The all-female & trans "1776" revival gets a bad review from the NYTimes

Saw it during the Boston preview at American Repertory Theatre. It’s ghastly—a boring white elephant of a musical made doubly excruciating with this weak cast. I’m all for diverse casting but, like, get people who can act and sing.

I'm surprised the NYT had the balls to say it. (Idiom intended.) First, it must have killed them given their slant and second, has the mob unleashed its fury yet?

r1 Are you suggesting that merit is more important than equity of outcome? This is either heresy or heterodoxy; but either way, you've identified yourself as a dangerous person, r1.

I demand to speak to the manager!

THEATRICAL VIOLENCE!!

What does "all-female & trans" mean, please.

r5, it means all the actors are either women or trans in a show where all the characters but two are cis-men.

Omg that is hilarious. Sounds like a parody

Has Diane Paulus done any good shows? Everything I've seen has been sensationalized with a big gimmick, but otherwise it has not been that good, like "The Donkey Show" at the ART and the "Pippin" revival.

The revival of HAIR wasn't bad.

When I saw it at ART there was I think one transwoman and a couple of women who called themselves non-binary in their bios. Otherwise plain old women.

No paywall

This Thirsty Anger trend wears thin and doesn’t sell tickets. Does Hollywood and Broadway think that if they make all entertainment some Black Panthers militant recruiting show we’ll be forced to partake? No thanks, I’ll watch Friends reruns and old Adam Sandler movies first.

MESSAGE!!!

[quote] When I saw it at ART there was I think one transwoman and a couple of women who called themselves non-binary in their bios. Otherwise plain old women.

Wouldn't that fit the definition of "all-female and trans"?

The reviewer better hire security.

I think race was also a factor in the casting, based on the OP photo.

If you do not pay top dollar to see "1776," and do not love it with every fiber of your being, you are racist, transphobic, and misogynist.

This hurts my dried up pussy to its core!

See it OR ELSE!!!

I am curious if this will sink it.

My friends who live in NY always tell me a bad Times review will sink a show unless it somehow appeals to teenage girls (as "Wicked" did).

[quote] Are you suggesting that merit is more important than equity of outcome?

This 'equity of outcome' dogma is contrary to the teachings of Charles Darwin and the laws of nature.

Has DJ got a role in this? I'm sure he's non-binary.

They should have musicalized ‘Vegas in Space’ instead.

[quote]That includes Elizabeth A. Davis, who makes a very visibly pregnant Thomas Jefferson.

MEN CAN GET PREGNANT TOO!

Wow, you idiots couldn't even get a good NYT review? We've gotten tons of great press and didn't have to do anything but be queer.

Since the Roundabout is at least partly subscriber based, this review may not hurt quite so badly, but you'll notice Green is not faulting the concept of the casting. He's blaming the director mostly.

Even so, if non-subscribers are turned off, the show could lose money.

BTW, does anyone know how A STRANGE LOOP is doing boxoffice-wise? Even with the Tony I can't imagine it having a long run.

Gawd, I had to look up "A strange Loop" and am sorry I did. "Usher wonders if and how he should write A Strange Loop to represent what it's like to "travel the world in a fat, Black, queer body" and the pressures of doing so"

what is with the blank blank and blank body shit? Also, what is queer? Is this a gay black dude? Oh excuse me, "Black" dude?

paywall

If they had just done an all female "1776" and left out all that foolish and toxic "trans" and "non-binary" crap, it might have had a chance. I did hear a few of the performances were amateurish and just not Broadway caliber.

Who did you hear that from, r29? JK Rowling? Greg Abbot? Move along, toots.

Oh right, cause JK hates trans. Maybe he heard it from the fucking review we are talking about right now. No one must ever do anything but praise anything that has "trans" in it. Got it.

We have gay rights only because of the trans, don’t forget.

We must make sure ALL TRANS KIDS get disfiguring "affirmative" surgery, or Broadway till close down again!

Sara Sporkalob (she/they) has a lot to say about this version of 1776, and some people are upset about it!

*Porkalob (oops)

Let me get this straight…

Great nations built from the bones of the dead With mud and straw, blood and sweat You know your worth when your enemies Praise your architecture of aggression Born from the dark In the black cloak of the night To envelop its prey below Deliver to the light To eliminate your enemy Hit them in their sleep And when all is won and lost The spoils of war are yours to keep

I will post the entirety of the Vulture interview above--this Sara Porkalob is a real piece of work.

__________

The current Broadway revival of 1776 is a ticking time bomb. Edward Rutledge, the pro-slavery South Carolina representative and the youngest signatory of the Declaration of Independence, spends much of the musical smiling — steady in his anti-revolutionary politics but ready to uncover a deep well of greed, anger, and racism when needed to shape America into the country he wants it to be. Then, 20 minutes before the show ends, the bomb explodes with Rutledge’s “Molasses to Rum.” “Molasses to Rum,” a song decrying a potential anti-slavery clause in the Declaration of Independence, calls out the hypocrisy of John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, Ben Franklin, and the rest of the North, who advocated for the anti-slavery clause while drinking rum made via slave labor, profiting off of slave ships, and raping enslaved women, who end up having children also put on the block. By the time the song is over the audience is left with two things: a distaste for America’s Founding Fathers and the knowledge that they’ve just witnessed a star being born.

The star is Sara Porkalob, previously best known for her Dragon Cycle trilogy of solo-performed musicals exploring her family history. In 1776, Porkalob, who uses she/they pronouns, plays Rutledge, a man. In fact, the entire production — which began its life at the American Repertory Theater in Boston before being produced on Broadway by the Roundabout Theatre Company — has cast women and nonbinary people of various races to play the Founding Fathers. The casting strategy’s goal: to remind the audience of the faces that were not considered during the Declaration of Independence’s writing. Directed by Diane Paulus and Jeffrey L. Page, this blunt mission is occasionally mired by staging decisions that unintentionally recall classic American historicizing, something Porkalob — a multi-hyphenate used to directing, starring in, and writing her own shows — is ready to admit. “To me, the play is a relic,” she says. “I admire Jeffrey and Diane for taking this on as directors. I wouldn’t have.”

NYMAG: Would you describe 1776’s casting as color-blind?

SP: My role came to me very uniquely. Diane saw me in Dragon Lady, loved me, said, “I’m doing this revival. What do you think?” I said I wanted to be Edward Rutledge and she said, “Cool.” So I guess my role was color-blind. The casting was a color-conscious puzzle. I think it was a very deliberate choice from the creative team to cast our John Adams as a Black woman. But nobody sat down on the creative team and said, “We’re gonna look at everybody’s intersectional identity and think how it explicitly interacts with this character who has ten lines.” They said, “We want to have a diverse cast. We definitely want enough Black folks, we want people who are non-Black POC folks, we gotta have some white folks.”

I also think that they cast the best people for the roles.

NYMAG: What do you think is the effect of that casting?

SP: The casting is providing resources. The resources include a weekly salary, but also exposure for actors who traditionally would not be cast in this show. In terms of visibility, it is showing our audiences all of these faces that wouldn’t typically be seen. It’s also inviting our audiences to consider how our country was founded without the consideration of people like our cast in mind. Those are the three things I think it’s doing successfully. After that it gets a little complicated … a lot complicated, I should say. (cont.)

(cont.) NYMAG:What do you mean?

SP:1776 was written in the 1960s by two dudes. It won the Best Musical Tony over Hair. When it was written, during the Vietnam War, there was a generation of people who had bought into the American Dream, and part of the American dream was fighting for democracy. Then there was this generation after them that thought, Maybe we are sending our young men off to die for no reason. So it’s funny to look at 1776 and Hair as two very different musicals written at the same time, but in response to the same thing. 1776 has this desire to humanize the Founding Fathers and feels like a call back to nostalgic Americana. It’s like, Look at these good ole boys. They were just guys doing this stuff. To me, the play is a relic. It is a dusty, old thing.

NYMAG:Your song “Molasses to Rum” doesn’t feel like a relic. It’s critiquing Northern complicity, something we still don’t hear a lot. Does it feel alive?

SP: Act Two has two numbers in it that remind me why we’re doing this play: “Momma Look Sharp” and “Molasses to Rum.” They feel very alive to me, and the directors have said that the reason they’re doing this play is because of “Molasses to Rum.” That song packs not only the political punch that it’s always had, but today rings truer — probably the most true of all the numbers.

NYMAG: Then there is “The Egg,” which presents all these great moments of American history that happened after the events of the show by projecting scenes from them during the song. It did throw me off given that your production seems to be critiquing American exceptionalism. What do you think of that number?

SP: I think the directors missed a very obvious opportunity with that song to point back at American history in the way they said they wanted to. What we see in the projection is a collage of America’s history of protest, but do you know what it was sorely missing? The protests that were happening on Capitol Hill in January. Those people were literally chanting “1776.” It’s a choice. I would have been like, Let’s have this be a rock-out fucking song while we show those images of white supremacists charging Capitol Hill.

NYMAG: How does it feel to be in the back seat of decision making?

SP: It’s horrible. I hate it. I’m privileged that Diane Paulus came to me through the Dragon Cycle. She and Jeffrey had a lot of respect for me as a collaborator, not just as an actor. When it came to contributing in the room, people would stop and listen to me, which is fantastic. But it’s hard because I’m not the director. If I don’t agree with something, I have to say, Oh, not today. What I want to do with my time is make new works with collaborators.

NYMAG: So is 1776 a career move?

SP: Yes. I told myself when I graduated in 2012 from undergrad that when the time came to move to New York, it would be on my own terms. The first choice would be to move here by introducing my original work. I’m living the second-best choice, which is coming into New York already cast in a Broadway musical. I’m hoping that once the reviews come out, and people see me perform, that I can get representation as a multi-hyphenate. I’ve had people reach out to rep me as an actor, but that’s like 30 percent of what I do. It’s a career move for sure.

NYMAG: Are you artistically fulfilled being in 1776?

SP: No, I’m not. The salary is good. My favorite thing in the whole process is my cast. So the social aspect and the salary aspect are fulfilling. The creative aspect, not so much. I feel like I’m going to work. (cont.)

