%0D %0D I really wish I'd seen her and Eve Best in MOURNING BECOMES ELECTRA in London.

Gavin's book was pretty good--but it is clear he was out to knock Lena off her pedestal. Yes, she was difficult, but nothing compared to the psycho cases these threads have covered. And she was not being contemptuous at the Tonys--she was being her usual sardonic, amusing self. The clip is on You Tube. Judge for yourself.

so what did Jamie laverdiere do to get fired? Any rememberances of Mandy Patinkin in the WIld Party?

Was Pearl Bailey considered nasty/difficult?

Mourning Becomes Electra was a highlight for me--had no idea how glorious Eve Best would be, but Mirren lived up to the hype, giving Christine venom and glamour while making you sympathetic to the bitter end.

Well, Truman Capote said Pearl bossed everyone around and made them miserable during "House of Flowers," R15.

Ask Diahann Carroll about Pealie Mae.

Yes, should be PEARLIE--forgive the typo, please.

r 12, I am glad you are enjoying my useless arcane knowledge of backstage nonsense. I never imagined there would be an audience for the kind of rot I know but an audience of one [ as Ralph Richardson used to say] is sufficient for me.

Mentioning the "Month in the Country" thing at the Roundabout reminded me of a funny story regarding Helen Mirren and that production. Helen was very excited about appearing on Broadway, it was just something she always fancied to do but but never had been able to do.

Mind, Helen was not as famous to Americans as she is now at that time but her Prime Suspect series had gained her a dedicated following in the states who were willing to buy tickets to see her. Most Americans only knew her from telly, so there wasn't much hope they were going to be too keen on the play, but it was her they wanted to see.

At the time, Roundabout was using another space, the older space in Times Square the Criterion and because of fire regulations, only persons affiliated with the production were permitted in the backstage area.

Well, when you are a person such as Helen Mirren is, it is considered mandatory that you have a dressing room in which to receive visitors post performance.

Helen on hearing of the policy of no backstage visitors asked that an exception be made in her case. She was advised it would not be possible because it was not something the theatre could authorize. Helen's response was a sympathetic "I see" and and everyone carried on assuming that Helen had accepted that she would not be permitted backstage visitors.

A few days later, some poor sod at the Roundawho got an earful from Helen's agent about how this was unacceptable etc. and that Helen could not abide this circumstance etc.

The theater ended up securing a man from the fire department to come in and create a safety approved fire zone path for Helen's visitors to walk to her dressing room for a post show visit @ some expense to the theatre.

Helen acted as though this had happened courtesy of the gods and seemed quite relieved that her Broadway debut would not be tarnished by lack of appropriate quarters to receive people.

Said dressing room had touches of american southern gothic decor and fire resistant padding.

With regard to Alan Rickman being offered Dance of Death. I may have recollected this wrong and the person who told me has since died but I think the part was offered to Alan Rickman. It really isn't so much a supporting part as it is a three hander. It isn't as much stage time as Alice and the Captain but it is an integral role [kind of a combined nick and honey from albee] and the scenes between Kurt and Alice should ideally be very sexually charged. Something Rickman probably wasn't up for but neither was Strathairn.

I worked at the Shubert Theater in LA and Pearl Bailey came in with the revival of "Hello, Dolly." She was the rudest star that ever played there. She was also a thief as she stuffed anything she could fit in her large purse and hauled it home. The nicest? Not even close. Alexis Smith for "Follies", Angela Lansbury during "Gypsy" and Virginia Capers in "Raisin."

That's hilarious, R21. I was about to bring up Pearl Bailey because I know she had a reputation for being difficult. Thanks for sharing!

I've enjoyed the stories, really. Some of you actually know what you're talking about.

But I never need to hear another word about Helen Mirren and Ian McKellan. Not ever.

Really. For real.

What I'd like to know is how the hell Scott Ellis, who had never directed a play anywhere in NY, got the choice assignment of directing an somewhat obscure Ivan Turgenev play starring Helen Mirren at The Roundabout?%0D %0D I do realize that he'd previously directed Roundabout's She Loves Me (which practically directs itself with the right cast) but still......?

In 1985, on my last night in London, I passed up a chance to see Glenda Jackson in Phaedra because I was in the mood for a comedy. Instead I saw Daisy Pulls One Off. Yeah I know. I left halfway through the first act. Any memories of that production of Phaedra? I'll always regret not going. I also could have seen Lauren Bacall in Sweet Bird of Youth. But I've heard I didn't miss much there.

Jeffrey Richards. Trust me on this one.

[quote]Instead I saw Daisy Pulls One Off.%0D %0D This belongs in the Palm Springs hotel thread.

R27. What possible connection can the twp possibly have?

Re: Daniel Davis and his stint in La Cage...

I knew a bunch of people who worked on that production and they all have noted just how awful he was to everyone, from the crew to the chorus. He was particularly hateful towards his co-star Gary Beach (though you wouldn't know it from watching it down in front) for reasons no one quite understood. I remember reading some interviews with Beach prior to the show's opening and him saying that it had been quite a journey finding the character..so perhaps there had been tension building in rehearsals? That's pure speculation (though the people who worked on the show at the Marquis suspect this might have been the case). Regardless, Davis was by all accounts a truly miserable presence backstage and made no bones about his dislike for Beach.

The story goes that without any warning, after the Sunday matinee performance, Davis returned to his dressing room after the curtain call and was met by half a dozen producers (Nederlanders included) and given his walking papers right then and there. John Hillner temporarily took over and Goulet was announced as his successor within a few days. No real reason was ever given by the Nederlanders for Davis's sudden departure. For the record, the late Goulet was much adored and embraced by the company. Although a little old and prone to stumbling over lines, he was a welcome presence after all the vitriol Davis spewed.

I've only ever heard great things about Gary Beach. I believe he's more or less retired now in Florida?

Wow, R29. Great gossip, thanks.%0D %0D It's so weird to read these things about Daniel Davis. He was always so funny as Niles on "The Nanny."

Goulet was wonderful in the role, too. A real, macho, masculine presence and the night I was there, he sang the score gloriously too.

Pearlie Mae was documented as difficult during ST. LOUIS WOMAN, for God's sake.

I know r30. It's always disappointing when you find out an actor you admire is really an insufferable SOB. I thought his work on The Nanny was first rate. It sounds like the man has his demons...very sad.

Did you bitches not notice what a cunt Daniel was to me?

Weren't Davis and Beach friends before they did La Cage? I think I remember interviews from the time of thie show that said that they knew each other but had never worked together before that production. Hillner was terrible in the role. I saw it with Hillner and Bryan Batt. Batt was terrific and he pulled Hillner through the performance.

there's a tonne of Bebe Neuwirth stories out there....spill!

"What I'd like to know is how the hell Scott Ellis, who had never directed a play anywhere in NY, got the choice assignment of directing an somewhat obscure Ivan Turgenev play starring Helen Mirren at The Roundabout?"%0D %0D God only knows - the production was awful. In Act 2, there was this large wooden plank set at an angle that was supposed to represent a small hill for a picnic scene, typical of the cheapjack sets you get in a Roundabout show.%0D %0D I kept waiting for at least one of the cast to topple over.%0D %0D BTW Mirren (sorry R23) was not good in the lead and I couldn't believe she got a Tony nom.

Speaking of the Roundabout and the Russians, there was this star-studded revival of UNCLE VANYA some years ago, directed by Michael Mayer of all people.%0D %0D Derek Jacobi, Roger Rees, Laura Linney, Brian Murray, Amy Ryan (she was fairly unknown then), and Rita Gam.%0D %0D It was a disaster, but I have to wonder what must have been going on backstage. Everyone in the cast was in a different play onstage.%0D %0D We've already heard Rees is a bitch, but what about Jacobi? I've always heard he's very shy, but wonder if he has a diva side as well.

How nasty was Nathan Lane during the run of that Mamet play he did?

r29 - According to the Playbill link, Daniel Davis was "no longer on speaking terms" with Gary Beach and a number of cast members when he was let go. I could have sworn I heard a rumor of him slapping a chorus member, which precipitated the firing, but I can't find any accounts confirming this. Anyone else hear this?

Yes, Beach is pretty much retired to Florida with his longtime partner. Sweet man.%0D %0D That said, Beach's understudy Bryan Batt was SO much better in the role than Gary was. He found an raw anger there that Beach totally missed. Beach was esentially doing Roger deBris again.

r39, thanks for link. The story about Davis slapping a chorus member sounds very familiar... I can't recall if it was something one my friends told me or something I read online though.

That production on the whole deserved a better fate. Although Beach might have been a little miscast, he only got better throughout the run and was particularly compelling opposite Goulet's Georges. The producers of that revival really didn't know what the hell they were doing with regards to the show's marketing/publicity. They either spent the money in the wrong places or didn't spend any at all. They were all set to do a cast recording but the Nederlanders apparently got cold feet and pulled out (though who can blame them - the cast recording business has been dying a slow death for years) It wasn't a perfect revival, nor Zaks' finest hour, but it was a lavish, very entertaining production and Beach is always a welcome presence on the boards.

r34, I remember reading those interviews as well where Beach talked about he and "Danny" knowing each other for 30 years but never having the chance to work together. This only makes Davis's behaviour and ultimate falling out all the more bizarre and unfortunate.

Here is the link to the PREVIOUS Part 1 Thread. In case the search function is not working. You're welcome.

Ugh, I'd mercifully forgotten Mayer's Uncle Vanya which was truly ghastly and boring. Unforgiveable, really considering the stellae cast.%0D %0D I loved and remember fondly Mike Nichols' 1973 version at Circle in the Square with George C Scott, Julie Christie, Elizabeth Wilson, Cathleen Nesbitt, Lillian Gish and crazy Nicol Williamson, which really found Chekhov's absurd humor in the tragedy.

more bitchy bebe neuwirth stories pls!

Thank God this thread is finally dead!

You said it, BeBe!

"Mike Nichols' 1973 version at Circle in the Square with George C Scott, Julie Christie, Elizabeth Wilson, Cathleen Nesbitt, Lillian Gish and crazy Nicol Williamson"

Now, that's one of those shows that you see the ad for and say to yourself, "I don't care whether it's good or bad, I've got to see this." The only thing I've ever seen with a lineup that even came close to being as psychotronic as this was the Estelle Parsons-directed "Salome" with Al Pacino, Dianne Wiest and Marisa Tomei.

