THEATRE GOSSIP #497: The "Seventy-Five Percent" Edition

Previous thread:

No, we wouldn't.

OP: No,we woudn't!

For those asking about where best to view the dimming of the lights for Lansbury at 7:45 tonight, it occurred to me that if you choose the Winter Garden and you stand on the corner of 50th and Broadway, you'll also be able to see the dimming of the lights at the Gershwin, formerly the Uris. Since Angie's three greatest Broadway triumphs were MAME and GYPSY at the Winter Garden, and SWEENEY TODD at the Uris, that might be the best place to stand in that respect.

Bravo whomever came up with this title...

I'll settle for half...

[quote]This is what's known as a war of attrition.

That is what is known as a Pyrrhic victory.

Anyone else notice how most of Diane Paulus's productions seem to end up in anger and acrimony (except Waitress): JAGGED, 1776, WITNESS:UGANDA, BECOMING NEVERLAND.

That’s where I’ll be R4. Sadly without my mourning veil.

In the last thread, it was promised the next thread title would include my beautiful play on words: Come Back, Little Reba.

I’m a bit perturbed—you may be hearing from my lawyer (as soon as finishes his conference call about some union issue at a non-profit theater he also represents).

There’s not really a marquis to dim at the Gershwin —just lighted “billboards” on the sides of the parking garage for the office building overhead.

Marquee^

This thread title could have been so much better if you weren't in such a rush to be first, OP.

r10, you were promised "if the reba discussion can make it another 550+ posts then that’ll be the name of the next one." It did not, so it was not.

The Theatre Gossip Threads have a new star: SARA PORKALOB. Though, recalling Reba's reaction to the Dixie Chicks after they dared speak out against Dubya, we know whose side she would be on.

We *all* know what Vera's going to show up in, r9...

Well, in my defense it sure did seem like that thread went on, and on, and on, enough for me to earn that credit.

[quote]This thread title could have been so much better if you weren't in such a rush to be first, OP.

I never create threads and only created this one after someone on the previous thread asked about a new one. Shrugs.

Ignore them, OP. I didn't see that comment because it must be someone I have blocked, clearly for good reason.

r8, Paulus is fortunate she has a co-director this time to take personal affront to any comments and make them all about him, neatly deflecting the attention from her. Worked out quite neatly for her, didn't it?

r17...Thanks Dorothy...that was me...and the thread was almost at 600.

and featuring...

Is there a marquee at The Marquis?

Also, Diane Paulus is a bitch and I hope all this Porkalob shit stains her , too.

A new Broadway rule:

"The only hit that comes out of a Sarah Porkalob show is Sarah Porkalob, and that's ME, baby, remember?"

Reading they's Twitter feed, they certainly are most impressed with theyself, are not they?

The Porkalob does have a swelled head. She has rather a huge ego for someone with such a slim CV.

She was a 'star' in Seattle. And, not that big of one.

She's known for her "Dragon" trilogy of shows about her and her Filipino family. Actually, only two shows because the third one hasn't been produced yet. There's talk of her getting backing to do a workshop of it in NYC. We'll see if that happens.

The two shows produced so far are ok. They have their charms. Also self-indulgent. And, like many solo shows where one artist tries to portray multiple characters, she only has about 5 different voices at best.

She doesn't play well in other work outside her own.

Obviously.

I imagine that up and down the district, cast members are laughing their asses off over this shit show.

[quote]I imagine that up and down the district, cast members are laughing their asses off over this shit show.

My boyfriend works backstage on a bway show and hell yes they are. He texted me tonight asking what the hell happened at 1776 and I tried to give him a quick text summary.

Did anyone happen to listen to the discussion yesterday on NPR's All In with Alison Stewart on 1776 with Diane Paulus, Jeffrey Page and Sara Porkalob? They were all (seemingly!) very cordial and complimentary when it was taped. I really hope Alison does a follow up show....it could be....INTENSE!

Sorry not to link the podcast but it's easily googled.

And, not to defend Sara P., but she is by far the most articulate person speaking in that interview. Diane and Jeffrey just babble and babble and throw around the term "binary" a lot..

This whole Porkalob media bombardment on one day is highly suspicious. She also did THIS interview:

She either got herself a publicist or maybe this is all planned. 1776 was pretty much dead in the water so why not stir up some controversy to sell tickets/get media attention.

How nice not to be the supreme Cunt of Broadway for once!

Sarah Porkalob ain't gonna sell any tickets, controversy or no controversy.