R38 "The resources include a weekly salary, but also exposure for actors who traditionally would not be cast in this show." and now won't be cast in any shows. Porkalob is a good name for some hammy chick. And this, "My role came to me very uniquely. Diane saw me in Dragon Lady, loved me, said, “I’m doing this revival. What do you think?” I said I wanted to be Edward Rutledge and she said, “Cool.” So I guess my role was color-blind. The casting was a color-conscious puzzle. I think it was a very deliberate choice from the creative team to cast our John Adams as a Black woman." It was not at all color blind, she specifically wanted a black woman and an asian woman. I don't get how these people can think they are somehow fighting racism with this shit when in fact they were only cast because they are not white. It's not at all "unique" that some calculating chick saw you in an asian role and then cast you to be a token asian. There better be some sort of wheelchair bound lesbian in it or they are ableist!

(cont.) NYMAG: How does it feel emotionally to perform an ode to slavery every night?

SP: For me, it feels great. I approached this character from my perspective first, not his. I came to it as Sara Porkalob. I’m a person of color who’s not Black, so I have certain privileges that Black folks don’t have, but I’m also not white, so I don’t have certain privileges that other people have. I truly believe that white supremacy hurts all of us, including white people. What I try to do with all of my art — as a director, as a playwright, as a performer — is to point back at the invisible culture that was always around, that we either take for granted or we think we know everything about, and to challenge ourselves. Stepping into this role, I wasn’t interested in humanizing Edward Rutledge — he’s the youngest signee of the Declaration of Independence and I don’t give a fuck. I am portraying the logic and the rhetoric of neoconservatives.

NYMAG:How did your own intersectional identity affect your approach to Rutledge?

SP: When Trump was elected president, I learned that a huge percentage of Filipino Americans voted for him. It makes me think about how assimilation into whiteness is violence too. America still sees race as a binary issue. There’s a lot of anti-Black racism within Asian communities. So when I was approaching Rutledge, I couldn’t remove my race from myself onstage. I didn’t want to make room within myself to humanize him as a character, but I wanted to use all of my skills to embody a manifestation of white supremacy.

So it’s interesting for me, as a Filipino American, having the history of American colonization in my country, but also being very closely related to my grandmother’s generation, who experienced Japanese supremacy. When my grandmother was a young teenager, that’s when the Japanese were occupying the Philippines, and two of her sisters were kidnapped and used as sex slaves by Japanese soldiers. My grandmother hates Japanese people. I grew up in a family where, while I was Asian American, I was aware of the nuances between different Asian communities. I felt myself separate from the ones that assimilated more into whiteness. I’m thinking about those things as I’m playing him. (cont.)

(cont.) NYMAG: Early in 1776, Ben Franklin says, as a positive, that the American identity is violent. That violence is very present in “Molasses to Rum,” but prior to that, your character is very calm, like a loaded gun. How did you think about pacing Rutledge’s arc?

SP: That’s how racial violence manifests. People say, “Well, that guy might be racist to you but he’s nice to me,” when that guy’s a fucking cop beating in the head of a young Black kid for wearing a hoodie. People want to distance themselves from racism because we automatically attribute racism to being a bad person rather than racism being a way of seeing the world.

Of all the characters in the play, from the very beginning Rutledge knows what he wants, and from an actor’s perspective, that’s easy to play. He’s smart, he’s observant, he’s watchful. I’m probably playing him smarter than he actually was — I know I am. It was really important to me to enrapture the audience with his Southern charm, his affability, and the feeling of, What is this motherfucker gonna do, and when is it gonna happen? Then it happens 20 minutes before the end of the play. In that song, the lyrics are logical. Our directors constructed this new musical interlude where we start to chant “molasses to rum,” where you hear the creaking of the ship, where we have all consented to this reenactment of a slave auction. It moves like a ritual through all of us. There’s a moment in which the tableau switches and the Black folks are trying to take their power back: They’re standing on the table and they’re looking at the white audience. There’s that moment where I switched from being like, I’m just a guy with an argument, into being a slave auctioneer who’s a monster onstage. Then, at the end, we all have to be called back to the Congress.

NYMAG: When you transform into the slave auctioneer and you get to look out and survey who you’re singing to, what is your relationship to the audience?

SP: I’m not afraid of them. I love busting through the fourth wall. I’m like, You came here because you wanted to be here. You came here, you consented to being in this space. Whether or not you consented to the thing that you’re about to see on that stage, that’s something for you to think about after the show, but we’re in it together right now.

NYMAG: There’s another moment, when the cast looks out at the audience as Franklin says, “What will posterity think we were — demigods? We’re men — no more, no less — trying to get a nation started against greater odds than a more generous God would have allowed.”

SP: I think that choice is actually really bad. It feels cringey. On the inside, I’m cringing at that, I’m cringing at the fucking projected egg song, and I cringe a little at the end when we hold out those coats. I’m like, It’s okay. I wouldn’t have wanted it this way, but I am doing my job. The turn out is a bad choice because, in that moment, with what Franklin is saying and us turning out to the audience, it doesn’t achieve what the directors wanted it to. It’s the most humanizing text in this play, and we’re standing there looking at the audience. But the reason we were directed to look at the audience was to remind the audience that we weren’t considered when this compromise was made. Does that read? No, it doesn’t. It drives me crazy. I think, You’ve already achieved that goal, directors, by casting us in this show. People are going to interpret the text, first and foremost. I have to gird my loins for that moment.

NYMAG: How do you see queerness interacting with the show?

SP: I’ll be honest and say that our directors never thought about that. When we were all in the room together, there wasn’t any conversation about how we marry our queer identities with these characters, which is disappointing. It was clear that they were prioritizing the social identifier of race as a driving creative choice more than anything else. Gender identity, sexual identity — those we weren’t talking about. (cont.)

(cont.) NYMAG:Were you directed to play men?

SP: Yes, but in a very specific way. We were directed in the beginning of our Boston run to play at being men. It was in the posturing and the gestural work that we were doing in the choreography. According to our choreographer and directors, it had a masculine energy. I think honestly, in that Boston run, that approach did a huge disservice to us as actors. A lot of people were caught up in wondering, Am I a man? Am I myself? Who am I? I decided to pull back in, because I felt, I can’t act in ways that are exciting to me if I’m just playing at being a man. I had to change some things on my end to make it better for me.

NYMAG: What did you change?

SP: I was like, I’m going to get rid of the posturing aspect and think about the charm. I do a lot of things with my nails, I’m always smiling onstage. In reality, what does “being a man” even mean? There are energies that we’ve all agreed are masculine, but we can also recognize that not all men act like that and find our own way into the characters. But there weren’t those discussions in rehearsal, unfortunately.

NYMAG: The cast is a group of women and nonbinary people originating at ART, a very specific institution that has a recent, problematic history with how they approach representation for nonbinary people. What did ART learn or not learn from past experiences?

SP: They learned that they messed up. A blind spot was revealed to them. In terms of fixing that blind spot, they did a very accessible step for an institution — you educate yourself, you hire consultants, you have a “gender explosion” workshop with your current production. But often that first step of education ends when the workshop is done, which I think is unfortunate. If we have a workshop and it’s two hours long, but then we never talk about gender again, what have we done?

NYMAG: What should be done?

SP: When something like that happens, there has to be accountability first and foremost. Accountability for the harm that was done, for the mistake that was made, directly to the people that need it. There needs to be transparency that upholds accountability, but people have to realize just because you’re transparent, it doesn’t mean people are gonna forgive you. They need to practice it as a cultural principle.

Then there’s investigation and restructuring. Institutions often think that you need to investigate everything before you can start to restructure, but that’s not true. They’re afraid to make changes. The third step is institutional and community collaboration. Institutions are always making these five-year fucking plans and being like, We’re gonna make it with a consultant and we’ll share it later. Then they share it with the community after two years and now the community doesn’t care about the institution anymore. But those institutions wouldn’t be alive without the community. I also get it, though, because I’ve worked on the admin side, and I never want to do that again. The fear of getting something wrong and not having a clear-cut five-year plan is why people wait.

NYMAG: So what is the value of an Establishment theater like ART?

SP: I don’t know what the value of an Establishment theater is. I want to believe that it has value, but I will tell you that I’m not very interested in running an Establishment theater, because I would constantly be asking myself that question.

NYMAG: Do you feel conflicted when you’re performing your own work at ART? (cont.)

(cont.) SP: Yes and no. The part of me that doesn’t feel the conflict exists for two reasons. The first is because the resources are great. The second is because the people internal to ART really love my work and I really love them. I built a relationship with them as people, not just the people who were the producers on my show, but the front-of-house staff, everybody. They were fucking cool.

The other side — the conflict, is because of their history. What is my collaboration saying to other people about me? That lingers in my head. But at the end of the day, I can’t control what people think about me. I can only hope to stay humble to the possible reality that one day I might make a misstep as an artist to my community because of my relationship to ART. I’m ready to learn and ready to be accountable. I’m not idealistic about this relationship.

NYMAG: When you describe 1776, it sounds like it’s a compromise that you’re willing to make to get where you need to be.

SP: Definitely.

NYMAG: That’s what it is?

SP: Yeah. I’ve made peace with not being the person in a position of power. I’ve made peace with the fact that our play can’t do everything that we wanted it to. I’ve made peace with the reality that, during the first part of the process, it was hectic and there was harm done.

NYMAG: What was the harm?

SP: During the rehearsal process for “Molasses to Rum,” the Black folks were divided into an affinity space, separate from the non-Black people of color and the white folks. Our directors wanted to recreate a slave auction and, in doing so, they wanted consent from the Black folks in the play to carry out that vision — they were at the center of this piece, and we were using their Black bodies on stage. But then, the non-Black POC people and the white people were not given the same opportunity to consent to this reenactment. For the non-Black POC folks, another layer was added, because we were assimilated into whiteness with no consideration of how our personal identity intersected with this song or this history. So the directors, by using race as a binary in the construction of “Molasses to Rum,” unconsciously held up a false narrative by assimilating non-Black POC folks into whiteness, because they were prioritizing the Black folks.