Lanie

Any stories about anyone at MERCHANT? I heard an actor, not Pacino or Rabe, threw a chair at someone backstage.

From what I hear, Patinkin has chilled out over the years. True?

I have always heard about Jen Cody but not known any specific examples of nastiness. Can anyone fill me in? I think her husband is really nice so it would surprise me that he would put up with that.

R50 I read here that David Harbour was behaving badly

Al Pacino (as Shylock) throws a chair in anger on stage.

Michael Esper----one of the gays?

Miss Horne was the sort of person who felt entitled to all the respect in the room. All for her. None for anyone else. She took her considerable bitterness out on everyone. I worked on the RKO Homevideo production of Lady and Her Music and everyone involved seemed to find Lena Horne to be a first class bitch.

When Matthew would pass by Nathan's dressing room, Nathan would holler, "Toonces, look out!" followed by a screeching car sound.

I think Lane and Broderick have remained friends despite The Odd Couple experience. Personally, I didn't think the show was as bad as most critics but coming on the heels of The Producers hype, it could never have come close to that. Broderick and Lane are co-hosting a tribute to Susan Stroman at the end of February, so there has to be some friendship there.%0D %0D As for Broderick, I met him and his wife earlier this evening at Dear as tonight with their son. They were incredibly nice people and their son was adorable. Seems like a very real family to me. If Lane had any problem with him then Lane's a total dick since I've always heard nothing but good things about Broderick from people who have worked with him.

r29 Gary Beach is one of the nicest, classiest people in show business. He lives in Florida now from what I've heard but I'm not sure if he's totally retired.

Speaking of crazy Nicol Williamson, maybe that's the "slapped the chorus boy" story people are remembering.

One night after the final curtain call for "Rex," chorus boy Jim Litten said "That's a wrap" - Williamson turned around immediately in front of the audience and slapped Litten. Litten took him up on charges w Equity.

Of course, then there was his whole story with Evan Handler in I Hate Hamlet.

[quote] Michael Esper----one of the gays?

Over my dead body - Bill Esper.

Seriously - NO.

R58, you left out that Williamson thought Litten had said "That was crap."%0D %0D Kelsey Grammer told a story on Letterman a few nights ago about John Vickery throwing chairs around and walking out after his bad reviews for MACBETH and Grammer replaced him for a few performances. Grammer didn't name Vickery of course, just said it was the actor playing Macbeth. This was the infamous Sarah Caldwell production at Lincoln Center.

Do Nathan & Bebe get along at the Lunt-Fontanne?

Wasn't it Philip Anglim who played the title role in Sarah Caldwell's MacBeth?

Jon Vickery played Malcolm.

And Kelsey should talk - his MacBeth (with Diane Venora) was the WORST piece of shit seen onstage in many a season, before and since. Just awful.

yup r62

John Benjamin Hickey freaked out once backstage at Cabaret during a game of charades. He started yelling explitives and cunt stuff. Jennifer Jason Leigh recreated the scene in The Anniversary Party. (always surprised Hickey agreed to do it)

On that Letterman episode, Kelsey talked about what a failure his Macbeth was too, R62.

John Vickery did not play Macbeth in that production. He played Malcom.

Yes, that was Phillip Anglim as MacBeth and we even covered him in Nastiest Broadway Actors Thread #1. He was quite the emotional diva.%0D %0D How funny that Kelsey would bring that up now. Is he or one of the Cagelles on DL?

John Vickery, who was quite the hot young NY theater actor in late 70s/early 80s, still apppears with frequency at the Stratford Festival in Ontario. I assume he moved back to Canada years ago.%0D %0D Another actor who seemed to be in every new play in NY at that time was Peter Frechette. What became of him? He went off to TV land and disappeared 15 years ago. He was one of the nicest, not one of the nastiest.%0D %0D And Danny Gerroll was yet another of that group though he still pops up occasionally in film and TV. Also a nice guy, married to Patricia Kalember from Sisters. Is she an heiress?

Vickery took over for Jeremy Irons in The Real Thing (and Laila Robins for Glenn Close). I recall Frank Rich said that Vickery was ever better than Irons in the role of Henry, but people didn't know who Vickery was and boxoffice plummeted. I think they brought in Nicol Williamson not long afterwards, but the momentum was gone by that point.%0D %0D Too bad. I get the impression Vickery is a very good actor, though I don't recall having seen him in anything.

Kalember sort of retired after SISTERS left the air to raise her family. She still pops up on SVU as a judge every once in a while.

Danny Gerroll does A LOT of TV work.

Isn't Peter Frechette's partner some director? I bet he does a lot of regional work now.

RIP, T. Scott Cunningham, another sweet boy like Frecehtte.

Caroline Lagerfelt replaced Close then Laila Robbins replaced her when Williamson took over. Irons returned at the end to close the show (with Robbins)

Klembar and Gerroll got divorced.

What did Scott Cunningham die of, r70?

Just saw Patricia Kalember in that awful Ben Affleck/John Welles movie The Company Men as the chilly boss' wife. She's aged considerably but elegantly.%0D %0D LOVED Scott Cunningham! Very sad to lose him so young. First saw him in Nicky Silver's first play PTERYDACTYLS.%0D %0D Anthony Heald, maybe a generation older than the guys we're talking about, was another ubiquitous actor of that time. He moved his family to Oregon to raise his kids and act with the Shakespeare Festival.%0D %0D Bringing the conversation back to NASTY, wasn't Kate Nelligan a difficult presence on the NY stage in the early 80s?%0D %0D Come to think of it....Nicky Silver, anyone??%0D %0D %0D %0D

T. Scott Cunningham's obit:

[quote] Come to think of it....Nicky Silver, anyone??

NO ONE. Hideous, bitter nasty man.

So glad his 15 minutes are up.

thanks for all the stories! I love these types of threads!

So did Danny Geroll permanently piss off MTC when he quit a production to tend to a family crisis?

Is MTC that heartless? I just know some of those mtc'rs are reading this thread.

Go on, dish about Lynn. Nobody will know it's you

Yes, MTC is THAT heartless...,without question! Don't know the Gerroll story, but have my own.%0D %0D Some people scoffed at Michael Bush but from my experience at least, he was the sanity who could get you over Lynne's evil. And I like Barry Grove but he has always been the classic ineffectual passive daddy to Lynne's mean mommy.%0D %0D And Danny Gerroll just posted a photo of Patty Kalember looking very much like his wife on Facebook this morning so I'm hoping they didn't divorce.

r29,%0D %0D Do you know if Goulet was troubled by bad eyesight? He seemed to have a little difficulty navigating the stage and I was worried he'd fall into the orchestra pit.%0D %0D He was still wonderful.

What about Daniel Sullivan? He has consistently directed hit plays for more than 20 years but there is never any gossip about him. He's probably been wise to steer clear of musicals.

Daniel Davis is back in town

Dan Sullivan is a zero drama. Some would say onstage and off. He is solid as the day is long. He knows how to stage a production so that the audience's attention is actually focused where it is supposed to be at any given time during the performance. Not something every Broadway director is capable of. Little short on the passion, but knows the craft

What is your MTC story [slab boys] r79. I am one of the few people who has a favorable impression of Lynn [as a person that is, not as a director] always seems like a very nice lady.

Why the hate? what has she done? and what happened with Danny Gerroll and MTC? He was in everything there for a while.

oops I was wrong about Daniel Gerroll getting divorced...I had him confused with Cotter Smith (who did divorce Mel Harris)

how could there be two threads about the nastiest person on Broadway and MTC, Roundabout and LC are barely mentioned.

Considering the people that work @ these noble institutions are probably the only ones reading/writing on it, its time to spill.

My story is much too sad to be told....

R84, maybe you were thinking of Peter Friedman and Joan Allen...

Ethel Merman was a racist bitch.

Nasty woman.

Wasn't Dan Sullivan married to Kate Mulgrew for a while? I saw a terrific Measure for Measure that he directed with Mulgrew and Kelsey Grammar in LA years ago.

Dan has been married 4 or 5 times but his only "famous" wife was Shelley Plimpton, mother of Martha. They met when he was a SM of the original Hair but only married for some brief years in the 1990s. His current wife is lovely actress Mimi Lieber.%0D %0D Kate Mulgrew is (was?) married to an Ohio businessman/politician (Democrat) who ran for governor (or senator?) unsuccessfully several years ago.%0D %0D All of these people are nice, not nasty.

Agree with 90 that all the aformentioned are nice not nasty.

Lynne Meadow is not nasty, she may not be a great director but the worst story people can come up with about her is the urine sample she had an intern take to her doctor. Big fucking deal.

I think if Lynne were a man, the things people hate her for would be overlooked and never discussed. She would be one of the good guys.

[quote] I think if Lynne were a man

She isn't?

Lynne is not perhaps nasty but she is a lazy director who has been spoiled at MTC. She's never directed anywhere else and doesn't understand the intricacies of a free lance artist's life and career. %0D %0D Does she even see other theater? I've never seen her anywhere but at MTC (and even there, she's present as minimally as necessary).

r 88 - I knew Benay Venuta. I shared an agent with Benay Venuta. You are no Benay Venuta.

Fuck you, Benay,,,,

Kate Mulgrew's first husband was director Robert Egan, the father of her two sons. He's the one who directed her in "Measure for Measure" at the Taper in 1988.

No word on whether he's nasty or nice.

Egan is just boring.

Tell me about it, r97.

I heard Arin Arbus doesn't know how to direct actors and is, generally, a stuck up cunt.

Lynn Ahrens was mean to m...uh, to a friend of mine.

What about David Garrison or Lewis Cleale?

I firmly believe that Roundabout and LTC are both contractually required to hire as many mentally unstable staff as possible. I worked 2-3 times at both locations, and dealt with some truly certifiable people.

Peter Frechette's partner is David Warren, who doesn't suffer fools for a second but is generally good to work with. He's directing "Desperate Housewives" these days. Peter is an absolute sweetheart and scary smart...not acting much these days, sadly.

worked with Daniel Sullivan, he was low key and used his words sparingly. As the previous poster stated, Drama-free.

While I have nothing bad to say, I also don't have much of an impression.

Speaking of MTC, the fat queen who runs the box office at the Friedman is an asshole extraordinaire.

R104 is right but one of the other guys is a sweet teddy bear that is always very nice to me.

Lewis Cleale was an asshole of the first order when he was doing the SUNSET BLVD tour. But now that things haven't worked out quite as he had thought they would - and he's aging rapidly and has been reduced to being a standby - I've heard he's mellowed slightly. He's still not the friendliest guy in town, though.