I know! Right?

I'm trying to think of the (comparative) Broadway scandals of '22: I've got the leaking of Jesse Williams' nudes, Beaniegate and 1776 being undermined from within. Any other notables?

Groff looking at Lea's snatch with a lantern?

Coming to Broadway next season:

THREE SISTERS!

Starring Beanie Feldstein, Lea Michele and Sarah Porkalob as the Angry Beaver!

With Tovah as the old peasant nanny, Anfisa.

Easy peasy: Pork 'n Beans

The 1776 controversy makes me want to see it even less and I didn’t think that was possible.

Same R38!

Anyone make it to Angie's dimming?

Do we think Michael "no, really, I WAS a part of the Boston Globe's priest pedo stories" Paulson will have the guts to do a story on this fiasco?

For fans wondering about the next Jodi Picoult musical....

Bway bound?

Broadway doesn't go for booze and dope and 75%!

She's finishing her second show today...150%!

The "Seventy-Five Percent" Edition: or Porkalob's Complaint

R9, this is the attire you should wear.

I always gave 1776%!

I thought Porkalob's was an 80s teen comedy

Pork kabobs?

People should hold up placards with 55% or less - "Failing Grade" for Porklobber to see

Last week's audiences are demanding a 25% refund.

I feel bad for the rest of the company. Lots of debuts spoiled by selfish arrogant nastiness

Broadway doesn't go for booze or dopes...

I bet Porkalob would give 100% in a revival of Here Lies Love.

Are kosher audiences avoiding Porkalob?

Now she’s trying to say that 75% referred to how much of her day goes to the show - but then how does 90% of her day go to molasses to rum?

Oh what a beautiful waltz

Porkalob needs to meet Patti Murin.

r55, according to Porkalob, the breakdown is:

75% = performing in 1776.

10% = sleeping

5% = eating

5%= pooping

5% = self care aka not devoting my entire life to being a Broadway star.

Which of those things is she (sorry--they) foregoing while performing that one number...that they aren't while performing the rest of the show. (It's not sleeping, so I would guess eating, pooping, and self-care--they ARE devoting their whole life for those few minutes, I guess?)

I’d love to hear Patti Lu’s take on this.

This takes the pressure off Lillias White..

Apple Music doesn’t have the OBC of Mame, for some reason, only the soundtrack.

Angela Lansbury would kick her in the twat

Lillias White did something stupid but it wasn’t intentional or mean spirited. As someone mentioned above she should have told the stage manager and let front of house handle it. Poor judgement on her part and, hopefully, other performers will learn from her mistake.

Well, not this Porkalob chick ...

So will Roundabout do the right thing and fire her? She clearly hates the show and full on admitted she only cares about securing a Tony nomination to boost her profile.

Who would get to keep their job after saying that?

Lillias White commented on the Jeffrey Page FB post:

"Lillias White There are several factions of our community who have LOST. THEY. MINDS. Thou shalt not come for me & mine‼️‼️‼️‼️ "

Oh dear.

R66 You can't "oh dear" Black people talk.

You gonna BURN IN HELL!!!

Lea may actually have to resort to doing something execrable to bring attention back to herself.

75% seems excessive.

“Does this Porkobob person wear a wig….? 🤔🤔🤔🤔

This thread title could have been better.

Like 25% better, r71?

R14 oh please, she made one tame joke written by writers on an awards show at the time. She has never been political and even stated that entertainers should entertain because it’s escapism. See 20:30

r73, I'm actually not familiar with any joke. I remember an awards show the Chicks appeared at after the controversy. Some of the audience applauded; some pointedly did not. Reba was one of the ones caught on camera with her arms folded, glaring at them with massive bitchface.

RE: Lillias and seeing something in the audience -- Didn't "Naked Boys Singing" and other show with nudity have a plan of attack that if they saw a camera to just stop, point to the camera, and walk off-stage -- or something like that. Maybe some other shows. Granted "Hadestown" doesn't have nudity... but still. It sounds like she just made a mistake and thought someone was recording the show.

Please explain what the 1776 controversy is because I'm super lost here....thanks!

(And what's a Porkobob?)

How long is Lillias' contract?

r76, Sara Porkabob is an actor appearing in the revival of 1776 on Broadway. She's received a great deal of acclaim for her performance, which got her an interview with Vulture. In it, she made negative comments about the the directing choices, the material, and her motivations in doing the show, many of which have been greeted with outrage (especially the fact that she said she's only giving 75% to her performance in the show, other than her big number, when she bumps it up to 90%). Some quarters are praising her for her honesty and realness; many others are disparaging her for being unprofessional in criticizing her own show while she's appearing in it. One of the co-directors, for one, threw a hissy fit on Facebook.