And that’s okay. I saw that and I was like, That makes a lot of sense. But it’s clear that they haven’t done any dramaturgical research to talk about what it means for non-Black POC folks to be assimilated into whiteness, and it’s clear that the white people haven’t been asked for their consent either. Then we had a conversation at the beginning of the Broadway run to articulate the harm that was done. We were divided into affinity groups and given the opportunity to talk more about what that harm felt like, and to give our consent to the enactment.

NYMAG: What happens if you don’t give consent?

SP: Then the song would have changed. I was ready for that. I was like, If that’s what we gotta do. But I was also like, I hope we do it the same. I hope that we do get consent because the imagery and the choreography of the song really does point to how America thinks about race. Some audience members might not even notice the non-black POC folks are sitting behind the auction table. But there are going to be people who do.

NYMAG: What do you hope people take from noticing that?

SP: I hope the people who notice think about how they might assimilate non-Black people of color into whiteness. I hope the non-Black people of color in the audience wonder, Do I benefit from whiteness? And the answer is yes. Yes, you do, in different ways that are unique to you and your circumstances.

NYMAG: What do you hope you get out of being in 1776 on Broadway?

SP: A Tony nomination, good reviews, and a smart, personable, hard-working agency that’s ready to rep me. Also, I guess more Instagram followers and more community here in New York. I don’t want just a career. I could make a career just being in commercial Broadway musicals. (cont.)

(cont.) NYMAG: You could.

SP: I could. I guess the money would be fine.

NYMAG: The money would be better!

SP: It would be better! But I don’t want that to be my life.

NYMAG: You don’t have the instinct to make more compromises to see if you can get a bigger audience?

SP: I’ll be honest with you. If the producers of Six came to me and said, “We want you to be a replacement,” I’d be like, “Which one?” And if it was anyone other than Anne Boleyn, anyone other than the Asian girl in the show, or even if it was Anne Boleyn, I’d say, “What are you paying?” At the end of the day, if I’m compromising my desire to do my own work, but the resources are there, it really just comes down to labor. If I’m compromising, I’d better be getting paid a lot more money, honey. I have to ask, “Do I want to give 100 percent of myself to this?” And for Six? No! They’re gonna get 75 percent, but that 75 percent will be great.

NYMAG: How do you get the confidence to know that your 75 percent is good enough?

SP: If I don’t believe it, who else will? I grew up in a family that has supported me as an artist. I can count on one hand the times anybody in my family ever said anything disparaging to me about my appearance or what I said. I just have a lot of respect and love and care in my family. Giving 100 percent of myself to everything all the time is a recipe for disaster. How am I going to have time for myself, for my partner, or for my family? I want to choose when I do that.

NYMAG: What percentage are you giving 1776?

SP: I’m giving 75 percent. When I do “Molasses to Rum,” I’m giving 90 percent.

THE END

____________

(sorry this was so long, but someone that insufferable needs to be quoted at full length)

NYMAG: How do you see queerness interacting with the show?

SP: I’ll be honest and say that our directors never thought about that.

Oh sweetie, that's ALL your director thought about, hence you being touted as all trans and non binary or whatever. Wasn't there a "what's happenin'?" episode where Shirley Hemphill, lesbian bus rider and one time lover of DL's Bonnie Mace, was offered a job at a department store as a secretary or something but then she overheard the manager saying they were only hiring her because she was black, and she then told him to fuck off?

Oh but this says it all, "NYMAG: The cast is a group of women and nonbinary people originating at ART, a very specific institution that has a recent, problematic history with how they approach representation for nonbinary people. What did ART learn or not learn from past experiences?"

they learned to pander to assholes like this and I guess it worked. Too bad the rest of the world can see that it's total garbage.

New York Theater asks of Sara Porkalob's interview above, is it ok to criticze the show you're in?

Apparently one of the co-directors of the '1776' revival, Jeffrey Page tweeted the day after Porkalob's interview appeared:

[quote] “Dear nameless person, I know that you feel good about that thing you said…I didn’t feel good about it. I know you feel like it is now your time in the sun. You ain’t put in the time and you ain’t done the work. You are ungrateful and unwise. You claim that you want to dismantle white supremacist ideology…I think that you are the very example of the thing that you claim to be most interested in dismantling.

[quote] “You are fake-woke, rotten to the core, and stuck in the matrix; I hope that you get that increased IG following that you so desperately thirst.”

Sara Porkalob's tweets within the last 24 hours:

[quote] One last thought for the haters: I lead w/integrity, not respectability politics. Broadway is lucky to have artists like me & my entire 1776 cast. Y'all are salty bc I'm speaking the truth? Bc I'm actually doing the work you say you want to do? Stay mad.

[quote] Ok this is my last thought 😆 to those who are pissed and saying, "who does she think she is?". Google me, hoes. I've been doing the work, been speaking the truth. I know who TF I am. I do this for the community, for the real ones. The rest of you can choke 💖

She is spot on about anti black racism in Asian culture though.

But we’re all a little bit racist, aren’t we?

[quote]But we’re all a little bit racist, aren’t we?

Of course not. But a hell of a lot of posters on DL are.

[quote]My favorite thing in the whole process is my cast. So the social aspect and the salary aspect are fulfilling. The creative aspect, not so much. I feel like I’m going to work.

Newsflash, bitch: You ARE going to work.

This insufferable person should do a two-person show with the chorus boy who was traumatized by being in "Hamilton." No one would go see it and they would have fuel for endless tedious complaints.

Strange Loop has posted a closing notice for Jan. 15. Not a surprise.

For years women used to say you had to be twice as good as a man to get half the credit/respect. Sadly, that's been proven true. Unfortunately, some of our queer and trans brethren seem to think that merely being queer or trans entitles you to succeed -or it's due to phobias. A Strange Loop wasn't very good, and by all accounts from friends who've seen it, neither is this version of 1776. If you want the audience to come, you have to give them something good to see -not just a political indoctrination. (And it doesn't help when you trash the show you're in...)

For the record, I thoroughly enjoyed Bros at my local movie house. I'm not transphobic or afraid of new ideas. I just dislike bad theatre.

It will be interesting to see if Sara Porkalob ever is cast again in a Broadway or off-Broadway show after this, no matter what her level of talent is.

You cannot bite the hand that feeds you. I am sure Jeffrey Page and Diane Paulus will never want to work with her again after this (and if they do, they're idiots).

[quote]"One last thought for the haters: I lead w/integrity...😆 to those who are pissed and saying, "who does she think she is?". Google me, hoes.

Aaaaaand scene!

What a raging narcissist!

Her impenetrable word salad rants, lack of humility, insane worm holes of anti-logic and suburban smugness made me HATE HER! Sadly, a couple people I like are "amplifying" her nonsense, mostly because they too are "non black POCs"- who are basically white and they see her rage as theirs....because they have the assimilated privilege to do so!

I would fire this person the moment I could. She hates the play, is contemptuous of the audience, and is clearly too good to be anything but the boss of everyone! We will NEVER hear from this nasty broad ever again, trust!

I can’t think of something I’d like to see less than a musical about the drafting of the Declaration of Independence. Jebus. And the score doesn’t have any songs in it that became standards.

The only thing that could make it interesting is reconfigured casting - as they’ve done here - but it still sounds like an awful slog.

r47, Price's comments were on Facebook, not Twitter. What that article omits is that the post originally closed with the line, "SADH (figure that out, trick)" which he has since deleted.

The popular guess is that he was saying, "Suck a dick, ho." If so, the kind of person who would tell an underling that, or call them a trick, may be exactly the kind whose behavior deserves to be called out.

Watch the film, R55. It's a great show. It is extremely well-written, and could pretty much stand as a non-musical play. Lots of humor, looking at the foibles and failings of the founding fathers. The songs didn't become standards for the simple reason that they are so tightly-woven into the story that you'd have to do a total lyric rewrite to have them make sense outside the context of the play. I've performed the show myself, and audiences were small (they were like you -"How could this possibly be good?") but very enthusiastic. I talked to one woman who came back four times! It's a powerful piece of theatre.

[quote] The popular guess is that he was saying, "Suck a dick, ho." If so, the kind of person who would tell an underling that, or call them a trick, may be exactly the kind whose behavior deserves to be called out.

Sounds like you are mocking the authentic feelings of a queer black man who is trying to have his show succeed.

That's the thing, r55. It's actually a fun and fascinating show even though I too thought it would be "school field trip theater"!

Even this raging narcissist probably can't ruin it, although I've no interest in witnessing her rage first hand. If you've never seen the show I'd offer you might really enjoy it.

[quote]R54 I would fire this person the moment I could.

Why? Because they hurt your feewings and didn’t rave about YOUR artistic choices?

The only thing that matters is what a performer delivers onstage. As long as they aren’t abusing the rest of the cast or crew, their job is to deliver a performance. Not to coddle YOU and kiss your ass.

If you fire them on artistic merits that’s entirely different. But you better point out what they are or you’ll just be exposed as petty and childish.

"Authentic" doesn't mean worthy -or even appropriate, R58. People can keep things as "real" as they like -but that doesn't make them right, or excuse them from rudeness or worse...

I think Sara called the people arguing with her on Twitter "hoes" before he used "SADH," but I may have that timeline wrong.

[quote]R59 Watch the film

Maybe next time I’m planning a Bythe Danner retrospective.

Uggh.

No, r60, nothing like that.

She is a clearly a disruptive force in the workplace (the reason many people in the real world get canned), and in my opinion, if I were the producer, is attacking MY INVESTMENT and desire to draw an audience with her garbage.

These things actually matter outside of YOUR "feewings", because it's Show BUSINESS, not Show ART. Plus given the shortness of life, I'd prefer not to hire assholes. In the end, they add nothing.

Does she work with the people on twitter? Is she their boss? If not, it may be tacky, but it's certainly not the same level as a superior saying that to someone who works for them.

Why did Diane Paulus direct this show like she hates and doesn't trust the show?

Fuck her, fucking hack. Fuck this revival. Thank God we still have the brilliant OBC and film.