I sometimes have wondered if the reason Roundabout and LCT (not LTC!) have so many nuts on their permanent staffs is because they generally pay so low and smarter, more ambitious people don't stay there long. %0D %0D The Public, OTOH, while full of poorly paid nuts of their own has a generally younger and sassier bunch of kids working backstage and in the offices. Much cooler atmosphere.

Daryl Roth%0D %0D Nice or nasty?%0D %0D Good producer?

Daryl's crazy, but OK...

Her son Jordan, OTOH.....

More about Jordan Roth, please.

Is Jprdan Roth gay?

yes, r 111.

Isn't Jordan the husband of BD Wong who used to be tbe husband of Edie Falco's manager and Nurse Jackie producer Richie Jackson?%0D %0D Has Edie started rehearsals on House of Blue Leaves? She will be an island of sanity amidst Ben Stiller, Jennifer Jason Leigh and David Cromer.

I have found Daryl Roth to be charming and easy to get along with.

r 113: David Cromer and his bbcc is actually pretty sane.

No, r113 - Jordan is with Richie, not B.D. (And B.D. and Richie are BOTH equally insufferable).

[quote] Isn't Jordan the husband of BD Wong who used to be tbe husband of Edie Falco's manager and Nurse Jackie producer Richie Jackson

No, Jordan is Richie who used to be with BD. Jordan and Richie have Richie & BD's son

Are there any good girl playwrights? The ones being produced now are so awful.

What is Vanessa Redgrave like backstage? I have a feeling she might be lovely to the prop guys and theater ushers but not so easy on her artistic collaborators.

r118%0D %0D %0D no

Wait, R117. BD & Richie's famous child (there was that book) is now with Richie & Jordan?

Even though BD was all about the baby - to the eventual detriment (and destruction) of the relationship?

How odd...

Yes, there are, R118, but they can't get produced because they don't have the anointment or imprimatur of the inner circle that the ones you call "awful" do.

True - I always thought Wendy W. was famous because she was the playwright that gay men let be famous. Her work was on a par with a TV movie. That she has an award named for her is even more of a joke on women writers - and that no one is deemed worthy of that award - is an even bigger joke.

It is the truth and you know it.

Other Broadway celebs I'm curious about:%0D %0D John Lithgow%0D %0D Rosemary Harris%0D %0D Ron Rifkin%0D %0D Carole Shelley%0D %0D Mary Louise Wilson%0D %0D Victor Garber%0D %0D Stephen Daldry%0D %0D Nasty or nice?%0D %0D

I wanna know sex stories about Victor Garber!

The only real asshole on your list is Victor Garber, r124. Ron Rifkin is exceptionally kind, Carole Shelley and Mary Louise are lots of fun. Rosemary Harris is very professional but still fun and pleasant. Lithgow and Daldry I know nothing about, but I've never heard anything bad about Lithgow.

He likes young guys. Likes having a few friends over and having his young guy du jour service he entire crowd, sometimes from under the table.

He's a nasty piece of work.

If you're over 25, he's not interested.

Wendy Wasserstein was not a brilliant playwright, but she was a determined and spunky one who lucked out: between connections to the Phoenix and PBS, which produced "Uncommon Women and Others" and friends from Yale who worked with her. We all know what a crapshoot a career in show biz is.

I've never heard anyone say that she was anything but a very kind, funny, loving woman. I'm glad she enjoyed the success she did.

Litgow and Kelli O'Hara had an affair during SWEET SMELL OF SUCESS.

I thought it was Kelli and Brian D'arcy James who had the affair

It was Lithgow. %0D %0D Brian's cuter, but John's the bigger star.

r 128 I hate spunk.

I heard Mary Louise Wilson drove Ron Rifkin crazy during Cabaret (don't know why) and he was very relieved when Blair Brown replaced her even though she was totally miscast in the role.

Mary Louise Wilson is a very cranky person and does not like meeting people at the stage door or autographing stuff for people. She always ran out the side door during Grey Gardens. She can be a bit peculiar but I wouldn't say she's nasty.

Carole Shelley is a doll but she doesn't suffer fools (or any possible irritant) gladly, which I admire. With Carole, you're either in or you're out.

I love Carole and have for years but I am a little over the "doesn't suffer fools" shtick.

We all suffer the fools who sign the check.

I think Wasserstein is an incredible playwright ... and if the biz wasn't run by people who think boy "geniuses" like Shepard, Mamet, McDonagh and McPherson were the tits, she would have had a lot more of the recognition than she deserved.

Lynne Meadow - nice enough to artists, but staff at MTC hates her. She's never in, making their jobs incredibly hard since there are many decisions that can't be made without her. Michael Bush did all the work when he was there. Took car service back and forth to her apartment, charged manicures, haircuts, etc. to the theatre (as "work-related.") The story about the urine also showed how clueless she was. She was more interested in being a mom to her wayward son than a true leader of an institution. It's a cushy job for her since she's been there forever and pulls a great salary. But to a staffer who makes 40K, she is a loathsome figure who spends twice that salary in car service alone. When you see other people working their butts off but the head of the institution barely doing much, it creates great resentment. The opposite is true at the Public, as someone else pointed out. The senior staffers work even harder than the junior staff so that's probably why the vibe is better there.

So during SWEET SMELL, Kelli was fucking John, Jack Noseworthy was fucking Nick Hytner.

Who was Brian fucking? Marvin Hamlisch? Craig Carnelia?

Brian was accepting blow jobs from all comers.

The Public has also benefitted from the constant change of the guard in the last 20 years from Papp to Akalaitis to Wolfe to Eustis as well as shifts in other high positions. There's a refreshing lack of complacency there that runs rampant at MTC, LCT and the Roundabout.

r127, who's the "he" in your claim?

John Lithgow is possibly the nicest man on earth...%0D %0D Mind you, I've worked with some hell-bound motherfuckers (and, happily, if I mentioned the names, everyone would say "WHO???") so he might be hell on earth for others...%0D %0D Ian Charleson was also sweet beyond words - and sexy, sexy, sexy as hell...%0D %0D

One assumes r127 is referring to Garber.

But he died in 1990

LOVED when Wendy W gave Jac Venza (head of PBS) a K for his birthday! Very clever and beloved lady if not a brilliant playwright.

138, I won't argue with you about Lynne's excesses or lack of focus at times, just take exception to the person who said she is one of the nastiest. Just not so. As for the staff, are they really the hardest working bunch on Broadway? Many seem to have quite a bit of time to post on facebook during the day. This is also true of Roundabout and LCT people as well. At MTC, I think Nancy Picconne is probably the hardest working person on the creative side and a very nice woman to boot.

Yes, I was responding to r125's question about Victor Garber.

I acknowledge that Wendy W. was an admirable person in many ways, but I can't imagine considering her an incredible playwright. But I'll give you that bit about pieces of shit like The Pillowman being elevated as pretty nauseating.

Wendy's generation of colleagues consisted of Chris Durang, Albert (One Hit Wonder) Innaurato, Ted Tally and Richard Greenberg...all products of the Yale School of Drama playwrighting program. It was not an era when young American playwrights were encouraged to write much beyond cabaret farces.

So they weren't great writers or didn't write great plays because they weren't encouraged? That is horseshit, although I do agree about Al. Speaking of nasty people. Well, cranky, negative people. I never saw a man who despised his students more than Al I.

Greenberg is a very viable candidate for most overrated playwright.

How does Theresa Rebeck keep getting produced? Has she ever written anything that any critic ever liked?%0D %0D Adam Rapp is another one who mostly writes crap and yet keeps getting producers to throw money at him.

This thread is the nastiest person in Broadway, not "playwrights who write crap". (and if it were,it would be easier to list the ones who don't write crap.

[quote]He likes young guys. Likes having a few friends over and having his young guy du jour service he entire crowd, sometimes from under the table.%0D %0D Who? Who did this?

VICTOR GARBER! IT WAS VICTOR GARBER WHO HAD THE SERVICE UNDER THE TABLE AND IS A NASTY PIECE OF WORK AND ALL THAT!

[quote]VICTOR GARBER! IT WAS VICTOR GARBER WHO HAD THE SERVICE UNDER THE TABLE AND IS A NASTY PIECE OF WORK AND ALL THAT!%0D %0D But r145 says he died.

I guess there must either be two Victor Garbers or someone's been successfully impersonating him for years. Either way SAG and Equity are going to be pissed.

They used my nastiness in the title of a book, bitches... No Pickle No Performance.

R145 was talking about Ian Charleson...who died in 1990.

And just to save you the trouble of reading more and any further confusion, he said that Ian Charleson was sweet beyond words, not nasty.

To [R147]'s point about MTC staff posting on Facebook: does anyone else get the official MTC Facebook updates? I would love to know what idiot is paid ANY amount of money to do this, regardless of what their intrepid artistic leader makes. The most awkward, inane posts, seemingly written by a third grader. (and yes, I know I can unlike them but I'm also in awe of the sheer stupidity.)

I don't know. I think having your boyfriend blow all your guests is kind of a "hostess with the mostess" moment.%0D

I agree, r163--I think what confused me was this idea that Garber's pass-around boyfriend was somehow a bad thing for anyone involved.

R162, I think the point is they don't pay anyone to do it. It's probably some intern and it shows. I follow the Public's Twitter feed, mostly because they post their Rush availability, and that's actually done well (and so is their Facebook.) It says on their page that their director of marketing tweets for them and it shows. I'm the marketing field and I think one of the biggest mistakes people make with social media is not taking it seriously and assigning the updates to some lower level assistant. The big companies, including the White House, now have entire departments devoted to this. This type of media is fastly becoming the face of most companies, even more than websites - don't assign an intern to do it. Though I guess these non-profit theaters probably don't have enough resources to have a full time competent staff person looking after their social media. Back to nasty talk, though. Anyone heard anything about Julia Levy? I had a friend who worked for her and didn't have a good experience.

r165, Todd Haimes has a history of surrounding himself with disagreeable women, professionally and personally.

Was he married before Tamar? Was he divorced when he remarried? Didn't I hear that someone left their wife for a younger woman recently?

He left his wife and young kid(s?) for Tamar.