Said hissy fit:

Is Sara 75% of a Hattie or a Solange?

Ain’t no one gonna work with the Porkyslob after this self-inflicted implosion.

R77, Calling the director's measured, accurate response a "hissy fit" shows your bias, your inability at reading comprehension, or you misunderstanding of the definition of "hissy fit."

^your

Where has she received acclaim?

I did see some of the Boston reviews and none that I saw mentioned her.

Have some of the NY reviews mentioned her?

This has nothing to do with Pork Kebob, but, while I've always liked "1776," I despise "Molasses to Rum."

Yeah, I wouldn't call Jeffrey Paige's angry and hurt response to her a "hissy fit". He has every right to be angry and hurt. Some little nobody had the arrogance to shit all over the work he and the production team had done on their show WHILE THE SHOW WAS STILL RUNNING. Which is not only a big no no in show business but it's also frowned upon everywhere in any professional setting.

When Sara sings Molasses to Rum, does the 90% include the pooping 5%?

I have tickets and want to be prepared.

Ms. Thing clearly learned nothing from the self-aggrandizing interview that Eve Harrington gave to Addison DeWitt after going on for Margo Channing in "Aged in Wood."

She spends 72 minutes a day pooping? Gross.

[Quote] Do we think Michael "no, really, I WAS a part of the Boston Globe's priest pedo stories" Paulson will have the guts to do a story on this fiasco?

Yes and it will make it seem really boring

From an unrelated piece in Today’s Times Magazine ‘Ethicist’ column:

[Quote] Having been badly treated doesn't give you carte blanche to treat others badly.

[quote]Lillias White did something stupid but it wasn’t intentional or mean spirited. As someone mentioned above she should have told the stage manager and let front of house handle it. Poor judgement on her part and, hopefully, other performers will learn from her mistake.

Does that apply retroactively to La Lupone? We have since learned that the person she screamed at during the final (or next to last) performance of GYPSY for photographing or making a video of part of the show was in fact authorized to do so by the production. Word is that either Patti was either not told or, far more likely, WAS told but conveniently forgot, because she likes creating offstage drama. (It wasn't really offstage in this case, but you know what I mean.)

[quote]Ms. Thing clearly learned nothing from the self-aggrandizing interview that Eve Harrington gave to Addison DeWitt after going on for Margo Channing in "Aged in Wood."

In ALL ABOUT EVE, in a scene that happens after the poisonous interview is published, Eve tells Karen, "I've been told off in no uncertain terms all over town." I hope something similar is happening to Porkalob, but unfortunately, I tend to doubt it.

Has anyone here actually seen this Pork creature's performance in 1776? Curious whether she--er, they, is as good as they says they is.

[quote]Sara Porkabob is an actor appearing in the revival of 1776 on Broadway

That's not how she spells her name, though it seems to be becoming the DL version of it. Or one of them.

Random thought: Pork is often referred to as "the other white meat," but I guess that doesn't apply here? :-)

r91

Really? I never saw that... do you have a link that explains that situation?

Why is there no Lillias White nudity in Hadestown?

Porkalob’s is NOT BACKING DOWN on Twitter. Wow, she’s taking no prisoners.

I saw her in the ART production, but the whole thing was so noisy and hectic I can’t say she stood out in any way.

This reminds me a bit of Constance Wu, who infamously tweeted "fuck my life," (or something similar). The dreaded event? Her successful sitcom, FRESH OFF THE BOAT had been picked up for yet another season, and she was contractually bound to her high-paying, high-profile, not terribly stressful (it was a 30-minute sitcom) network job. How awful for her.

Performers need to realize that almost no one sympathizes with them when they complain about their chosen profession. No one. Not when there are countless others with real talent who would kill for the opportunities they disparage.

Porkalob can stick her "honesty and realness" up her fat ass.

Fire dat Porkyslob!

R99, for what it's worth, Wu has been doing the rounds for her recently released memoir, claiming she was being sexually harassed by a producer in the show, which was the real cause of the outburst and it was a very stressful job for her, even for a thirty-minute sitcom. So there's that.

The link

I don't buy that Patti story either. If that had been an official photographer, they wouldn't be in the middle of the orchestra seats disturbing the other patrons.