AND, see how Porkalob easily calls strangers "hoes", but INSISTS they call her "she/they"!

It is all so comically deranged!

[quote]Maybe next time I’m planning a Bythe Danner retrospective. Uggh.

Blythe has basically one scene. And it really is an excellent screen adaptation, with most of the original Broadway cast intact. (With Blythe substituting for DL fave Betty Buckley.)

Isn't insulting other people by calling them "hoes" mocking sex workers??

It's not just Paulus, R66. The entire casts acts as if they hate the original show. They find it horribly dated and full of straight, cis-white-male privilege -and they can't wait to correct it. The only trouble is that those people really were cis-white-males, living in a world of privilege. It's fine not to like the original 1776, but if you don't -why produce a revival? Write your own take on those people and what they did. This production goes around pretending to right a Great Wrong, when all they are doing is putting on a lousy version of a really good play.

[quote]R64 She is a clearly a disruptive force in the workplace (the reason many people in the real world get canned)

So, it would be okay to fire anyone in the workplace that voices different/disruptive opinions? She didn’t say “Don’t come see this show.” She said she doesn’t agree with some of the direction. And that in some ways the show’s a relic from another time. That’s perfectly valid.

I think the idea of forcing all employees to be wind-up robots who incessantly parrot “This product will 100% change your life!” against their will is terrifying.

Sara Porkalob: soon back to waitressing in Manhattan "on my own terms."

Yes, r70, and cynically making a buck off of something they feel should not be produced to begin with!

It's all lunacy, as we witness the woke mob setting fire to themselves, a rather predictable outcome.

I'd observe the backlash has begun against the huge wave of "woketainment" which is barely out of the gate, not because it lacks relevance to many,but because it ALWAYS chooses to lead with this nasty, smug "smarter than you" attitude. That we, the paying public somehow owe the creators not only our time and money, but an apology for even existing!

Fuck these people. Fuck them all!

r71...quit digging.

[quote] NYMAG: How do you see queerness interacting with the show?

Amazing how it's a show with ZERO men and they still get praise for its "queerness".

[quote] She said she doesn’t agree with some of the direction. And that in some ways the show’s a relic from another time. That’s perfectly valid.

The exact phrase she used was "dusty old relic."

That's really going to bring the audiences in.

Interesting idea gone unsurprisingly wrong...

Who did the 2 men play?

I love the way she makes it sound like she's a hugely respected artist with this big impressive career with a sideline of fierce social justice warrior who accomplished great things.

In reality, she was a Seattle star known for her two solo shows about her family. (For the record, the first show has its charms though its two acts don't really connect at all; the 2nd show isn't as fun as the first one and could use some work.) As for her social justice warrior status, it consists of lots of social media posts and she's been on a couple committees at various theaters in town.

She's made it clear on her own social media that she has this big game plan of taking NY by storm and winning a Tony (awards are VERY important to her) which indicates she wants mainstream Broadway success despite all its white supremacy. Then have Hollywood come knocking so she can make some money then retire from show business to run for political office. And, all of this in a 15 year ish timeline.

SHE GOT BIG DREAMS, HO!!!!

The two solo shows did get runs at ART in Boston but that's the extent of her career.

Do the theater people on DL think she'll get the Tony nomination after this? I'd think it would be nuts for voters to give that to her now.

Aren't Tony nominators old?

I don't see them liking her attitude. And, she's in a show that has gotten mixed to poor reviews.

And, 1776 is a limited run show only through the end of this year. It will be long gone by Tony time in April/May of next year.

I'm not old enough to have seen the original show, but as a kid I saw the film, and it was truly awful and insufferable. Really annoying. So regardless of the politics of this revival, I don't know that it could have been good. And FWIW, I like Hamilton as well as more traditional musicals.

R53 She won't be. There are people who get cocky with a little success in New York, and mistake the initial opportunity they had to turn their iota of talent into a moment as endless chances to fuck around and find out. She's going to figure that out real soon that (unless your parents are bankrolling the production), you don't get second chances after a blowup like this.

I always remember in the New Yorker Pauline Kael hilariously dissed the movie as being based on "a Broadway operetta featuring those lovable old codgers, the Founding Fathers."

[quote]R74 quit digging.

Your not the boss of me!

We don’t have slaves anymore.

[quote] Your not the boss of me!

Neither is Mr. Dictionary, it would seem.

Oh, [italic]dear.[/italic]

[quote]r85 Neither is Mr. Dictionary, it would seem.

Haha! That’s RIGHT! I make my OWN spellings!

[quote]r80 I don't see them liking her attitude.

I agree. I’m not saying she’s exactly building an older fan base with her interview, but it’s also remarkable to see a performer share their real thoughts, rather than just cartwheel around in the usual, vacuous mutual admiration circles. I value honesty.

She WOULD probably do best by concentrating on her own projects, whatever those may be. I do understand that.

When it’s honesty in service to truth, sure, but when it’s honesty in service to bragging, fuck off.

She doesn't have to "cartwheel around" with "vacuous mutual admiration," R86. She had an option too few people exercise these days: should could just keep her mouth shut.

Hi, Porky at R71!

[quote] So, it would be okay to fire anyone in the workplace that voices different/disruptive opinions?

In entertainment, there are sometimes anti-disparagement clauses in contracts for runs of shows (or for first runs of movies). I wonder if Roundabout and others will now work more of them into their contracts.

^^^ She'd probably be able to fight getting fired, but she'll have no grounds when her contract is not renewed (assuming the show extends or transfers), and no one to blame but herself when no one in town wants to hire her.

If you had a job in a store selling vacuum cleaners, how long would you last if you told all the customers the product was shit, and they were stupid shits for even considering buying it?

The show is supposed to play in NYC until the end of the year, and then go on a nation-wide tour.

I wonder how long she will last now for all of that, even if she did have a contract signed for all of it.

[quote] If you had a job in a store selling vacuum cleaners, how long would you last if you told all the customers the product was shit, and they were stupid shits for even considering buying it?

She would defend herself by claiming she never said the show was shit, just that she disagreed with some directorial choices in it and questioning whether the show should even have been revived. To me there's not much difference, but she could probably claim legally there is.

My guess is they'll probably try to buy her out of her contract if they can, so as not to let the backstage drama taken precedence over the show (which has already been hurt by bad reviews).

She may never get a chance to work on Broadway again (certainly for no shows that wants to make genuine money), but she'll go back to her previous life of doing her own shows in the Pacific NW at small theaters there. Eventually she'll probably segue to becoming an academic and just make her colleagues miserable there without having to waste other people's big investments. I doubt Paulus will learn much from this experience--all her shows except "Waitress" seem to end in backstage disaster. But Page probably will learn something from this fiasco.

Porky is a cunt.

[quote]Why? Because they hurt your feewings and didn’t rave about YOUR artistic choices? The only thing that matters is what a performer delivers onstage.

By her own admission, she's only delivering 75% of what she's capable of. Perhaps audiences can be refunded 25% of the ticket price?

She certainly doesn't lack for self-confidence. Or at least the patina of self-confidence.

They should bring in Betty Lynn to replace her for the tour. "Your pronouns won't put bums in seats, kids, but I will!"

I told you it would come to this!

R78 said "all of this in a 15 year ish timeline.". That ish is doing a lot of work.

[quote]The two solo shows did get runs at ART in Boston but that's the extent of her career.

ART is not in Boston, it's in Cambridge, MA. It is a non-profit theater outside of Boston. Porkalob's work seems to have had only non-commercial, subsidized runs outside of major cities, as she doesn't seem to have been good enough to bring to NY.

So...there's that.

I've noticed that theater artists whose work has never been forced to stand the scrutiny of for-profit productions have the most addled notions of what theater even does. I'm over fifty and really can no longer not roll my eyes at their kooky statements and demands. They're all coddled weirdos supported by highfalutin white organizations who bow to them!

Have you seen this recent article about the "Woke-lahoma" tour?

[quote] ART is not in Boston, it's in Cambridge, MA.

Not sure what that link at r99 is supposed to be, but this entire production does seem to be a complete waste of everyone's time and energy. A bunch of assholes get together to "celebrate" a group of people and an event they hate and despise. Awesome!

The people I know who responded most favorably to the Fish Oklahoma were privileged. I do not think they saw themselves reflected on the stage, and they felt comfortable passing judgment on the characters. It’s easy to empathize with Jud if you never have to cross paths with people like that.

The whole thing seemed very incoherent, even if you bought into some of the individual choices. I think a more traditional production could mine this more effectively.

[quote]R94 By her own admission, she's only delivering 75% of what she's capable of.

Don’t most employees in every workplace do this, TBH? There are special performances where it all blazes through at peak performance, but unless they’re Gelsey Kirkland or some other freak of artistic nature, we’re rarely going to witness 100%.

Yeah, maybe r102, but most don't expect Tony's and other awards for half assing it, or even wokeness points.

Most people in the workplace do NOT do this if they are paid to be performers. Your surgeon? A negotiator? A speaker at a conference? A football player? It’s not the same as phoning it in while drafting an email to a vendor.

"So, it would be okay to fire anyone in the workplace that voices different/disruptive opinions?"

How dumb are you? It absolutely would be okay and is, and it is commonly done. If you make a PUBLIC statement that impugns your employer, their reputation or any of their endeavors that arguably de-values the company in the eyes of the consumer, you can be fired.

Duh

[quote] Don’t most employees in every workplace do this, TBH?

Absolutely not if you want to become a star through that employment.

[quote]R104 Most people in the workplace do NOT do this if they are paid to be performers.

So why are there so many lax, unexciting performances in the theater?

Everyone’s working at 100% and talent just doesn’t exist anymore?

r107, why the fuck would anyone pay $400-$700 a ticket for a show starring someone who publicly announces she's only giving 75%?

Oh no is the NYtimes getting called out for Racism and transphobia yet?

The controversy just made "people."

I expect this will really blow up in the mainstream media tomorrow.

Ugh, her saggy boobs are a travesty. Porkyslob.