Tamar is not at all a disagreeable woman. She's lovely on all counts. One of the best in the business and a sweetheart to boot.

is the link to the first part of this thread working for anyone? I think someone should archive it, it was full of juicy gossip, I guess it vanishes after 30 days. Anyway to save it?

bump please

with so many shows in rehearsal, the nasties must be out in force

No more stories? Am I really going to have to delete this thread from my Thread Watcher just as the spring season is getting into gear?

Victoria Clark. Already pulling stunts with the cast at SISTER ACT rehearsals.

Joel Grey can't keep his hands off the boys and girls at ANYTHING GOES rehearsals.

r172%0D %0D How do you delete threads from your watcher?%0D thanks

You just press the star again, r175.

I don't know where you're getting your info on Victor Garber. For seven or eight years he's been living with a painter who's in his late forties. The painter used to be a model, something that's evident when you first see him: he's almost ridiculously handsome. I know a couple of people who have worked with Garber, one as recently as last week (in Knickerbocker Holiday), and they say he's great: professional, considerate, charming, talented. I also have a friend who lived upstairs from him on the UWS for several years; she says he was a nice, thoughtful neighbor. Why all the hate?

I used to think he was dreamy, and while I don't think so anymore, I prefer not to be disillusioned.

Vanessa Redgrave: Total sweetheart, and although her politics are a bit extreme (way left)very kind to the staff. A bit reserved, but that's the British in her.%0D %0D Lynn Redgrave: God rest her soul! A real doll, funny, warm, and as real as they come. Hilarious sense of humor, and a great actress who was always a bit underrated compared to her sister.%0D %0D Nathan Lane? Heard HORROR stories about things that went on backstage at "Waiting for Godot." Great production, btw--Lane nailed his performance, but was told that the crew hated him with a passion. Joke was that they were "Waiting to Go" and hoping the run would not be extended since Lane was so nasty.

Well with the Lane story, we're almsot back full circle to the first thread with the story about Lane pushing out David Strathairn from GODOT in favor of John Glover. or being enough of a pain that Strathairn decided it wasn't worth bothering with.

r 177: I haven't heard anything bad about Garber either. I also think he's not quite as handsome as he was about a decade ago, but for the oddest reasons...his head seems bigger and rounder and his ears are bigger.

I want to hear stories about the following people:

Hope Davis

Diane Paulus

Mary Louise Wilson

John Glover

Christine Ebersole

Nicky Silver

Phylicia Rashad

[quote] Back to nasty talk, though. Anyone heard anything about Julia Levy? I had a friend who worked for her and didn't have a good experience.

She's an absolute, absolute lunatic. I don't even like to think about the time I spent working with her at Roundabout. I recently found a file of photos from an office event and felt nauseous. I've never met a more difficult and crazy person.

r182: How does Julia's craziness manifest itself? You can't make statements like that without providing an example.

"You can't make statements like that without providing an example."%0D %0D Oh yes we can.

I knew an actress who was in A Chorus Line during Bebe's run as SHIELA - she said Bebe was very distant, didn't talk to anyone, and was rather nasty and unpleasant. During the run, she came down with the flu and called my friend to come over and help her out. My friend did so, but she didn't really understand why, out of all people, she called her, as they never really talked or were close. Kind of sad.

As for Melissa Errico, I went to see her cabaret act a few years back. When she left the stage she walked by us and her B.O. almost knocked me out.

R127, that gossip about Victor Garber is hot!!!%0D %0D I wonder how you know "He likes young guys. Likes having a few friends over and having his young guy du jour service he entire crowd, sometimes from under the table."...do you know one of the escorts?

Actually, I've worked with Julia Levy a lot, and she couldn't have been nicer or more professional. As far as I know, her reputation is impeccable. I agree with 183: explain how she's "a lunatic," or shut up. Yes, this is a gossip board, but it's despicable to malign someone falsely, especially someone who's hardly a celebrity.

Not only "despiccable" but so much more fun when specific examples are cited!

Peter Marks

Ben Brantley!!!!

I worked part-time for Roundabout about 10 or 11 years ago and even though I didn't have a lot of contact with her (I worked after-hours), Julia Levy was always very friendly to me whenever I'd see her. In fact, I thought she was much more likable than Todd Haimes, who appeared to be very shy and not unapproachable (although, strangely enough, after he and Julia had been on TV the night before accepting a Tony Award for whatever show they had running that year, he asked me "How'd I do?" when I ran into him in the hall; I told him he did fine).%0D %0D A few months after leaving the job (I only worked there a few months), I ran into Julia on the street in Midtown and she actually remembered me and spoke to me. So like R187, if she is a psycho bitch like some of you say, I never saw any evidence of it.

s/b Todd Haimes, who appeared to be very shy and not approachable ...

I found Hope Davis to be a ditz but not nasty. The only time I saw her act out was over shoes. Both times I worked with her she ran the poor costume designer ragged finding the perfect pair of shoes for her character. There would be these costume fittings with towers of shoe boxes. I assume this means she also could not be bothered to go shoe shopping with the designer.

Julie, honey, Ben was being kind.

Diane Paulus is one of those hard working but not particularly bright graduates Harvard seems to regularly crank out.

The sad thing is that she seems to know that she is not smart and so will take whatever notes or advice is given to her by people in power.

I remember reading an article in the late 90s in which she implied that she made enough from one-night-a-week performances of Donkey Show at the Pyramid Club to pay her share of expenses in a $1500/month apartment she lived in with her husband. Since then I have looked in interviews with her for the info that does not add up. There were a lot of those statements around Hair. And the recent scandal about the sweetheart deal her hubby got from ART, brought out more.

Worked with Hope Davis and agree with the other poster. She was perfectly nice, rather dull and certainly doesn't belong in this thread. Her husband Jon Patrick Walker is a very sweet and cute actor that somehow has never broken through. They've been together for many years.%0D %0D Also agree about Todd. Really a business major nerd who became a theater geek and put that knowledge into the Roundabout's succcess but without any strong aesthetic. He has mostly surrounded himself with rather mediocre talents. But a sweet, well-meaning guy, never nasty.%0D %0D Mary Louise Wilson is an enormous talent who has become slightly neurotic (like any older lady of the theater) with age but still very much worth it. Is she a dyke? I was never sure.... %0D %0D John Glover - adored by all who work with him, including even Nathan Lane....now that says something! Wonderful presence backstage who makes everyone feel good about what they're doing.%0D %0D Nicky Silver is (unsurprisingly) a highly neurotic nutjob! I remember him bringing bags and bags of junk food to tech rehearsals for everyone to eat so he wouldn't feel alone indulging himself. He insists on being present for every single rehearsal, tech rehearsal, design meeting and costume fitting. He does have good taste, wish he could write a great new play. %0D %0D

[quote]...wish he could write a great new play

Well, that would be his first.

Bump for more nastiest.

bump for cunts on broadway.

Phylicia Rashad would give you the shirt off her back (with the price tag still on it). I have never met a more genuinely caring person. Interesting, however, how much she does not care for Bill Cosby.

Daniel, please elaborate.

I'm not Daniel but I have worked with Phylicia and found her to be perfectly nice and accessible, not nearly as grand as she sometimes comes off in interviews.

I agree with R200 and R202, dames and divas do not come classier or more caring and compassionate than Ms. R.. She is a true class act and a lady of the theatre like few others.

Anymore stories?

With Ben Stiller and Jennifer Jason Leigh on Broadway, there must be some good stories there.

R159, in my experience Renee Taylor is kind and generous.

Two Bebe Neuwirth stories: the first time I met her was at party, and she was rude, standoffish, unfriendly and dismissive after our friend introduced us. The second time I met her, total reversal: she helped me out with an audition and offered advice in a very warm and nurturing way. I was grateful, but didn't forget our first interaction....

is there a theater thread 65

hmmmm, there seems to be a reluctance to starting 65.

great thread. Insiders come back and post more!

R206, I asked Bebe about that, and she said she didn't recognize you the second time because you had changed your hair and, honestly, you were much less offensive, but she's on to you now and will focus on the skin condition rather than the hair if you ever pop up again. She doesn't want to waste her time.

Plus the stench. The stench wasn't nearly as bad the second time.

Speaking of stench, what the FUCK is Patti Lupone eating these days?

Bill Cosby is a nasty, misogynous cunt. And that's an understatement.

[quote]Phylicia Rashad would give you the shirt off her back (with the price tag still on it). I have never met a more genuinely caring person. Interesting, however, how much she does not care for Bill Cosby.%0D %0D I'm really surprised to hear that seeing as she did go back and try to do another sitcom with him, playing his wife.

It was a very unhappy set, r214. The tension between Bill and Phylicia was so bad it nearly killed me.

Oh wait, it did.

Why does Phylicia Rashad wear clothes with the price tag still on them? Is she one of those people who return clothes they've worn? Does she have them cleaned first?

Surprised to see Innaurato's name, thought he was forgotten. Not surprised at the put down. Gemini was the only play by any of those writers that really had a long run and got made into a very bad but mainstream released movie. The Transfiguration of Benno Blimpie by him is a great play, if you don't know it, too bad, and your judgment of him is incomplete. Two other plays struck me as good, Gus and Al and Coming of Age in Soho, very gay, very honest and possibly too personal. He was attacked a lot because he was the only one in that group who came out as gay right away and wrote honestly as a gay man. Some other plays were badly directed -- in fact the two best productions aside from Gemini were directed by him, Passione at PH, hit there (directed badly by Langella on b'way, died) and his Benno Blimpie at PH with the great Peter Evans (died of AIDS).

Never had a class with him but know people who studied with him at Columbia, some hated him, some thought he was the best teacher they ever had. He was said to have a bad temper and to be 'difficult'. People said the same about John Guare. But the people who loved AI are mostly working (likewise Guare) while the people who worked with Durang, McNally just shrug.

Wasserstein was a boulevard talent, not a terrific one but OK, along the lines of McNally, likewise OK but recently terrible. Durang is a small talent, greatly overrated but, in his way, an original voice (like Innaurato, the two collaborated for a while, and Guare who I realized was not named in that group.)

Greenberg's pretentiousness is hard to take but he has a considerable writing talent (but it always strikes me as though he'd be a better novelist). Not much of a teacher either from what I've heard.

x

Innaurato's opera essay posts on the Parterre Box site are brilliant.

[quote]Innaurato's opera essay posts on the Parterre Box site are brilliant.%0D %0D Actually he's a totally deranged cunt on that site. His recent descent into madness--implying parallels between someone with differing taste in singers and a psychiatrist who drove someone to suicide--was in almost breathtaking bad taste. That anyone sees him as something other than a ranty old opera queen says much about the deterioration of opera audiences.