Somebody on Twitter (I don’t want to give them more impressions) says, bullshittily:

[Quote] Theatre people spouting nonsense about Sara Porkalob are the equivalent of football fans saying Colin Kaepernick should just shut up and play. We get it. You don’t like when non-white people speak against white institutions and their systems.

She spoke up against he BLACK director

When the right says the left is too busy racializing every topic, they have a damn point

Sara Porkalob must have PR by Sunshine Sacks.

R83, I went looking for some. The NYT didn't really mention her, but barely has anything positive to say about the show.

Variety: "Inflating the production values of “Molasses to Rum” only undercuts the dazzling and nuanced acting and vocals of Sara Porkalob as the sinuous Edward Rutledge,"

WaPo's leads with "Sara Porkalob’s crackling delivery of “Molasses to Rum,"

Deadline: mentioned as one of the highlight as "show-stealer Sara Porkalob"

Timeout: "Some of the actors get showcase songs to set them apart" and names her and her big number

AP: "Show highlights include...Sara Porkalob’s devilish “Molasses to Rum,” a chilling indictment of Northern hypocrisy."

I would have thought that Equity contracts included non-disparagement clauses, at least for during the run of the show, but I guess they don't.

The clause may well be in her contract, r107, but it will be interesting to see if Todd Haimes invokes it. Somehow, I doubt that.

Also, I wonder if the controversy will bring bigger box office for the show, in spite of some here saying that they have less interest in seeing it now.

We'll see.......this ain't over yet.

r107

They still could but it doesn't mean people follow it

r104, I agree that Tweet is dumb, but she was criticizing both directors, not just the Black one. Just further proof of how sly Paulus was to get a Black co-director to buffer any criticism. One can't say anything negative about the direction without criticizing a Black man, and that's anti-woke and white supremacist, per Page's Facebook rant.

The amusing thing is, by agreeing to work with Paulus and offering her shield from any criticism, isn't it Page who is upholding white supremacy?

On another note, it's interesting to see who from the cast reacted to the FB post. The actress who plays John Hancock gave it a like. The one who plays Richard Henry Lee and the Courier gave it the hug emoji. Any others?

Oh, Diane...

[quote] When Sara sings Molasses to Rum, does the 90% include the pooping 5%? I have tickets and want to be prepared.

Pro tip: Don't sit in the seats marked "Splash Zone."

If the directors of 1776 get an award, who gets to keep it?

Both of them, as when John Caird and Trevor Nunn won the Tony for co-directing "Les Miserables" or when Casey Nicholaw and Trey Parker won the Tony for co-directing "The Book of Mormon."

But they shouldn't waste time clearing space on their shelves.

[Quote] So will Roundabout do the right thing and fire her? She clearly hates the show and full on admitted she only cares about securing a Tony nomination to boost her profile. Who would get to keep their job after saying that?

No need to fire her: the show will close soon enough

R39 I was at 50th and Broadway for the dimming. Decent amount of people at the Winter Garden. When the lights came back up I yelled out, “Brava” as my husband was wont to do. I scared the shit out of a woman in front of me who had no idea what was going on.

[quote]I scared the shit out of a woman in front of me who had no idea what was going on.

Not since Carrie...

What does DL fave Carolee Carmelo think of all of this?

The greatest performance in the history of broadway

The actor playing Stephen Hopkins also LIKED Jeffrey Page's post.

How many hats are you?

[Quote] I would have thought that Equity contracts included non-disparagement clauses, at least for during the run of the show, but I guess they don't.

That clause is white supremacy and needs to be dismantled. Keep up.

Hats? Does anyone still wear a - uh -uh - LINE!

No labor union would ever stand for a non-disparagement clause. Are you all stoned?

I’m 75% stoned

[quote]Are you all stoned?

No, I'm merely stupid.

Did we ever determine what the SADH at the end of Page's post was? He's since deleted it, which would indicate he realized it was something he'd get in trouble for. The "Suck a dick, ho" guess makes a lot of sense.

Will she get Tony-nominated out of collective guilt?

No way.

As we approach the glorious milestone of the 500th THEATRE GOSSIP thread, are we doing anything special to celebrate?

A group outing to 1776? A cosplay party where we all come dressed as our favourite TB posters? A Sondheim cry-in to coincide with the first anniversary of his death?

“Shrimp and dumplings hotpot.” He was practicing his order for when she’s working at Panda Express in La Guardia next year.”

Remember, everybody, you have to give 75% at today's matinee. Pork Rinds has spoken.