Could the show's producers fire and replace Porkalob at this point? I don't understand entirely how Broadway actors' employment works.

Someone upthread said they would have to buy her out of her contract R112, which they should do unless they are like "the producers" or the owners of HAGS and want this to tank.

They would likely have to buy her out, which - given the short run and Roundabout’s low pay - would not cost much. But it’s a bad idea, since they would legitimize her complaints.

[quote]Loud boos. Audible vomiting.

Sounds like the chili was left out for a little too long.

So ironic that fools like this hubristic bitch, who laud themselseves as so insightful & righteous, have no realization that being this outspoken about bullshit without a hint of fear of consequence is quite a heightened level of PRIVILEGE! The convenient of the free speech she possesses is something her ego & privilege are preventing her from realizing how she clearly exploits it in stride, without ever having to consider having a compromised sense of speaking her mind.

Now can she also admit to being an annoying twat who is doing this whole thing for virtue signaling and literally no other reason?

As long as we're piling on, can we talk about her botox and fillers?

*convenience, not convenient. Curse autocorrect!

She also has a white boyfriend. Or, had. Not sure if they're still together. He's also the whitest white boy who ever lived.

Did he keep giggling when she said call me "they" r120? If so, probably not together anymore.

Oh so she's not "queer" R120? Oh wait, she has a hetero relationship so I guess she is.

She sounds deluded or just really wants the attention and doesn't care about the long-term impact of her stupid comments.

Anyone who yammers on about “doing the work” is an A grade cunt.

Clearly, Porkalob is following the PR campaign of "Bros" and achieving similar "stunning & brave" results!

Now all we need is for Billy Porter to weigh in!

Watch. She will come out of this ok.

Not on Broadway but she was never gonna succeed there. But, out in arty farty bourgie performance art non-profit land there's plenty of people who will give her grant money to create shows. And, she'll end up getting a book deal.

Maybe even a streaming deal, which is something she very much wants.

TBH, I now think this was her plan all along.

What kind of a last name is Porkalob?

The Twitter threads are exhausting. Most in support of her. Many are saying that the directors are responsible for the "harm" done to the cast. Good Lord.

This is Broadway, not a war zone.

As a showbiz name, Porkalob is almost as inappropriate as "Blodgett."

[quote]All the supposedly inclusive cis white people criticizing Sara Porkalob but only using she/her pronouns for them…YA’LL ARE REALLY SHOWING YOUR HAND RIGHT NOW.

Porkalob is a Hungarian name.

Seriously.

"Porkalob" is a Filipino dish, made with pork and adobo. It's quite tasty, but somewhat fattening.

Is this one of you bitches? I tip my wig:

[quote]The only hit that comes out of a Sarah Porkalob show is Sarah Porkalob, and that's ME, baby, remember? Broadway doesn't go for booze and dope and 75%!

Broadway contracts are very loose, and always favor the producers. In almost every case, an actor can be fired at any time, for any reason. No buy-out needed. None of these performers are names/stars, so they probably are making Equity minimum on a standard contract.

"Porkalob" sounds like a John Waters character.

"Francine Fishpaw and Tracy Turnblad, meet Sara Porkalob."

[quote]What kind of a last name is Porkalob?

One high in fat and cholesterol.

Ted Casablanca is 75% straight and I'm just the bitch who can sort of prove it!

My husband is a Tony nominator. He is not impressed by the Porkyslob antics.

I hope this bitch gets fired so she can whine about "TRANSGRESSION! HARM! SILENCING OF ARTISTS' VOICES! LITERAL VIOLENCE!" while not getting paid.

[quote]As a showbiz name, Porkalob is almost as inappropriate as "Blodgett."

She just changed it to "Icky Jester"!

Are you sure those aren't her pronouns, r140?

On of the other cast members -- Joanna Glushak -- tweeted the following in response to some random actor supporting Porkalob:

I wish people knew the whole story before supporting this. So many community aggrements Btween our cast and creatives were broken things that were supposed to stay only among us were shared publicly. Horrible to say the least

Can't imagine what backstage is like...

"Can't imagine what backstage is like..."

They should sell tickets to that instead of the travesty on the stage!

Diane Paulus walked right into this trap. It's clear from Sara Porkalob's comments she's ridiculously narcissistic and self-righteous, and Paulus should have seen that from working with her before on her one-woman shows. Of course she was going to sell out the production in favor of "speaking her truth" to a reporter.

This cannot be good for the production overall, which was already struggling given the bad reviews. Who in their right mind would spend hundreds and hundreds of dollars on tickets after hearing one of the central performers is only giving 75%?

My guess is that this will hurt Paulus's relationship with Roundabout even beyond this one production. She showed terrible judgment in casting Porkalob in such a crucial role.

72 minutes a day pooping?

Who stinketh the most, indeed.

1776 is a terrible musical anyway.

Hi Sara @ r146

r146 is listening to Wicked and crying because it's such a masterpiece.

[quote]1776 is a terrible musical anyway.

Because that's really the fucking point here.

The production is confusing because its raison d’etre seems to be “taking a new look at ‘1776’” while the theme of the original was “taking a new look at 1776.”

TRANNIES!

The original 1776 was seen as anti-Vietnam War. "Momma, Look Sharp" was a powerful moment in the show, simply staged -almost in a blackout - that let audience enter into the horrors of the battlefield. Under Paulus' direction is it now a heavy-handed (like most of the show) production number. She has absolutely NO faith in the material.

It really is not a great show and I don't think a revival with. a straight cast would have worked. I am not sure why it succeeded in the first place. No memorable songs, IMO.

It was interesting in the Vulture interview when Porkalob said the only reason the directors told her they mounted the show was because of "Molasses to Rum" (i.e. her song), which is the song in the show that indicts liberals and argues they were complicit in slavery by buying products made with slave labor. That shows how little the directors really care about the show as a whole--they just wanted it to make cheap political points.

If you don't think a show is good, you should not revive it. That's Porkalob's point; but since she agreed to do the show in the first place (to earn a Tony nomination and gain more Instagram followers!), she is being completely unprofessional by sabotaging it. You can't have your cake and eat it too.

Porkalob on twitter:

"The haters can stay salty bc I'm all about that umamiiiii."

The interview with her is hilarious, including the questions. I don't know how these people keep their oppression scorecards straight. They're all going to end up like the gingham dog and the calico cat, which will be more fun than watching one of their shows.

Now that the shock value of ultrawoke politics has worn off, really the only damage these wokesters can do is to one another since everyone else rolls their eyes and disengages.

Let them devour one another.

[quote] They're all going to end up like the gingham dog and the calico cat

How’s that?

This take. lol

Oh God, Christian Lewis. There's a hot intersectional mess. What his poor students must endure.

The only intersection that matters in this town is Broadway and 42nd Street!

For R158

R161 Hahaha!

R159 who is that guy? He has like fifty descriptors after his name, including "queer" of course. Trans what? Is he not a guy? Oh these theatuh people are so exhausting.

R159s link and the responses are textbook “twitter isn’t real life”.

Even Porkalob is still learning. Or is it "are still learning"? Regardless:

[quote]Amendment: thank you to the friend who told me that "NB" stands for "non-black" & not 'non-binary' and to use 'enby' instead. I'm sorry for using the abbreviation incorrectly.

[quote]I'm just now seeing folks refer to me as non-binary & for clarity; I use she/they pronouns & u can use one set or both! I identify as a woman, not non-binary. I love all my nb & trans bbys 💖 thank you for bringing this to my attention!

I have no idea what the hell this is supposed to mean.

It means absolutely NOTHING, r167!

Sara, the only thing I wanna call you is…fired.

I suspect you're not supposed to r167. It's a secret code designed for maximum offense and not for anybody actually understanding any part of it. But nice to see they are all fucking with each other as well, with that non-black shit.

Thanks to this thread I've been singing "Porkalob, porkalob, oh porka porkalob" to the tune of "My Boy Lollipop."

Jesus H. CHRIST!

Now Patti LuPone is getting in the act! WTF is she braying about now? She's acting offended for people bringing up an incident that she herself has barely ever shut up about!

I take it she isn't turning down her Equity pension every month, huh? What an ungrateful cooze! The story is everywhere, but I'm quoting the NY Post, just to be a cunt...like Patti!

There's another thread about that, r172. It's already had more than 85 responses.

[quote]& for clarity; I use she/they pronouns & u can use one set or both!

"for clarity."

This dame is saying she's a dame, but she likes non-straights so much, you can call her "they"!

It was a PORKA-LOBSTER!

Thanks, now I have that in my head R176. "We were at the theater, everybody had matching pronouns, somebody went under a dock, and there they saw a pork, it wasn't a pork, it was a pork lobster!"

She had told you once! Do not make her tell you again!

When can we expect the remake of Annie ?

Ahem...R179

[quote] Porkalob on twitter: "The haters can stay salty bc I'm all about that umamiiiii."

r155 Why is this Filipino doing cultural appropriation of Japanese?

R181 She's also appropriating a 2016 teen.

At this point I'm starting to think it was a shame that covid didn't permanently close down Broadway.

R159 Is Christian Lewis always this much of a retard? To praise someone actively undermining their own show (and all the hard work by hundreds of others) really is as you say, A TAKE!

BUT IT GOT ME ATTENTION! R184

[quote] She's also appropriating a 2016 teen.

Not to mention all the “y’alls.”

You’re not from the South, dear.

Is they Filipinx?

If not, how come?

Christian Lewis thinks the history of Broadway is all about cruelty to Trans. He's the one who led the shitstorms against "Tootsie" and "Jagged..." He's tiresome and myopic and uninteresting. He's seen Into the Woods about 50 times and keeps posting about it like a schoolgirl.

Like a schoolthey, you bigot R188!

I saw the 1997 revival of "1776" and truly enjoyed it. All these posters saying they'd rather watch paint dry than see a musical about the signing of the Declaration of Independence are fools. Someone posted they saw the movie as a kid and didn't like it. and still thinks it's a bad show. Seriously? There are many musicals that don't sound like they'd make a great musical but are. I mean, who'd go to see a musical that takes place during a war and is about racism? The movie is a great adaptation of the show. I try to catch it on TCM every Fourth of July.