You must be the fool he replied to, 220, similar scum.

Actually, no, r221, but thanks for adding nothing but the further damning evidence that he attracts trolls. Go listen to your Bocelli CDs and shut your ugly hole.

Well this is really off topic and will kill this thread BUT:

Poor obese Innaurato must have attacked you, sad queen. Where is the evidence that I listen to or love Bocelli? It seems to me THAT is YOUR frame of reference, not mine and certainly not Innaurato's. He reads scores, do you? (So do I, in fact). He can write about a vast range of operatic history, rep and style. Can you? I've never seen anyone defend Sessions' Montezuma and La Sonnambula and Mozart's finale in act one of Magic Flute and John Adams as he has. Can you match that? If you dislike Innaurato and his posting manner, fine, but your attack on me is just stupid.

He feuds with people there as he did at Opera Hell and that may be his problem. He gets carried away with anger, ditto. But like all anonymous cowards you are all 'tude and attack and no substance. You also can't read for context.

The moron (is it you?) who posted the definitions of 'narcissistic personality disorder' was venomously attacking a young poster of color who none the less had an INTELLIGENT (not that you would know what that is) objection to that creep's opinions -- exactly the crusty creepazoid opera queen crap you pretend to dislike.

Innaurato perhaps should not have gotten involved and might have spared us the personal story. But it was not a random or reflexive response.

Thread killed. But looks like it was dying anyway. This will interest NO ONE.

One might say BTW, that these stories of 'nasty' actors are nearly always context driven and of little value. Live performance involves enormous stress on the people who do it. That doesn't 'excuse' rude or arrogant behavior or the lack of collegiality but sometimes circumstances drive otherwise OK people to behave that way. Similarly, if someone is the 'star' there is tremendous public pressure on them to somehow 'make' the show work and keep a lot of people employed. If they fear looking stupid, or inept, especially if they are getting poor cooperation (in their minds) from a colleague or the director they may act out.

It's why a lot of actors come to prefer movies or TV. In a movie, it's been a year or more since wrap and even if you get bad reviews you've been paid, usually a lot, and just shrug and go on (and join the huge club of actors who get bad reviews).

But in a play or musical you get attacked while you are performing and have to go on knowing the audience has read at least one and possibly several put downs of you. And when the show closes, you're out of work and didn't make all that much to begin with.

Similarly the few playwrights attacked here for being unpleasant in rehearsal know that everything is at stake for them. If the play is bombed, it's dead; but the actors and director will go on to work right away, while the writer needs to come up with something else someone will do, and that isn't a 'snap', especially hasn't been in the last 20 years.

And also about playwrights, if the plays the 'Not for Profit' Theaters will do and that clown Brantley likes, resemble arch, antic sit-coms and movie melodrammers, well, if someone can write in that style he/she does. Similarly if a 'feminist' play by a woman, or a 'racially sensitive and suffering' play by a person of color is much likelier to get on than something else by the same writer (the theaters' eyes are always on the special grants), then again women and people of color who can, deliver on that expectation, hoping to make careers.

Spoken theater like Opera ranks LOWEST in general audience interest, on ALL the NEA surveys of the past five years so the shrinking opportunities lead to a poverty of output, just as fewer really gifted actors stick with the theater if they can help it.

Officially: Thread Ovah. Dead from disinterest. Like Opera. Like the Theatuh.

Oh, and fuck you.

[quote]This will interest NO ONE.%0D %0D It doesn't even interest me, and I'm the one you're lecturing. confess: you're little Albert, aren't you?%0D %0D Objecting to his cuntiness has nothing to do with whether he reads a score (I do, too, okay? I know it's hard to believe you're not alone in that, but your needing to mention it suggests you think it really EXCEPTIONAL of you, poor thing). It's nice that he has at least one loyal fan (though calling him "poor obese Innaurato" undermines the effect of other praise just a tad; talk about condescending, though I'm sure the point is lost on you).%0D %0D I'm actually not the poster he was excoriating recently--I don't bother to post there much, as people like you and Albert are all the evidence one needs that restricting contact with rabid opera queens is something to be avoided. But congrats on putting together so many sentences, and being assured enough of your absolute erudition in that you can bring to an close a thread that was getting along quite well without you, simply because you HAD to get it all off your flabby chest.%0D %0D "Oh, and fuck you." I had to quote that, as it's so clever (you must kill the connoisseurs in standing room).

R223 - TLDR

Well, if I'm 'little' Albert then how can I have a 'flabby' chest? Cretin much?

And I'm glad you don't show up there much. I stopped posting because there were SO many idiots (though I look in now and then, car wrecks and all). Ms. Innaurato is at least loads of fun, when not having meltdowns (and some of them are funny too). You had to be posting at the time, maybe you've stopped since. And a look at the archives shows the Narcissism Post was LAST WEEK. So you are full of shit.

By the way, judging from his/her own posts and some pix I've seen on line, I doubt anyone has EVER called Madame Alberta "Little".

I think this thread had pretty much collapsed from disinterest in the theater, and there is no interest in opera here and I suspect the three people who have mentioned Ms. Innaurato in the context of his/her opera writing are the ONLY three who have ever heard of him/her, and perhaps not even they have any interest in him/her.

And oh, I hope your loose ass gets hungry and devours your pin head. Is that better?

[225] RCC

(reading challenged cretin. Time was when DL had a lot of smart people but...?) Bye for now, cunts.

You lose, r226. You're not amusing or entertaining at all, and you're blowing your wad in defense of an asshole.

No wonder opera's dead, with deranged fans like you.

Thanks for hijacking and kiling this thread ladies.

BUMP for pre Tony nasties.

I've just been looking through John Lithgow's new autobiography and he claims to have had affairs with several of his leading ladies onstage, including Liv Ullmann. I had no idea he was straight.

Contrary to popular belief there are many stage actors who are straight or at least bi.

How were Matt Stone and Trey Parker received by the Broadway crowd? I am curious, as they seem so irreverent.

Whatever happened to Jeff Marx? Is he content to just live off his AVENUE Q royalties in L.A.?

Nathan is getting an unfair rap with respect to Matthew. M was coked to the gills all during Odd Couple and the filming of The Producers (see it for yourself) and his unprofessionalism was beyond the pale for Nathan.

The folks I know in Mormon like Matt and Trey, but wonder why Matt doesn't come out and what's the deal with his so-called girlfriend.

I heard that Patti Lupone could be difficult.

[quote]The folks I know in Mormon like Matt and Trey, but wonder why Matt doesn't come out and what's the deal with his so-called girlfriend.

Matt? I thought everyone said Trey was gay...

I'm sorry. You're right. I meant Trey.

[quote]Bringing the conversation back to NASTY, wasn't Kate Nelligan a difficult presence on the NY stage in the early 80s?

One of my cousins has worked in NYC theater for ages (behind the scenes) and he swears up and down that Kate Nelligan could more or less be what Cherry Jones (sweet as sugar, she) is now if not for her attitude issues.

Hopefully she is a different gal now. But, my cousin felt sorry for Nick Nolte (of all people) when the film "The Prince of Tides" came out. He figured at the time that Kate Nelligan and Streisand combined might have been enough to drive Nick Notle to drink or whatever's handy.

r 231: Does Lithgow mention his affair with Kelli O'Hara?

[quote]I'm sorry. You're right. I meant Trey.

I have seen pics of him with a black woman and an Asian woman. Are they beards? What guy is he allegedly fucking?

I had an odd encounter with Bebe Neuwirth. Coming around the corner on 54th, I ran into her and knocked her flat on her amazing little ass. A babbled all sorts of apologies as I helped her up. She not only said not a word, she never actually looked at me. It seemed very odd, like she was not fully there.

How long before Ken Davenport becomes a "person of interest" on this thread. He actually has documented on his daily blog all the money he is throwing at GODSPELL Rearranging water pipes to accommodate scenary, video equipment(in an 800 seat house) which will affect the weekely nut with extra stagehands His group of "investors" are gonna drive him crazy when this show falls apart

"Whatever happened to Jeff Marx? Is he content to just live off his AVENUE Q royalties in L.A.?

by: The now much-richer Bobby Lopez"

No, Bobby, he's now living off YOUR Book of Mormon royalties, which he still gets a nice cut of even after you kicked him off the project, remember?

That's sad to hear, R240. Nelligan gave one of my all-time favorite performances in PLENTY back in the '80s.

R242, all I've heard is that he has a girlfriend who goes with him everywhere, but that he sleeps with guys. I'm assuming that means no steady boyfriend.

r 245: Interesting. I remember hearing reports that both Marx & Lopez had been involved with the SOUTH PARKers years ago. Lopez booted Marx, huh?

Of the two of them, I've always preferred Bobby. Jeff always had LOTS of attitude.

Bobby is fat and nice and not much talent.

Jeff is an asshole and even less talent.

I always thought Lopez was a good match with the South Park guys. He brought a basic level of musical theatre craft to the table (which they don't have), and they brought audacity and invention (which Lopez severly lacks). All together they make a decent writer.

Bobby = straight?

Jeff = gay?

Yes, 251.

Jeff = gay leather queen.

r241 ewww When did that happen? Isn't he ancient compared to her?

where is part 1 of this thread?

Frank Langella must have really mellowed because years ago he would have opened and closed this thread.

Langella has mellowed. He's currently too in love with himself to be mean to others.

What's the story with Langella...gay, bi? He's VERY private.

This seems like the appropriate thread to inquire WEHT Nathan Lane?

Nathan Lane will be doing The Iceman Cometh in Chicago next year. It will most likely be on Broadway shortly after.

According to one of the other threads, Audra McDonald is a bitch on wheels.

bump. with all the crappytastic shows, there's must be new nasties!!!

r258 Nathan Lane is working on a tv show for the USA network that co-stars Cheyenne Jackson and Andrea Martin. Not sure what to make of that.

In regards to Nathan and Matthew, they are indeed still good friends. Have heard different stories about the Odd Couple experience but bottom line is that show was a mega money maker and that's all that really matters. Stories of Matthew on coke during that time are bs.

[quote] Stories of Matthew on coke during that time are bs.

What was his problem then?

Just reading through the first part of this thread and I am surprised the way Ian McKellen is portrayed here. I mean, he is an out and proud gay man. Shouldn't we have something nice to say about him?