Apparently there was a talkback after 1776's matinee yesterday, which the cast and creatives were advertised for, but only the creatives showed up.

Sounds like an odd one in general, as rather than the audience asking questions, the creative team were asking the audience questions, like how they reacted to a scene, how they felt, etc.

R134, this is a common format for a talkback. It prevents it from becoming a free for all.

A certain percentage of people will buy into this prosaic, faux" shoot from the hip bravado "Sara Porkalab hopes will lift her sails to glory in NY. The low self-esteem and lack of real confidence revealed in this VERY TRUMPIAN STRATEGY of self-promotion will appeal to those struggling with the same issues. Like Trump, this woman is betting that trumpeting her own praises, regardless of the reality on the ground, will intimidate enough weak-minded people into believing the unverifiable claim of her peerless talents to be fact. She's clearing her shelf for every award imaginable, raging that if she gave 100% somehow the Broadway audience would be unsatisfied with anyone else, because nobody could match her. Like Trump, she will attack and demean anyone who doesn't buy into her grandiosity, her pompous agenda and her vision of herself. I imagine she's talented, but who she is has screamed so loud, it will be tough to see what she can actually do because she has negatively upstaged herself with this cluster b bullshit. Putting aside that it is impossible for someone to actually know what percentage of whatever they are capable they are giving, what an absurd thing to assert. Believe me, sometimes you are literally crawling in the stage door, and you rise to the occasion because you are a fucking professional. She has shat on her show and her company with this garbage. Seattle is a strong theater town with lots of talented people. Is she one of them? Just ask her.

r135 Ah, so it's basically just a focus group?

Talkbacks are marketing. People want to feel like they are part of the process. So whether they ask or answer questions, the same goal is reached.

I hope Carolee shits in Porky's wig.

"Get the cover!"

-- Conductor Christian Thielemann at the sitzprobe when Kathleeen Battle was wasting time with everyone, including the 100 piece Met orchestra, on the clock

Richard Ridge should interview Porkload’s dressing room toilet.

Hopefully, Porky's comments and attitude will sink this ill-conceived show.

Is there a lot of pussy munching backstage at 1776?

I don't understand, who is the person or who are the people (I can't tell if both photos are of the same person) pictured in the post at R142? Neither of them is Porkalob.

It’s a meme r145

Pleas explain how her interview could be framed as work to “dismantle white supremacy and create lasting change”?

Her defenders on twitter are unemployed actors or the dyke/lefty crowd (god love 'em). The rest of the theater community is PISSED. You don't diss your own show -- its wrong, and unfair to everyone who is actually giving 100 percent. And stop bitching about 8 shows a week. You ever met a nurse, a fireman, a policeman, a doctor -- SHITLOADS of people who have hard jobs with many hours. It's called work. Hell, the marketing teams for most of these shows work twice as many hours as the actors.

And 1776's marketing team is sure going to have to work after this fiasco.

It's a living r149.

I think she said in the interview that the directors didn't address non-black BIPOC concerns about the staging in a way which effectively worked to dismantle white supremacy and create lasting change (which she understood was a shared goal in 2020), and she now believes that one of the directors is uncomfortable and calling her ungrateful and unprofessional because she talked publicly about what she perceives to be his failure in this endeavor.

R151's post is a good example of doublespeak in action.

Then give answers that describe how we can do better. Use the platform this show provided to your arrogant and undeserving ass, and share constructive info

A gimmick-ridden production of an musty old musical authored by white dudes failed in its efforts to dismantle the white male patriarchy??

I'm [bold]SHOCKED[bold] I tell you, [bold]SHOCKED[/bold].

[quote]—Meghan Mark—er, anonymous

I would have hoped that at least the theater gossip threads could be free of the loony Meghan Markle haters.

binary, Binary, BINARY!!!

[quote]It's a living [R149].

Life's not the French Riviera, r150...believe me.

Who would we cast in It's a Living, The Musical? Who has that certain Barrie Youngfellow je ne sais quoi?

I guess it could be called...Waitresses.

For those wondering:

The Kennedy Center GUYS & DOLLS, closing today, which has garnered unanimous rave reviews and features an all-star cast and production ready for Broadway will NOT be moving to Broadway because Sonia Friedman and Nick Hytner own the Broadway rights and expect to move their own "all-immersive" production of the show after it opens in London.

And the Kennedy Center's upcoming revival of KISS OF THE SPIDER WOMAN is apparently having trouble finding a director and star for its production because Sonia Friedman owns the rights to a Broadway production and is hoping to produce it in the next couple of seasons.