The Encores production of 1776 was excellent too.

[quote]"The haters can stay salty bc I'm all about that umamiiiii."

You just know she was so pleased with herself saying this.

Is Ms Porkalob a new DL-fave?

As usual we never get a word in about this.

Reading through this thread, I burst out laughing every time I see the name "Porkalob". Which isn't nice of me, as it's a real name, I guess, but seriously: PORKALOB?!

FYI this new 1776 does acknowledge Native Americans by beginning the show with the offstage voice of one of the actors in the production, who is of Native American ancestry, invoking a prayer to the tribe that inhabited the land the American Airlines Theatre stands upon. IIRC the lights then come up and she is the first actor the audience sees onstage (wearing a large Native American pendant with contemporary clothes) and she has the first line of dialogue (sorry, can't remember the Continental Congress delegate she plays).

I'm sure this probably sounds beyond cringey but it's actually quite stirring.

The cast then all enter in contemporary clothes and they all stand together facing the audience lit by theatrical footlights as they roll up their various leggings and pants to their knees to reveal white stockings and then exchange their modern shoes and boots for buckled 18th century shoes, as well as period waistcoats and/or coats. Somehow it's managed very smoothly, quickly and efficiently without fuss and is quite stunning as they begin a rousing and boisterous rendition of the first song "Sit Down, John!"

But it's mostly all downhill from there. Some great ideas in this production, IMHO, but lots of clunkiness in the application.

I'm fine with re-invention, enjoy it actually, but you don't need to piss all over the original saying "It didn't work" when the record speaks differently. Of course Diane Paulus also thought she was smarter than the Gershwins and DeBose Hayward, so whatta ya gonna do.

Most of the people supporting her on social media couldn’t afford to buy a ticket to a Broadway show or expect for one to be given to them. One said something about not performing for rich tourists. None of them know how the real world works.

The Porkalob story has made The New York Times. I hope they open the comments section.

When will the madness end.

The current Broadway revival of “1776” was hoping to spark a conversation about power and representation. And it has, if not quite in the way it intended.

It assembled a diverse cast of women, nonbinary and transgender actors to play the white men who signed the Declaration of Independence, as a way of highlighting those whose perspectives were not considered.

The show, which has been in the works for several years, made adjustments after the police murder of George Floyd prompted intense debates over race, justice and hierarchy in the theater business. A new co-director, Jeffrey L. Page, who is Black, was added to shape the work alongside its original director, Diane Paulus, who is Asian American.

But now, just two weeks after opening on Broadway to mixed reviews and soft sales, “1776” has become the talk of the industry — not because of its contemporary dramaturgy, but because of a cast member’s criticisms.

One of the show’s standout performers, Sara Porkalob, who is making her Broadway debut, was quoted in an interview with Vulture on Friday saying “there was harm done” during the rehearsal process, and calling some of the staging decisions “cringey.”

She was referring to her big second-act number, “Molasses to Rum,” in which her character, a South Carolina delegate named Edward Rutledge, calls out the “hypocrisy” of Northern delegates who criticized slavery while their states profited from it.

Porkalob, who is Filipino American, told Vulture that during the rehearsal process the directors had sought “consent from the Black folks in the play” to carry out its vision for the staging, which includes an evocation of a slave auction — but not from the rest of the cast, including the non-Black actors of color. This decision, she said, using an acronym for people of color, “unconsciously held up a false narrative by assimilating non-Black POC folks into whiteness.”

Porkalob said that while she liked her fellow cast members, the experience was artistically unsatisfying, and that she was giving the show “75 percent.”

“The social aspect and the salary aspect are fulfilling,” she said. “The creative aspect, not so much.” (cont.)

(c nt.) The interview quickly drew attention on social media, where some hailed Porkalob for speaking her truth while others denounced her for undermining her own collaborators.

Page, who is the show’s choreographer as well as one of its directors, posted an apparent rejoinder on Facebook, which he addressed to a “nameless person” whom he called “fake-woke” and “rotten to the core.”

“You are ungrateful and unwise,” Page wrote in the post, which was later taken down. “You claim that you want to dismantle white supremacist ideology … I think that you are the very example of the thing that you claim to be most interested in dismantling.”

Page, Paulus and Porkalob all declined to comment. But over the weekend, Porkalob emailed an apology to the show’s company, writing that she was “reaching out in an attempt to repair harm I’ve caused.”

“I see how my opinions and the tone of the article have hurt, offended and upset some of the folks internal to this process,” she wrote in the email, which was obtained by The New York Times. “I’m sorry for that.”

In the email she apologized for violating what she described as the “‘What’s said in the room, stays in the room’ agreement.”

“My intention was to share an important moment of learning I had in the piece, specifically how I was proud to be a part of an ensemble that was able to deftly handle these complex issues, rather than not saying anything and pretending things didn’t happen,” she wrote. “But it is clear that the impact was me breaking the above community agreement and I’m sorry.”

Reviving “1776,” with its dated humor and all-white cast of historical characters, was always going to be a delicate task, even before the 2020 racial justice protests. (The show is a joint production of two nonprofits, New York’s Roundabout Theater Company and the American Repertory Theater of Cambridge, Mass.)

In an interview with The Times in August, Paulus said one of the things that drew her to the 1969 show was the startling bluntness of “Molasses to Rum,” which might surprise anyone who assumed the musical (by Sherman Edwards and Peter Stone) was a whitewashed Bicentennial-era relic.

Performing that song is emotionally taxing, particularly for Black cast members, even after the show’s team created a Black “affinity space” to help guide the show’s explorations of race.

“There’s not a night where it doesn’t hit me,” Crystal Lucas-Perry, who plays John Adams, told The Times before the production opened. (Lucas-Perry is leaving the show on Sunday to join the cast of a new Broadway play “Ain’t No Mo’.”

Porkalob is a fixture of the Seattle theater scene, known for “Dragon Cycle,” her trilogy about three generations of her family. Paulus, who won a Tony Award directing the 2013 revival of “Pippin,” saw Porkalob in a production of one of the installments at the American Repertory Theater in Cambridge, where Paulus is artistic director, and cast her in “1776.” Porkalob chose the role of Rutledge, a baddie with a big number.

In the interview with Vulture, Porkalob described the in-between position of actors of color who are not Black. “I have certain privileges that Black folks don’t have, but I’m also not white, so I don’t have certain privileges that other people have,” she said.

But she criticized the directors’ “binary” approach to race, which she said caused harm.

After the show’s initial run in Cambridge, she said, there had been an affinity group for the non-Black performers of color “to talk more about what that harm felt like, and to give our consent to the enactment.” (c nt.)

(cont.) Porkalob is a fixture of the Seattle theater scene, known for “Dragon Cycle,” her trilogy about three generations of her family. Paulus, who won a Tony Award directing the 2013 revival of “Pippin,” saw Porkalob in a production of one of the installments at the American Repertory Theater in Cambridge, where Paulus is artistic director, and cast her in “1776.” Porkalob chose the role of Rutledge, a baddie with a big number.

In the interview with Vulture, Porkalob described the in-between position of actors of color who are not Black. “I have certain privileges that Black folks don’t have, but I’m also not white, so I don’t have certain privileges that other people have,” she said.

But she criticized the directors’ “binary” approach to race, which she said caused harm.

After the show’s initial run in Cambridge, she said, there had been an affinity group for the non-Black performers of color “to talk more about what that harm felt like, and to give our consent to the enactment.”

Porkalob, who uses she/they pronouns, also said the directors had paid insufficient attention to gender identity, considering it secondary to questions of race. “When we were all in the room together, there wasn’t any conversation about how we marry our queer identities with these characters, which is disappointing,” she said.

The interview drew strong criticism, including from some Black performers and writers. Among those who responded to her on Twitter was the playwright Douglas Lyons, whose “Chicken & Biscuits” was staged on Broadway last year. He asked to talk with Porkalob, saying: “BIPOC artists were hurt by that article. Harm has now inflicted harm. But we can heal.”

Ashley Blanchet, an actor whose Broadway credits include “Frozen,” “Beautiful” and “Memphis,” also said Porkalob had harmed colleagues. “Being a person of color does not excuse you from arrogance,” she wrote on Twitter. Porkalob, she suggested, was “messing with the livelihood of your peers to get ur 15 minutes of fame.”

In a Twitter thread early Monday morning, Porkalob publicly apologized for “the pain I’ve caused my team.”

But Porkalob also stood by the substance of her comments. “I’m not afraid of the great White Way,” she wrote. “I’d be sad to lose the job but my termination would only be further proof of this industry’s inability to adapt & change for the better. The work I care about can be done on Broadway or off.”

I wonder how much time the stating of boundaries took up. I'm guessing at least half of the total rehearsal time.

The NY theatre community is learning the hard way that just because you *can* post endless hot takes on a heated topic doesn't mean you *should*.

[quote]But now, just two weeks after opening on Broadway to mixed reviews and soft sales, “1776” has become the talk of the industry — not because of its contemporary dramaturgy, but because of a cast member’s criticisms.

Mixed reviews and soft sales? Who would have predicted that? Besides everybody?

[quote]But Porkalob also stood by the substance of her comments. “I’m not afraid of the great White Way,” she wrote. “I’d be sad to lose the job but my termination would only be further proof of this industry’s inability to adapt & change for the better."

She reminds me of a friend of a friend who announced he was going to quit his job and had made a list of ways he didn't feel "supported" by his boss. After going over it, the boss just said, "Well, it's been clear you haven't been happy here for a long time" and sent him to HR.

When he posted about it on FB, he added sarcastically, "So I guess 'we' decided it was a me problem, not a him problem."

Obviously the company was just fine, just as the Great White Way will remain after La Porkalob hies back to Seattle to present more intersectionality-focused shows based on her own experiences.

Will 1776 now cancel the scheduled national tour? Seems like they'd only be opening themselves up for even worse reviews and more hostile audiences.