What IS it with British actors anyway they seem so nice and polite in interviews and then you read this stuff here. They certainly seem to be eccentric as well. One of the threads talked about Mark Rylance and mandatory soccer ball tournaments in the theater before every performance of Jerusalem, how did actors equity allow that?

Also anyone know how much someone like Ian McKellen makes when he is on Broadway?

R263,

Matthew either has a learning disability or is just plain stupid... or both.

I have worked with him professionally and know him socially. He is very nice, but very childlike. At least around adults. I really only see him come into his own when he is around his son.

I don't see anyone attacking Ian McKellen in those threads r264.

If Ian McKellen gave acting tips to David Straitharin or thougth his understudy was better, that hardly comes close to some of the antics other of other divas discussed in those threads.

And. There were no mandatory soccer matches in a Broadway theater. Did.Not.Happen. It wouldn't be allowed, whoever told you that is/was high.

@R266,

It wasn't soccer, it was vollyball, and it was a fun way to do a warmup before the play. There was nothing sinister or against Equity rules.

ok I am stupid but how do I find pt.1 of this thread? I tried searching but it doesn't come up.

I think there is a way to search for it on google? But I don't remember the search terms.

Mark Rylance may be eccentric, but I think he is very well liked by people he has worked with.

I was lucky enough to attend the final Broadway performance of Jerusalem last year and Rylance gave a curtain speech where he praised NY actors to the skies. I don't remember the exact words but he talked about the American actors who were understudying the English actors in Jerusalem and he was very complimentary toward them and had each one bow and how much he respected them as actors and people.

It seemed like a very close company and it was a glimpse into that dynamic most audiences don't see.

It was strangly moving because I think he really meant it. He was also covered in stage blood and was bare chested during this speech.

McKellan may be an out and proud gay man, but that hardly makes him a saint. He's know to be VERY narcissistic, like Langella is.

Rylance ran The Globe Theater for some time, so he's well versed on how to be a true leader in a company.

From the SUMMER STOCK MEMORIES thread of 2008 (not all Broadway, sorry):

-Slapped, Punched, Kicked-

When you’re a menial to a celebrity, you’re often abused. This abuse usually comes in the form of bullying or just taking advantage of their celebrity, but sometimes the abuse is physical. I’ve been punched, slapped and kicked by celebs (and their significant others) and lived to tell the tales. In every case, I was truly surprised that it even happened.

On opening night of CHARLEY’S AUNT at the Falmouth Playhouse, I was sent down to Donald O’Connor’s dressing room to inform him that we were holding the curtain a few minutes. Opening night was also critics’ night, and a key critic from a Boston paper hadn’t arrived. I knocked on the door and Mr. O’Connor opened it. He was dressed and ready to go onstage. I briefly introduced myself (we had met already, but I knew that he didn’t remember me) and politely told him what was happening and why. He simply looked me in the eye and then slapped me. Yes, it was an open palm, full throttle slap, and I fell back against the door, more surprised than hurt. I then did something really stupid – I apologized! I reacted as if I had done something wrong. I quickly exited the dressing room, and went back upstairs to report what had happened. After much discussion, the advance stage manager went down to talk him. That was it. Mr. O’Connor went on, and did a brilliant comic turn, to rave reviews. The next day, he summoned me to his dressing room and apologized. He said he wasn’t feeling well and that he overreacted. I didn’t believe him ( I thought he was drunk), but I accepted his apology and then kept out of his way for the rest of the week.

On opening night of the Angela Lansbury GYPSY production on Broadway, I was given the task of guarding the stage door for 15 minutes. Photos of the production had not come out well, and they were using the time before curtain to reshoot the entire cast in costume and makeup on the stage. I was told to let NO ONE IN, no matter who they were, until I was given the okay. The few people who did arrive during this time were fine with the explanation. The one exception was Miss Lansbury’s husband, Peter Shaw. At the door, in front of several people, he confronted me. After I demurely explained the situation to him and repeated my instructions verbatim, he reacted with a full force, closed fist punch to my face. I fell to the ground. He then stepped over me and went in through the stage door. One of the co-producers was there and asked me not to do or say anything, that she would “handle it.” And being the dutiful employee, that’s what I did. And yes, I thought he was drunk as well. The explanation that I got later was that “someone told Mr. Shaw that his wife had been injured, and he was concerned and rushing to her side, and I was just in the wrong place at the wrong time.” This time, though, I had a big bruise on my face.

During rehearsals for a workshop production of a new musical by Galt MacDermot (of HAIR fame), I was confronted by an angry Nell Carter. I can’t remember the cause of the offense exactly, but I think I was sent out to retrieve lunch and brought back the wrong thing. I do remember how she reacted – she kicked me. Once again I was surprised and startled, and once again I said nothing. I hate it when people whose talent I admire disappoint me by childish, inappropriate behavior. I can never watch them again without remembering these moments of reality.

I’m not a litigious person, but I sometimes think, what if…

Can't really imagine Patti LuPone playing volley ball with "the gang" before a performance.

Must be a Brit thing.

r271, I don't mean to blame the victim but someone who has been hit THREE times by different actors may have done something to have it coming.

[quote]...but someone who has been hit THREE times by different actors may have done something...

Yeah, I forgot to duck!

Abuse of "the help" is common among actors. The best of these stories come from personal assistants and press agents.

and wardrobe.

Is David straitherin playing the Phil Bosco part on the heiress?

Not sure about that casting...

I had a friend who worked with aAs As for Audra.From all reports, she as lovely to work with.

I have seen her from time to time around the city and she was often outside HAIR waiting on Will at the stage door. No diva attitude and no one bothered her and if approached she was gracious. I will say she was often on the phone. Never got a diva vibe.

I think she had a breakdown while at Julliard but really is no more crazy than any other actor

Boy just watched "Moon Over Buffalo" and can't believe how cunty Tom Moore comes off. He talks with such derision about Carol Burnett knowing full well the cameras are on him.

Likewise Ken Ludwig who comes across as the most pompous ungrateful twat you can imagine running down Burnett and moaning about how nobody "gets" how funny his POS play is.

The scene where they talk with Anita Williams [producer] about bringing in a joke writer because "jokes" aren't Ludwig's "strength" [and he is writing a comedy] is priceless.

From the girl playing the ingenue bitching about how she doesn't look pretty enough in the pix outside the theater to Tom Moore putting down Burnett behind her back, nobody comes off well.

Except of course Carol Burnett who is revealed to be a total pro, willing to solve problems like how a quick change can happen when the production stage manager seems to have no clue and never a hint of attitude at the ineptness of the writer and director.

Phillip Bosco also comes off well but the production people seem dreadful.

If that is what Broadway people behave like when they KNOW SOMEONE IS FILMING THEM I can only imagine what they are like when no cameras are there to record the nastiness.

BTW, WEHT to Tom Moore?

Ken Ludwig is a lucky asshole who was fortunate enough to write a play that seemed to amuse people for awhile.

r278, I wish I could offer some insight as to why Tom Moore allowed himself to come off as such an unmitigated twat in that documentary but I can't except that he probably thought he was being witty and had NO idea how it would come across.

Btw, I think you meant Elizabeth Williams whose producing partner was [perhaps still is] Anita Waxman. We used to call them Patsy and Eds because their personalities lined up accordingly.

Elizabeth Williams is a very classy looking lady whom I met a couple of times in connection with my job. I saw the Billy Crudup production of "The Elephant Man" years ago that she produced and she was very interested in every detail of what I thought about the production, never mind I am not on the creative end. At first I thought she was being polite but she seemed very genuinly interested.

I think she is a fairly nice lady but I don't think they produce very actively any more.

was Billy Crudup nude in that production of The Elephant Man?

Helen Lawson

I knew Nicky Silver back in the early 80s when he was scooping ice cream on 8th Street, working as a salesboy at some Antique Boutique-type place in the village and treating people badly at the Vortex Theater Company. He was hideous then, so I can only imagine how horrible he is now.

"Is David straitherin playing the Phil Bosco part on the heiress?

Not sure about that casting..."

It's Strathairn. And yes, he is playing the role of the father (did you think he was going to play the suitor???). It's perfectly fine casting. Bosco's interpretation isn't the only way to play Dr. Sloper.

"It's Strathairn. And yes, he is playing the role of the father (did you think he was going to play the suitor???). It's perfectly fine casting. Bosco's interpretation isn't the only way to play Dr. Sloper."

Agreed r284, my point exactly. I am sure David won't mind benefiting from watching his standby's interpretation of the part. In fact, I insist.

SIR Ian McKellen, legend, Icon and all around know it all.

Is it true that the reason Ellen Richard left Roundabout was because she and Levy were screwing the same guy and there was massive drama? My ex told me that.

Langella's book includes only gossip about dead celebrities. Also from what I sampled of it, it wasn't entirely first-hand either. The Coral Browne section was pretty much all second-hand anecdotes. Very disappointing.

Langella's book has a creepy gay subtext -- not because it's gay but because it's so disingenuous. He indulges in all sorts of hinting and winking, but never says he ever slept with a man. No straight man would go on and on the way he does about Paul Newman's beauty. He even says that Newman was physically perfect except for a flat butt; does a straight man notice another guy's flat butt, let alone consider it a flaw? Still, Langella continually mentions his "girl" (or wife) of the moment. In his profile of Anthony Perkins, he says something like this: There's a moment when sex is a possibility between two men that the mood suddenly turns complex. I don't think straight men are aware, except when the circumstances are explicit, that another man is interested in him. Straight men just don't think about gay sex unless it's brought to their attention. Langella is always, always bringing it up -- sometimes in a non sequitur, as in the chapter about playwright William Gibson, when out of the blue Langella asks Gibson if he ever had a homosexual experience. His piece about Raul Julia, as full of lust as a bodice ripper, is a howler -- just two straight guys in love with each other, clawing at each other, cuddling. Is Langella at all aware of the impression he's making?

Bump

Is Walter Bobbie considered a hack? I met him years ago and he always pretends not to know me even though I'm more successful than he is.

Yes, Walter Bobbie is a complete hack. And lucky as the day is long.

Donna Murphy isn't actually particularly nasty, more generally condescending and vitriolic, but news about the Kelli O'Hara revival reminded me of how much Donna and dear Christopher hated each other and created easily the most uncomfortable production I've ever worked in. Donna was having a lot of trouble with her interpretation and stayed in her dressing room all night shouting and banging things around with an acting coach she'd hired and not leaving until early morning at best. Chris kept describing Anna as a "dominatrix" and using BDSM terms to describe to Donna what he wanted. So she was coming in looking like fucking death sleep deprived and he's telling her he needs it "like you're sacrificing the whip" and usually she would go off on him about how she couldn't fucking believe he had the gall to ask her to step down to such petty ideas. During hell week rehearsing the dance number Chris was fond of announcing "Make way for the grand cunt of the ball!"