Is this bad producing on the Kennedy Center's part? Or is a short DC run enough?

It's the greed of Sonia Friedman.

Everything can’t be done only hoping for a broadway transfer.

[Quote] It's the greed of Sonia Friedman.

So we’re bad when folks don’t produce enough and we’re mad when they produce a lot.

Mad not bad

When one person is blocking the possible transfer of other productions, with nothing directly in the works, that's the beginning of monopoly. Although I also agree with the point that everything can't be done in relation to a Broadway transfer.

So many people said the Kennedy Center's MUSIC MAN with Norm and Jessie was far superior to the current revival with Hugh and Sutton.

Monopoly would mean one person controlling all of Broadway. But someone optioning the rights is not a monopoly.

Sonia Friedman basically is controlling all of Broadway. Or all of it that matters, anyway.

Sonia's giving 100%

[Quote] So many people said the Kennedy Center's MUSIC MAN with Norm and Jessie was far superior to the current revival with Hugh and Sutton.

What matters to producers is Hugh was in this one

This is the exact same thing that happened to Follies. Everyone wanted the Papermill production to transfer…but Roundabout already had the rights. Bobbie Goldman got blamed and allegedly threatened by Ann Miller…but it was actually a rights issue. Word was Sondheim himself publicly praised Paper-mill production, but was actually relieved it wouldn’t transfer

What is the point of buying exclusive rights and then just waiving them?

Next up, Sarah Porkalob in BALLROOM... And this time, she'd rather have "25 Percent of him!"

R120 The gay version.

[quote]The gay version.

Meh. I prefer Reba's joyous take on it.

The Reba Troll really needs to let it go.

Any Tony nom for 75% Stupidho went right out the window with that article.

I agree with the "Not everything..." comment. It's getting ridiculous that actors assume everything should move to Broadway.

r173 did you even read the thread [italic] title [/italic] ?

There’s a Reba troll? I haven’t seen anything about Reba for at least two threads now. Are you all still talking about that? Lol. Gurl.

[quote]The gay version.

[quote]Meh. I prefer Reba's joyous take on it.

I do too. Groff is just a hair under pitch in a couple places. Mary Mitchell-Campbell sounds great on the piano.

[quote] Porkalob’s is NOT BACKING DOWN on Twitter. Wow, she’s taking no prisoners.

We’ll see how long that lasts. This bitch is nowhere near as famous, rich, or connected as Constance Wu, and it’s taken her three years to dig herself out of her self induced hole. If Porkabob goes down there won’t be recovery. It might be too late at this point. If she was giving an undeniable performance for the ages, maybe she’d be okay but that doesn’t seem to be the case here. And I certainly won’t be bothered to find out.

[quote]This is the exact same thing that happened to Follies. Everyone wanted the Papermill production to transfer…but Roundabout already had the rights. Bobbie Goldman got blamed and allegedly threatened by Ann Miller…but it was actually a rights issue. Word was Sondheim himself publicly praised Paper-mill production, but was actually relieved it wouldn’t transfer

That may be true. But although neither I nor anyone else can ever prove this, because I'm pretty sure Sondheim never commented on it publicly, I'll bet he felt very sorry in retrospect that the Paper Mill production didn't transfer after he saw, and heard, the mostly horrendous Roundabout production.

Sondheim referred to the Paper Mill production of Follies as "Jerry Herman's Follies".

Why was Sondheim glad Papermill Follies wouldn’t transfer?

The Kennedy hasn’t really sent anything to Broadway worth seeing. I’m sure we’ll all be fine without this Guys and Dolls showing up.

[quote] [R104], I agree that Tweet is dumb, but she was criticizing both directors, not just the Black one. Just further proof of how sly Paulus was to get a Black co-director to buffer any criticism. One can't say anything negative about the direction without criticizing a Black man, and that's anti-woke and white supremacist, per Page's Facebook rant.

[quote]The amusing thing is, by agreeing to work with Paulus and offering her shield from any criticism, isn't it Page who is upholding white supremacy?

Diane Paulus is not white, but is rather mixed race.

Her mother is Japanese (her parents met in Japan, where the husband was stationed after WW2).

[quote] Word was Sondheim himself publicly praised Paper-mill production, but was actually relieved it wouldn’t transfer

I still think Dee Hoty at Paper Mill was the greatest Phyllis ever after Alexis Smith, and she certainly did the all-time best stage version of "Ah, But Underneath!"