Ha ha! So she apologized to them in an email which I am guessing did not say "stay salty, haters!" What an ass. And this, "where some hailed Porkalob for speaking her truth" can we not put "her" and truth in the same sentence? Because it's her opinion. I am so tired of the "my truth" shit. If it's yours, its an opinion. And of course, of course, at the end she goes on to lambaste the great white way...the way that basically gave her this job. I hope she's learned something from this, just stfu and sing.

Also, who are trans in this that we keep hearing about? And if all these people didn't know they were token hires, they do now. That should offend them.

Can we not put "their" and truth in the same sentence?

There is one actor in the production who wears a top under their coat that clearly reveals their nipples and what appear to be the scars of a mastectomy.

And I wasn't sure if the actor who plays the timid congressman whose final vote is the climax of the plot isn't perhaps trans.

[quote]R199 When will the madness end.

Isn’t that what men said when women got the right to vote?

Just accept that we’re in a new era, with a new frankness, where more voices are heard.

Oh okay, thanks R211. And so it is totally irrelevant to the role anyhow. Got it. Wait, if the person had "top surgery" than she is trying to be a man, no? So how is this cast all female? I guess when it comes down to it, we'll admit the truth.

[quote]Performing that song is emotionally taxing, particularly for Black cast members, even after the show’s team created a Black “affinity space” to help guide the show’s explorations of race.

MARY.... J. Blige!

These people are exhausting.

SIT DOWN, TRANS! SIT DOWN, TRANS! FOR GOD’S SAKE, TRANS, SIT DOWN!

A family member was cast in 1776 just before the COVID lockdown and was set to make her Broadway debut. Because of all the delays, she eventually dropped out, was cast in another Broadway play and is now in previews for another. I am so glad this stinker wasn't her debut.

There but for the grace of God go R217's family member. Is she laughing everyday at this porklobster affair? I would be. She dodged a bullet.

Indeed, r218. She was very excited to be cast and was looking forward to it and really believed in the show. She'd never say anything bad about it. But the delays and uncertainty were too much and she had the opportunity to do another show with someone she knew/idolized. She got great experience and visibility. I'm grateful I didn't have to sit through 1776 to cheer her on.

Kiss, kiss, kiss me PorkaLOB. Just one kiss, kiss will do.

"I will live in my truth, and dictate productions on my terms, as I remake Great Non-White Way in my image!," vows rising actor, social justice warrior, and social media influencer Sara Porkalob.

When does it close?

I imagine tickets are $25 at TKTS and they still aren't selling out.

Saw the show last night. 1/2 house at best.

It must be psychologically difficult (damaging actually) for actors to play to an almost empty house.

I don't know how this can go on.

Why do you think I'm only giving 75% R225?

Oh, R226, that's not how it works. She gives 75% for a 100% full house.

For a 50% full house, she gives 33.5%.

^Of course, half of 75% is 37.5%. But I wrote 33.5% because math is racist and a means of enforcing colonialist values on POC.

Also because Mx Pork-Kebab is not 👏 your 👏 performing 👏 monkey 👏, and if she feels the audience isn't bringing the right energy, she can and will shave off a few more percentage points of effort.

They can always recast Bros with these actors and call it Bras.

[quote] “I’m not afraid of the great White Way,”

No need to be afraid because you’ll never be back.

[quote] director, Diane Paulus, who is Asian American

Wow, for all these years I didn't know this.

[quote] Oh so she's not "queer" R120? Oh wait, she has a hetero relationship so I guess she is.

[quote] I'm just now seeing folks refer to me as non-binary & for clarity; I use she/they pronouns & u can use one set or both! I identify as a woman, not non-binary. I love all my nb & trans bbys 💖

r122 Queer hasn't meant just gay for a long time in the world of 'Alphabet + allies'. Anything "not cis het" = LGBTQIA+++/Queer.

Hence the existence and dominance of all these HETEROsexual people whose (gender) identities are "not cis": not only #1 Trans (most just self-ID with no genital chop/attachment) and Non-Binary (they claim this falls under the tranny umbrella)

but also, as shown at r166 & r167, those who identify as #2 non-trans/-nb (still *identify* as their sex) but intentionally use the pronouns that do not match their sex, aka like this "I'm still a woman, not a nonbinary but my pronouns are THEY/and she too, therefore I'm "not exactly a cis, hence Queer/LGBTQIA+++").

LGBTQ/Queer world not only has enough of #2 loons but also too many LGBs/allies who have validated this shit "Gender (identity) and Pronouns are two different things! Never assume anyone's gender! Pronouns =/= Gender!" Oh, another box she checks is the #3 type: All hetero but claim to be open to all, hence Bisexual, Pansexual, Queer (again, as long as one's not a cis or 100% het) because one doesn't need to show a proof of being a bi/pansexual.

Good. Go woke go broke.

There's a reason all the Paulus shows have a weird energy/morale to them. She's an odd person, totally insecure and an average talent. She endures with this lethal cocktail by throwing everyone else off and causing a hundred tiny distractions.

R228, that was hilarious! And then depressing when I realised there literally have been arguments made about mathematics being racist.

[quote] director, Diane Paulus, who is Asian American

[quote] Wow, for all these years I didn't know this.

Her mother is Japanese.

Does the Asian Paulus have a teensy phallus?

[quote]And then depressing when I realised there literally have been arguments made about mathematics being racist.

A few years ago I read a screeching diatribe about how expecting college students to attend 8am classes was racist because of the patriarchal, white colonialism's lack of understanding about black people's relationship to time!

I'm not kidding!

I meant "expecting black students"...

I taught at an Ivy League school for 30 years but recently retired because the generational gap had become too wide (and I was 70, time to retire in any case!).

What I was finding with younger people in the last 10 years was their clear pride in often not conforming to social mores, which, of course, can be a very positive thing. But there was also this entitled attitude about not putting themselves through anything they didn't like (like certain homework assignments) and studying anything historical to which they couldn't relate. And, importantly, not being open to any criticism of their work or even having the capacity or interest to discuss the criticism.

This was across races and economic status.

This is a real problem with the new generation of kids and I don't see it changing.

Diane Paulus is also a professor at an Ivy League school, r240.

[quote]Diane Paulus is also a professor at an Ivy League school, [R240].

That school that was forced by the feds to close for three years because of sketchy financial aid practices?

No, dear.

Harvard.

[quote]No, dear. Harvard.

Oh honey. ART Institute [bold]IS[/bold] Harvard. And they got shut down for three years by the Feds.

Do try to keep up.

Diane Paulus remains tenured in the Harvard English Department as the Professor of Practice of Theatre, and is still teaching English courses there.

I did not know that, R245.

How terribly sad.

I may not be in the Broadway community but I just cannot imagine too many rightsholders letting "creatives" completely re-imagine their properties going forward.....or investors paying for it.

To those of you in the industry, am I right or wrong?

It depends on how much the author (or their heirs) needs money, basically.

Jesus, R238. What they're going to be like when they enter the workforce..!

R240, let's face it, a lot of these problems are due to the parents who won't fucking [italic]parent[/italic] their children. I knew this would be coming when about 10 years ago I heard all the mothers at work complaining about being up late the night before because they were doing their children's homework. I even questioned why they were doing this, and they were very earnest about how unfair it would be not to help their child, but it was more than help, they were DOING the damn stuff for them.

I hear them today, ringing the university to talk on their adult child's behalf about their courses, making doctor's, dentist's, hairdresser's appointments for them. And all the while complaining about how stressed and busy they are.

It was is the song of old people and it is revived every generation. What’s the matter with kids today?

As someone who manages a good number of workers in their twenties, I assure you that things are just fine. They have more information and different expectations, but they are still ambitious, open to feedback, and eager to do good work.

I'm not that old, R250, haha. I'm only the next generation up.

But you are right, we do casually employ Gen Z's who are very diligent and eager to work. I've defended them on here before. But still, listening to the way these parents deal with their children is pretty damn ridiculous, and it'll remain to be seen how the generation after Z will go in the real world.

R249, there were endless stories about Millennials’ parents calling professors to negotiate grades, get extensions, and advocate for their kids. As a son of a teacher, I’m used to hearing this handwringing about “these kids are different”’year after year. Of course they are!

However, I don’t think Ms. Porkalob is that unique, just stupid and self important. People have been like this forever,

^See, I am what Americans refer to as a "Millennial" (we always called it Gen Y), and that wasn't my experience of school at all. There may have been on child with a parent like that and they were always viewed as an odd family. Now that odd family seems to be the majority. But who knows, maybe this sort of thing just took a little while to get to our country? When we were kids it was "do what the teacher says, if you fuck up it's your own fault".

In the show Derry Girls, there is an episode where a teacher rips up the students work. When the kids tell their parents what she did, the parents basically say: "well what did you do wrong to make her do that?" That was my generation's childhood, in our country at least.

Math is racist. Being on time is racist. Hard work is racist. Effort is racist. Excellence is racist. Manners are racist. Anything I find unpleasant is racist.

Plenty of Gen Z is fine, but the saner the Gen Zer, the less likely he or she is to spend time on social media. Same with Millennials--and Porkslob is a Millennial (32).

The percentage of narcissistic assholes is higher in the performing arts, always has been, but even there, most people just want to do the work.

I guarantee that Porkslob hasn't made buddies-for-life out of the 1776 cast, though most of them have enough sense to stay out of the online kerfuffle.

A major world war (against fascism) and a no-exceptions mandatory draft of all American men and women under the age of 30) would shape these darn kids up, emotionally and physically.

I'll volunteer to be a basic training sergeant.

Kids! I don't know what's wrong with these kids today!

Kids! Who can understand anything they say?

I do have a problem with adapting shows like this to be more PC. I would love to see them just make projects specifically for POC LGBT 🏳️‍🌈 people. Didn’t a play with an all POC cast just win a ton of Tony Awards? Just do that.

I want to add to my post at r240:

In my last 10 years teaching in that Ivy League grad program, 3 women became pregnant and had babies as they were graduating (one actually had her baby a year before she graduated). None of the 3 were married before or stuck with the baby daddies after their pregnancies.