Then the final dress we came in and this huge vase in Murphy's room was in pieces on the floor and the flowers that were in it looked like they'd been tossed off to the side. A few of us had heard Donna and the director shouting in her dressing room and what we thought was the sound of glass breaking but we assumed the latter came from someplace else in the theater. The director came in with obvious back issues and was far more compliant with Donna. She denies it now but at the time when all the ensemble members were congratulating her on it she stayed completely silent and did an awful job of trying to hide a smile. Her and the director had been pushing each other around earlier the day before, I don't mean to sound dramatic but a lot of us thought it was going to end in outright hitting each other in front of all the kids, I don't have any doubts that the violence escalated to that point.

I've never worked in a production with Donna again but I think I should reiterate that outside of that she was usually kind and at least made an effort to know the stagehand's names and the ensemble at least loved her. But since then I haven't worked with a production that had half as much diva drama.

LOL, r285

bump for the new season nasties.

[quote] No straight man would go on and on the way he does about Paul Newman's beauty Straight men just don't think about gay sex unless it's brought to their attention.

He also went on about how he thought Newman wasn't a good actor too. He was the competition and if you think straight actors don't notice the audition waiting room full of handsome guys or the next pretty boy coming up, you're crazy. He admits in the book that he was in love with Raul Julia as much as anyone could but couldn't consummate it and how devastated hew was when Raul died.

r265 Matthew is very private and shy. He comes into his own with people he trusts and there's not many of those in this business. He's actually quite intelligent and very charming, more than you would think. People who work with him acknowledge that he is a bit strange with the unorthodox way he develops his characters but ask anyone who works at "Nice Work" and they will tell you they've never had more fun doing a show primarily because of Broderick. Whatever person issues he might have been having during the "Odd Couple" years (if any) have obviously been resolved.

Matthew also seems to thrive with trusting, patient female directors like Stroman and Marshall. He doesn't do well with impatient pushy pricks like Mantello, MacAnuff and Tillinger.

Matthew Broderick "develops his characters"!? Oh, it is to LAUGH! I have seen Matthew Broderick many times on stage in NYC. He is ALWAYS doing the exact same cutesy schtick! there is absolutely nothing different about ANY character he plays, what you ALWAYS get is Matthew Broderick!

True, R298, since Brighton Beach Memoirs on Broadway he's played the exact same character every time.

Just FATTER each time he appears....

Shut up you bitches!!!! You try waking up every morning with a horse in your bed and see if that doesn't make you a little odd.

[quote]was Billy Crudup nude in that production of The Elephant Man

no. The Elephant Man wears a diaper.

What do we know about Megan Hilty?

r298 and how is that different from any recognizable star? Nathan Lane is always Nathan Lane, Alec Baldwin, Jack Nicholson, Clint Eastwood. I see the same thing from them in their later years. That's what the audience is used to and accept. Why is it that Broderick is the only one criticized for it?

Because Matthew's usual schtick doesn't work and hasn't worked since he was in his 20s.

It's certainly working at the Imperial Theater...just check the grosses.

Lauren (Betty) Bacall was the nastiest person I've ever worked with. I toured with the 1st National Broadway Tour of "Woman of the Year." Joe Layton directed and choreographed the show and he was incredibly wonderful to me. She wasn't just a little nasty...she was really NASTY and mean. What a horribly unhappy woman. I wish her well but that is the truth and it was hard for me in my early 20's to endure being treated like that. Marilyn Cooper and Harry Guardino were incredibly kind to me. I hung out in Marilyn Coopers dressing room a lot with her dog Linus (smile).

no new nasties since nov. 2???

How's it going with Melissa ME Errico and Judy Kuhn at passion?

bump

omg. I just finished this. Where did it come from? I remember part 1 but not part 2.

The things that make me saddest:

How much reviled Linda Lavin seems to be and oddly that Helen Mirren and Ian McKellen don't like each other. Somehow I imagine them getting together and dishing the dirt.

Adore r7, r20. Assume they are the same person. Come Back!

where the hell are the insiders?

Patti Lupone and Betty Buckley aren't anywhere CLOSE to being the nastiest person on Broadway. Bebe Neuwirth, Lauren Bacall, and jailbird Drabinsky are some of the people I've tangled with (and I have the scars to prove it). It's 2013!! Who's nasty now? any good stories?

The Theatre Gossip Thread 105 got deleted, as predicted. Could someone please start thread 106?

R314 There's just too much pressure to come up with a good intro!

True. But one could always go for the clean and simple intro, just to get things going again.

And WHY can't the webmaster ban the trolls that got the thread deleted in the first place?

[quote]True. But one could always go for the clean and simple intro, just to get things going again.

Because this is Data Lounge, and the first 20 replies will all be complaints about the inadequacy of the attempt.

I was on Youtube today, and saw a half-dozen videos of Glenn Close, Betty Buckley and Lupone on there in their Sunsent Blvd. performances. Lupone really DID stink it up.

How do you feel about them, Oh Holy God of the theatre?

Why did 105 get deleted?

And was 104 deleted also for that matter?

Someone told me that a very, very well known producer has posted on these nastiest person on Broadway threads. Parts 1 and 2.

He claimse a VERY well known producer/director wrote several posts over both threads attempting to conceal his own identity. I don't know the name but my friend's partner who is an entertainment lawyer told me this.

He said it was a name even people out of the business would probably recognize but I couldn't get it out of him. My guess is

r320, your post is fairly incoherent but I can add that 3 prominent people in the NY Theatre were posting on those threads. None of them [to my knowledge] were actors.

Several others, like dressers, box office, production asst. etc. also posted on those threads.

I know they were widely read by people in the ny theater who were hoping not to see their own dirt revealed.

The best gossip from parts one and two was removed but you can read between the lines and put it together.

Reposting it here will only make the thread vanish.

This is a perfectly good theater thread. Can't we just continue here?

Everybody behave!

What's the news on BReakfast at Tiffany's? Haven't heard a peep about it. It's been in rehearsal a couple of weeks but I don't recall seeing an ad or one those montages of photos of the 1st day of rehearsals.

That will be Richard Greenberg's 2 nd play on Broadway this spring. He also has a play in rhearsal at MTC's Broadway space with Jessica Hecht and Judith Light.

R322? there's already a new theatre gossip thread. Try and keep up, hon.

so is this thread dead?

seems like a 'yes'

What's the Lea Michele hot tea story?

she spilled hot tea on Cory Monteith and he died

OMG where is part one of this thread. I thought these were gone for good.

Great dish.

Christopher Durang told my boss about Nastiest Person on Broadway 1 & 2. It was my introduction to Datalounge.

I am all verklempt.

Bump it with a trumpet.

no one on Broadway is nasty

Oh yes. Any star who won't stagedoor, sign, and pose for the idiots at the barricades is a vile subhuman being. No names, please. You know who you are.

Stopping at the stage door to answer questions, pose for pictures and greet fans can take upwards of 2-3 hours depending on how insistent and or how large the crowd is.

In between shows, that could easily mean you don't get to eat.

After the show and on 2 show days it means you could stand there past midnight indulging people who really shouldn't be indulged.

In the 60's and 70's people waited at the stage door but it was expected you have some fucking manners.

Today's "fans" are crazed and demanding and I don't blame anyone who wants to sneak out another exit.

any Richard Jay Alexander gossip?

There never used to be huge mobs at stage doors, mobs that required barricades for barely stars like Sierra Boggess, Darren Criss, Alice Ripley and the Spring Awakening popsies. Only the creme de la creme got barricades. It has all changed, guys, and not for the better. Some of it due to E-Bay, but some of it is kinda inexplicable.

Isn't it because everyone has cell phones now and FB accounts to post to?

R335. Thanks for posting. Yes, I think that's a good reason, but I don't believe it's the only reason why stagedooring has taken on a life of its own.

I once heard Lu Pone say to someone at the stage door "I'm mot impressed with this Eve Harrington shit"

Had to like her after that

Has Dana Ivey retired?

Or is she just waiting for the right role?

R338. From what I've heard Dana is busily looking for a new room to suck the energy out of. With Linda Lavin on the West Coast, things are looking up.

too bad, she's talented

music director Patrick Brady once threatened to punch me in the face. No love lost there! What's he done since The Producers ended?

Wow. I had a similar experience with Patrick Brady years ago on an off-Broadway musical.

Glad to hear it wasn't just me!

Nothing since 12 Aug?

Dead Thread

bump it with a trumpet

Or a tiny bimp.

Another small bump

BUMP

Jump in! There is still room here!

"The Nance" starring Nathan Lane will be shown LIVE tomorrow (Friday) at 9 PM EST on PBS stations.

A reminder "The Nance" will be LIVE on at 9 PM Eastern Time on PBS.

Charlie Williams David Hull Brandon Rubendall

How exactly do you define "nasty" R352? Because they wouldn't sleep with you?

I don't know the other two, but David Hull's a perfectly nice guy.

Brandon Leffler! Worse than Nathan!

It's been months since the last post. Anyone have any new info for this thread?

Well if you count off-Broadway, John Benjamin Hickey at LCT is the nastiest nasty who ever nastied.

From a BI in the theatre gossip thread, it sounds like Leslie Odom might be headed for inclusion in this thread. Very sad.

R357 What is your problem with Odom? The blind is obviously about LMM, yet you keep posting in that thread and now here that it's Odom.

What's the deal with Brent Carver? He won the Tony for "Spider Woman" and then did "Parade" a few years later. Is he difficult to work with?

F. Murray Abraham. You can guess what the "F" stands for...

That must be a joke about Brandon Leffler above. He is one of the cutest and sweetest chorus boys in the business.

Laura Benanti & Michael Arden

Epic thread. Where is part 1. This harkens back to a time when real insiders posted here, unfortunately before my time on Datalounge.,

The Helen Mirren/Ian McKellen gossip is priceless.

Just move along her bub.. nothing to see hear.. DOES NOT CONCERN YOU

Mirren and McKellan were friends when DANCE OF DEATH started. Not so much so by the time it ended. The production itself was pretty bad anyway.

The new leader of the nasty pack is Denise Gough, what an everlovin’ cunt!