The Papermill Follies was about equal to The Kennedy Center FOLLIES (that transferred). The Roundabout should never be spoken of. Ever.

I hope the cast gets together and pulls some. Born Innocent shit on Porkalob after the show today

My guess is that most of the cast will be too paralyzed by their own wokeness to confront Porkalob.

The problem with working with exceptionally woke people (and most of all YOUNG exceptionally woke young people) is that half of them will eat their own, and half of them are terrified to criticize the others.

But I would LOVE to be a fly on the wall backstage right now.

The Papermill Follies was thought to be "Follies-lite" The Roundabout's proposed production sounded like a step up. When we heard it was going to be Judith Ivey and Sigourney Weaver as Sally and Phyllis it truly seemed this might be a definitive production.

But it turned out to be different than what was expected.

Here we go on FOLLIES again.

Here we go on FOLLIES still.

As it should ever be.

I'm not sure exactly when the article containing those incendiary comments from Porkalob was published, but by now there have been at least two performances thereafter. Any news of the mood backstage?

Why did she change her pronouns for Broadway? They were previously she/her, but now that the spotlight is brighter? She/they.

r196 "Her" has 75% of the letters of "They".

No, it has 50%

(“H” & “E”)

[quote]The Kennedy hasn’t really sent anything to Broadway worth seeing. I’m sure we’ll all be fine without this Guys and Dolls showing up.

I really liked the Kennedy Center's production of "Ragtime" that transferred to Broadway, and quickly closed. Other Kennedy Center productions for which there were Broadway hopes included Christine Baranski's "Mame," which showed just how creaky that show is now, and "Carnival," which had its moments but was definitely not Broadway-ready. "Carnival" has some lovely songs but is pretty dark.

[quote]Why did she change her pronouns for Broadway? They were previously she/her, but now that the spotlight is brighter? She/they.

They is pronoun fluid.

I remember arriving in NYC and riding through the theatre district in a cab the night they dimmed the marquees for Merman. The Merm!

[quote] "Carnival" has some lovely songs but is pretty dark.

One of the few shows from the Golden Age of musicals where the heroine almost commits suicide. (Fortunately, she is dissuaded from doing so by kindly puppets.)

That and Promises Promises

r202, by ‘cab,’ do you mean stagecoach?

I can't seem to remember that Kennedy Center CARNIVAL? Was it any good? Who were the personnel involved?

Keith Carradine, Tony-nominated star of ‘The Will Rogers Follies’, played Reba McEntire’s husband in the 1994 CBS made-for-television movie ‘Is There Life Out There?’, which was based upon her number 1 song by the same name.

Jesus, the president of Equity posted this on her twitter:

"Tell me somebody touched some deeply rooted, industry-wide, patriarchal nerves without telling me somebody touched some deeply rooted, industry-wide patriarchal nerves..."

WTF?

Female director gets called out, sort of. Someone tosses around the word “patriarchy.”

No wonder Actors Equity is such a joke.

I really enjoyed the Papermill Follies, although it had a lot of problems. However, it really wasn't Follies, it was morre "These Old Broads Put on a Show."

[quote] However, it really wasn't Follies, it was morre "These Old Broads Put on a Show."

I don't see yet how that's different--that's exactly a description of the plot of "Follies."

It amuses me no end that these Broadway "professionals" continue to sabotage their own jobs and alienate the public-at-large with their narcissistic, deeply damaged pronouncements and virtue-signaling. In my crowd of theater lovers, almost all have stated in no uncertain terms that they won't pay a dime to support psychotic self-indulgence. Go ahead, Broadway, let's see how long you last without the custom of the audience you apparently loathe so much.

Psychotic.

People can write Lea off as much as they want, at least she respects the stage and brings 100 percent every night.

The porkrubbing is not going over well with working actors. When you have stood in enough lines to sing 8 bars if you don’t get typed out, you look at these drama queens a lot differently.

Todd Haimes and his team will not have the guts to deal with this. But I'm sure every presenter of the tour who now knows this is the story is FREAKING OUT.

r181

Mary mitchell cambell is one of the worst pianists ever to work in New York. She plays like a fourth-grader.

[quote] Todd Haimes and his team will not have the guts to deal with this.

Why should he deal with it? The show is a bust, and was a bust long before this incident. They are likely just keeping their heads down and letting it play out its run where it will quickly be forgotten. The whole thing is an embarrassment for everyone.