I'm not criticizing them because they didn't have abortions but critical that they would put themselves in a financial and social situation of raising a child alone as they were about to enter the work field of a highly competitive profession and basically making them unemployable. They threw away all the opportunities they may have earned by graduating from our school. It confounded me.

Was this a typical trend of their generation? I don't know. But it never happened to any of my students in my earlier years of teaching.

Which characters in 1776 are trans?

Because The Trans very sternly told everyone else a few years than only trans people can play trans characters.

So by the same logic* surely trans actors should not be playing any non-trans parts?

*yes I know I'm a fool for trying to bring logic to any trans argument.

R260, same number as are of non-European descent.

I am wondering if the pendulum of wokeness has reached its apogee and is starting to swing back. It's shocking that the Times dared to criticize this show.

R258, I agree. I don't know why it's considered "enlightened" to keep retelling white people's stories again and again with increasingly outré casting. It's still the story of white people.

Why can't someone write a new musical about an authentically black story? So many suggest themselves right off the bat. How about one with double wokeness points -- the story of the black, gay Billy Strayhorn? Or Scott Joplin? (Bonus: All his music is in the public domain!) Or a musical about Sojourner Truth? Or Frederick Douglass? Or a reggae musical about Haile Selassie?

So many stories waiting to be told, while we get repeated takes on "All the founding fathers were black LOL."

Is this going to close early?

[quote]Is this going to close early?

It's already run far too long.

Will the All Female & Trans "1776" go on the road to do even more boffo biz in The Heartland?

[quote]Why can't someone write a new musical about an authentically black story?

Would LOVE to see more entertainment like this, there are so many stories we've not heard yet, I say let's start promoting those.

I’d love to see a Broadway musical based on IMITATION OF LIFE.

Sara Porkalob might be a Millennial but she didn't come from a family or upbringing that pampered her...far from it. They're a toughass working class Filipino family.

So what, R268. She is still an idiot.

r266 have you not been conscious the past 2 years? That's ALL we are getting.

See, I think all we're getting are more diverse recastings of OLD material. I am more interested in hearing NEW stories told from different people.

That's not true. Look at the myriad plays and even musicals that have been 100 percent centered on Black folks since theater's return.

Has anyone seen it since the last person reported half full houses on Tuesday night? What's the attendance like now?

[quote]I don't know why it's considered "enlightened" to keep retelling white people's stories again and again with increasingly outré casting. It's still the story of white people.

This was exactly the late playwright August Wilson's take on this issue as well. It's not the teller, it's the STORY! Still, Broadway and Equity see themselves very clearly as a jobs program for non-whites, but I doubt that is why Patti LuPone is so agitated.

Jewish actors play Italians all the time, but when Italians (or any non-Jewish actor) plays a Jew, look out! Unless you are Al Pacino (see: Jewish stereotype in Tarantino's "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood), then they leave you alone. A bit of a farce, no?

On the other hand, I just played a very small gay role on a network series. Casting specifically said "we'd like to see 'queer actors' for this role" and left it up to agents to submit appropriately. No one actually asked "Are you gay?" which would be forbidden by labor laws. My agent knows I'm gay, I guess! Lol. I did feel a little like an affirmative action hire, which bugged me a bit...until the fat check arrived!

Having Whites play Native Americans was always cringe at best. They usually were stereotypes.

R274 sums it alllllll the way up.

r274, who are all the Jewish actors who play Italians all the time?

If Italians aren't cast as Jews very often I'd guess that's because over the years there have been very few Jewish stories told in the movies.

What’s all the fuss? Remember me?

I can just see Ms Porkyslob regretting doing this in the near future.

[quote]If Italians aren't cast as Jews very often I'd guess that's because over the years there have been very few Jewish stories told in the movies.

Are you KIDDING? As a percentage of the population Jewish stories and characters are always vastly overrepresented in media!

[quote]I can just see Ms Porkyslob regretting doing this in the near future.

Something tells me that looking within or examining her own behavior aren't things Mx. Porkalob is acquainted with....at all.

Haha, R281. You may be right. Although, when the job offers are no longer flooding in...

I ended my subscription to the Ahmanson 2022/2023 season partly because of this and the rest of the bore fest coming up. I just bought 2:22 ghost story next month. The only show worth seeing.

r280 please name 10 Hollywood films of the last 25 years about the Jewish experience

What 1776 needs to increase ticket sales is the triple-threat talents of a certain Miss Linda Lavin.

You'll have to pry her out of our cold, dead hands r285

Is La Porkalob's portrait on the wall at 21 yet?

Do the crowds at Joe Allen part as she comes in the door?

Is the only word on the rialto PORKALOB?

The name on everybody's lips is gonna be . . . PORKALOB!

The they who's raking in the chips is gonna be . . . PORKALOB!

The 1776 grosses sucked last week too. It didn't work.

R92 It's Mx. Porkalob, peasant!

Man, 1776 is way down there, below a Strange Loop, which is closing in January. Surely they're not going to tour this thing?

Broadway don't go for booze and dope and Broadway don't go for this Porkalob dame either. She's lucky she's not in the back room of a Manila cathouse gettin' bukkaked by Hong Kong businessmen, which is where this broad belongs.

R292 That's actually the plot of her first solo show Dragon Lady...her grandma DID work in a Filipino "night club"!

I have to drag myself to "A Strange Loop" because a friend works on it, but is it ok to admit everything I know and have heard about it is CRINGE?

It's okay to admit R294, read the blurb about it, "time travel in a black, queer body..." If being black and queer is going to color (no pun intended) the story then you already know they're really gonna hammer that shit home. It will be preachy and long, I predict. Oh but please come tell us about it after you go!

The world needs more Porkalobs.

#GetUsedToIt

I demand that Paul Giamatti be cast as Sofia in The Color Purple!

Sara Porkalob's understudy performed last night in Porkalob's part. Hopefully everyone at 1776's performance last night had a lovely evening anyway.

She has been targeted and persecuted. Probably kidnapped.

Or was she flown out to Hollywood for a screen test?

Finally saw this, Inept and misguided.

Hopefully her lazy ass was fired and she won't return so she can only give 50%.

Wow, what a dumb ass Porkalob is, in giving her shitty, preachy interview, she was hoisted on her own petard. As someone said up thread, let that be a lesson to these narsy people. Just shut the fuck up. Stop talking.

[bold]#Porkalob4President

R303 That's funny because she has said she plans on running for political office after she's done with her theater career.

Which could be any day now.

This is what Broadway has come to.

Pork, that slob

Pork looooob obster, pork loooob obster. Is her twitter still up? What is she saying? Will she come back like Constance Wu and say this made her consider suicide?

My favorite line from her interview: "I could make a career just being in commercial Broadway musicals."

Not anymore.

Stay salty, Sarah!

I want to feel bad for her but I just think of the poor flyover fraus that spent a few hundred bucks to see this crap and that she basically said she wasn't even trying.

[quote]My favorite line from her interview: "I could make a career just being in commercial Broadway musicals."

[quote]Not anymore.

Probably not even before. She lucked out with this casting. It was a big break for her that she proceeded to sabotage.

Broadway doesn’t go for PORK and LOB.

Pork a little, lob a little,

Pork a little, lob a little,

Pork, pork, pork,

Lob a lot,

Pork a little more

The name "Sara Porkalob" is just perfect. It could've been designed by a DL committee. Laughter everytime I see it.

Yes, I'm being a tad mean, but she's insufferable, so...

You must never make fun of someone’s name.

aww I love Harriet R316!

Going by that Twitter link and pic, Porkalob was just out for that night's show, she's not out of the cast, unless something has changed?

[italic]LOCK ‘ER UP!

They're not going to fire her. The show won't last all that long. They won't want the brouhaha of firing her.

The real issue is the next job. There won't be one.

She’s the new Terence Trent D’Arby! His debut album was better and more important than sgt peppers lonely hearts club band you know.

Exactly. It's a limited run with only 8 or 9 weeks left to go.

I can't really think of a self-own this damaging since Jeremy Piven's in that woe begotten revival of the already shitty "Speed the Plow".

That was his Broadway debut as well.

R321, thanks for reminding me of TTD. I loved that album and need to listen to it again.

How much money will the backers lose on this wokeflop?

All of it, r325.

[quote]The people I know who responded most favorably to the Fish Oklahoma were privileged.

The people I know who responded most favorably to the Fish Oklahoma are insufferable.

[quote]The name "Sara Porkalob" is just perfect. It could've been designed by a DL committee. Laughter everytime I see it.

She should change her name, how about...

Vicky Lester!

Or maybe Vicki Eydie.

How's our favorite Porker? Still doing the bare minimum and complaining, I hope.

She was out of the show on Saturday night.

Wow R331. She's really fucking up! She's just not gonna fucking go anymore? Her career may be ruined now. All to be a bitch to her producer and get those sweet twitter asspats.

I found rush tickets to this for only $35, less than that if you're a student.

Bump. The ain't no mo thread reminded me of Mx. Porkalob and I wondered if she's still givinng her 77% performances.

So Broadway World lists the bottom five shows by gross last week as Between Riverside and Crazy, Ain't No Mo, 1776, Topdog/Underdog and KPop. How much longer is Porkalob gonna have a job?

R335 As has already been explained MANY times in this thread, 1776 was always designed to be a limited run. It wraps up its Broadway run on January 8th then goes on a multi-city tour.

A dozen or so performances in Chicago and a half dozen in Des Moines?! I see a lot of empty seats in their future.

[quote]. It wraps up its Broadway run on January 8th then goes on a multi-city tour.

The Floperetta Tour, coming to a city near you. A must-miss!

Porkalob is not joining the tour, as noted here on the DL.

San Jose instead of San Francisco--that's kind of amazing for a tour with a chunk of the Broadway cast.

[quote]San Jose instead of San Francisco--that's kind of amazing for a tour with a chunk of the Broadway cast.

I hope they don't get lost and lose their way there.

[quote] someone that insufferable needs to be quoted at full length

I'd loved to have seen the original Broadway production but the movie is wonderful. But even New York must be reaching their limits on receiving racist fuck-you's from the PORKALOBs of Broadway.