Lena Horne was an unremitting cunt. Awful to everyone. As far as the poor treatment she received in Hollywood, she did better than any other black performer. She should have had a chat with Hattie McDaniel and Louise Beavers. Lena was always - and ONLY - about Lena.

Pearl Bailey and David Merrick deserved one another. She said in an interview that she met with Merrick and he pitched "Hello, Dolly!" to her. She agreed to think about it. The next day, she was shopping and saw a most impressive necklace at Cartier. She went back to Merrick's office, asked to see him, and said, "Now, about your offer... just how much do you want me in Dolly?"

This thread is too delicious not to get formally bumped!

It's been 2 years. Just imagine the nastiness that's gone down. Spill, bitches.

FASCINATING TO READ A THEATRE THREAD FROM ONLY A FEW YEARS AGO AND PRACTICALLY NO MENTION OF LMM.

Ooooh, sorry, didn't realize my caps were on. Loved going back and reading all of this. Fun seeing all those backstage types like Julia Levy get dragged through the mud.

If only that Nastiest Person on Broadway pt. 1 was still available. Now that was a doozy!!!

Bump it with a trumpet!

Behold r370, and bow down in the glory of the old datalounge....I present THE NASTIEST PERSON ON BROADWY PART 1

Our Hero!! Thanks, R372.

oh., my. GAWD. HOW DID I MISS THAT THREAD???? Many thanks r372..

Cannot believe Linda Lavin is so reviled? Really?

The whole Ian McKellen/Helen Mirren/ David Straitharn and The Understudy.. reads like the backstory for a Ryan Murphy Amercian Horror Story season. LETS CAST IT!

I knew Lauren Bacall was a diva bitch, but seriously she comes off in PART 1 of NP ON B as a demon.

Strich not even mentioned.. (MAYBE SHE WROTE THE THREAD)

Betty Lynn owns this thread

keep it moving bub, nothing in this thread to read.

LOL 376.

Gentle DL'rs I read the thread r372 posted in real time as it unfolded (as did many in the biz) Reading it again, it saddens me that the level of true insider gossip represented in this thread is all but a memory.

I had completely forgotten the Betty B stuff ( She is very much a different lady today) and the Bacall stuff is giving me all kinds of life .

Anyone read McKellen or Mirren's respective autobiographies? I wonder how they treated each other in their books.

Sorry to disillusion anyone here, but I have several very good experiences with Linda Lavin. Show up as prepared as she is. Be ready to work as hard as she does. Have some talent and skill. She will remember you and thank you for your work.

However, she has been in the business at a reasonably high level for a very long time. She knows how to lay down a boundary and enforce it. She can protect herself - handily -from schnorrers, malcontents, and any variety of user.

Agree about Lavin. Cynthia Erivo owns this thread.

Linda Lavin @r378. Early to Bed and Early to Rise.

Nothing to see here bub, keep it moving.

wow thanks r370. Part 1 is legendary . I searched the DL archives for it a few times and it didn't come up so thanks for posting the link,

This may be naive but I don't understand why actors would be rude to their dressers? Don't they rely on them ?

This thread and part 1 are indeed the best of DL but I'm wondering if there are re-bootable threads that go back as early as 2003-05? That's when I first came here and there was a similar amazing thread about the Nastiest People Backstage on Broadway that I'd love to read again. It got me totally hooked on DL! Lots and lots of insider dish.

Nastiest Actor Lifetime Award goes to John Benjamin Hickey, Bacall will own the Nastiest Actress for eternity. Nastiest press person is Beth Stevens from Broadway.com, real vile piece of work.

How does JB Hickey's nastiness manifest itself? I've heard he can be a fair-weather friend but is there something more?

Hickey seems to align himself with more famous actresses like Laura LInney and Alison Janey and that insolates him a little. He seemed very nice when I met him on a few occasions but I know that anyone can be nice for a few minutes especially if they find it professionally advantageous.

I would be interested in hearing specifics of his misbhavior. Honestly, there are bigger, more difficult people than JBH who take up a producers time. I can't imagine anyone sweating it out to hold on to JBH for a show.

Hickey aligns and aligned himself with the far more famous SJP and Natasha Richardson.

He's like a professional bff.

JBH isn’t nice in the rehearsal room.

Denise Gough from most reports

I saw -- or rather, heard -- Nathan Lane throw a (n Off-Broadway) chair backstage, once. It was one of those folding metal ones.

The audience that night was curiously dead, and he'd just closed the show by telling them, "Let's all go home and forget this night ever happened."

The stage manager started telling him that was completely unprofessional, but then scurried away as he might get something thrown at him, too.

cynthia Erivo's twitter says bump

no nasties on Broadway? Impossible.

JB Hickey cruised me at the gym last year but I’d read these threads and so I knew better than to even acknowledge him.

[quote]Cynthia Erivo's twitter says bump

Oh, is she not nice? What's her story?

I am hoping to get called back for her Harriet Tubman film, and my one scene would be with her!

worked with Bebe years ago and I can honestly say she is the nastiest person I have ever worked with - watched her make several people cry (including myself) with her diva attitude. Buckley was also a piece of work - but she was constantly late and made everyone wait - and never an apology - like they should be so lucky to be working with her.

Wonder what the cast of Cheers thought of Bebe? I can’t imagine they would have put up with her crap.

She was so great in that show though. Maybe she could get away with being a bitch.

[quote]Honestly, there are bigger, more difficult people than JBH

Are we talking dicks here? Because JBH's is pretty damned big.

JBH is in London this autumn in THE INHERITANCE -- worth leaving him a mash note?

Bump

John Benjamin hicks and Jason butler Harner have the same 3 initials. who's got a bigger dick?

bump for nasty and cock

so sad

I worked with Bebe Neuwirth once, and later spent time with her backstage in her dressing room after a performance of The Addams Family. I only have nice things to say. She was lovely and eloquent. And if she can be kind during that shit show, anything's possible. (I hear she became much happier when she remarried.)

Elaine Stritch was very... demanding.

Paula Vogel's a major bitch. Just kidding. One of the most beloved figures in theater, and rightfully so.

Nicky Silver is cray-cray. He can be mean, but he can also be charming. And he does have talent.

What about Sondheim?

Wow.

It just goes to show how confused datalounge is when it comes to bad behavior. It was well known that Bebe's Broadway habits (showing up on time and knowing her lines) conflicted with the cast of Cheers because towards the end they liked to show up late and have a good time.

Do any elder gays remember the last episode and the drunken interview afterwards? It was kind of unpleasant and sad rather than the love fest the network had expected...

I met Bebe years ago at a brunch in London. She was very nice but her reputation was never good. Maybe that's changed but there are horror stories about her attitude over the years.

But those horror stories are so ridiculous. We all know she has a dour expression and an affect free voice. Coming across as a bitch because she isn't a perky Kristin Chenoweth type isn't the same as actually being unprofessional (late and under prepared) boorish (sexually assaulting or harassing others) or having any high maintenance addictions.

She isn't having any of your shit was literally her thing.

[quote]But those horror stories [about Bebe] are so ridiculous. We all know she has a dour expression and an affect free voice. Coming across as a bitch because she isn't a perky Kristin Chenoweth type isn't the same as actually being unprofessional (late and under prepared) boorish (sexually assaulting or harassing others) or having any high maintenance addictions. She isn't having any of your shit was literally her thing.

This is so true. I've worked on and off with Bebe going back to the early 90s. If you are professional and doing your job, she's very sweet and kind, but if you're fucking up (or being unkind to an "underling" - dresser, stagehand, security, etc) then you'd better watch out.

Michael Berresse gets a bad rap, for the exact same reasons. One of the nicest guys to work with, but if you're being an asshole, he's going to do something about it.

is this the right thread for this news?

Erivo did something bad? Why did it feel so good?

Beebe Neuwirth Is ia monster. Her best friend has told me stories about her, and working with her. She is very professional though

Sounds like Bebe needs a new best friend.

r410 is a liar. Bebe is her OWN best friend.

we missed Cynthia Erivo's birthday

I played the cd of Natasha and Pierre in her honor, r413.

bump for cynthia Erivo

What did she do today, R415?

her PBS concert was underwhelming and she seemed pretty self centered, never even acknowledged band or backup singers or the audience

I can't believe there's no one nasty during Tony season. And no new Theatre thread

I don't want to look up how to do links -- but this should get you somewhere in the vicinity of the new thread.

thanks, truly couldn't find it

R420

Yup - if you have blocked the troll who starts the threads they become impossible to find. So besides the search function being iffy there is th troll problem.

who's nastiest in Tony season? Or is everyone best behavior? Who will be nastiest when the closing notices go up

why not here too?

This is a link to another new thread:

JBH is a starfucker, so if he doesn't think you can do anything for him, he turns his attention, literally from you.

who was nasty at the Tonys?

How did nastiest person candidate get SJP and Broderick to let him direct him in there upcoming fiasco?

make that "their" fiasco and the director is the above oft mentioned John Benjamin Hickey

It seems to me Cynthia Erivo's Oscar nod is a good reason to resurrect this thread

Bitch got TWO nominations!!!

Bump!

[quote]R50 I heard an actor, not Pacino or Rabe, threw a chair at someone backstage.

I was involved with an off bway show where Nathan Lane threw a chair backstage.

It was a very quiet house one night and he wasn’t getting the laughs he wanted, and he closed his final monologue with an ad libbed, “Let’s all go home and forget this ever happened.”

The stage manager raced backstage and (heatedly) told Lane this was “completely unprofessional” and Lane started yelling. (I was in the adjoining greenroom.) Then there was the crash of a folding metal chair clattering against the wall with QUITE a bit of force, and more yelling from Lane. The stage manager fled.

It was surreal. Strangely, I don’t remember the rest of the cast and company’s reaction.

R431 - That's an incredible tale. I've heard less than stellar stories of Lane's behavior at Guys and Dolls and The Producers (primarily with how he treated understudies).

^^ I will say Lane was otherwise fun and charming, and gave a terrific performance throughout the entire run. That’s part of what made the experience so shocking.

Well that's certainly good to hear! For the record, I've had friends work with Lane and only had wonderful things to say about him too. So perhaps "mercurial" might be the best word for Nathan.

Oh yes... and the floor in the dressing room was concrete and the walls might even have been painted cinderblock... so the crash was LOUD!

This wasn’t just a muffled thud.

Well, I'm Mr. Zen these days by comparison.