[quote] But I'm sure every presenter of the tour who now knows this is the story is FREAKING OUT.

Anyone who made the decision to invest in this tour should have been freaking out from Day One. The touring market is on its last legs, and shit like this tours the worst. They were going to lose their investment no matter what. The Porkalob incident isn't going to affect the tour one way or another. It was always doomed. I doubt it will tour after those reviews.

r216, they should already be freaking out over having booked it at all. This version of the show certainly isn't going to play well in a lot of places. Do they really want to see this in Iowa? South Carolina?

That tweet r208 posted from the Equity President is the most craven, cringeworthy pieces of blather I've ever seen. She is going to take some major shit from this from members, especially the working ones.

Porkalob blaming Filipino people's enthusiastic support of Trump on white people was another of my favorite places to scream while reading her career-killing interview.

Can we all agree that frowning on every play written by a white person especially a white man is not anything but racist and sexist itself? It only makes people look like the nasty jerks they are!

This 1776 production was originally scheduled to happen in 2020 during the election year thus why it was booked into "Red State" cities. Covid happened and fucked that up.

I don't really understand what they thought this tour would have accomplished in 2020 (or now for that matter). Did they think it happening would persuade voters to NOT vote for Trump?

Can't WAIT to see how this plays in Nashville! I may have to travel to see that dumpster fire.

[quote]I can't seem to remember that Kennedy Center CARNIVAL? Was it any good? Who were the personnel involved?

It was back in 2006, R206. As I mentioned, I thought it was quite well done, but I had never seen a production of "Carnival" and didn't have much to compare it with. Here's an old Playbill article.

Well, at least PorkalobGate may have finally quashed the Beanie/Lea Funny Girl Bonfire that's been raging since last spring.

How did the Oklahoma tour end up doing? Is it still out there?

Can you imagine the company meeting?

r225 Frima and Brenda didn't care for it.

Misguided revival

Regarding “Daredevil Moves” [Sept. 19], theater critic Charles McNulty’s review of “Oklahoma!” at the Ahmanson Theater: I may be an out-of-touch senior, but I found the deconstructed “Oklahoma!” not electrifying — in the good sense — but shocking, destructive and an affront to the intention of the creators of the musical in 1943.

When we left the theater, we overheard a gray-haired lady telling her teenage companion that she would get the movie the next day to show her what the real “Oklahoma!” was about. A sweet, funny, energetic, dramatic telling of the optimism of the creation of the state and of that time. Perhaps this dark, dreary, emotionless rendering is symbolic of our time.

Frima Telerant Westwood

::

I can say that the audience heartily disagrees with [McNulty’s] accolades. I was told beforehand that this is the most walked-out-of show in recent history, and I completely understand why, despite failing to save myself at intermission.

I’m all in with the goals and changes promised by the show and highlighted in McNulty’s piece — on paper.

The ridiculous ending pretty much summed up the show, with myself and most audience members stumbling away, saying out loud, “What the hell did we just see?”

Brenda Gant Glendale

I don't know why many of you think the company would be mad at her...the entire company of actors is made up of people LIKE her!!!

[quote]Can't WAIT to see how this plays in Nashville! I may have to travel to see that dumpster fire.

There are about 20 colleges in and around the Nashville area, so at least there will be the woke college girls, non-binaries, and their feminist professors.

[quote]How did the Oklahoma tour end up doing? Is it still out there?

Here's one article, R225.

Porkalob is a Trumper.

I saw Goody Porkalob with the Devil!

R208 - I don't see this tweet on Kate Shindle's Twitter feed. Did she already take it down?

r233, it's on her official president feed.

R208

That’s a former Miss America running Equity, I’ll have you know. She’s a union gal, all the way.

Cunt.

r230 Audible vomiting? I wonder how Lilias White would've dealt with that.

"Remember, everybody, you have to give 75% at today's matinee. Pork Rinds has spoken."

If the stupid woman had any sense of show business, she would have said she was giving 76%.

Everybody is regretting everything about this project

I can’t think of a show I’d like to see less, even before I knew who Pork Kebab was.

r230 That article is ridiculous. It sounds like it was translated from some other language using Google Translate. "Oklahoma Metropolis?" Is that supposed to be Oklahoma City? The character named Cord is translated as "Wire." And I cannot for the life of me figure out what this sentence is all about:

Touring "Oklahoma!" --- which closes at the Ahmanson Theatre this weekend and can open on the West Finish subsequent 12 months --"

Do they mean it can open in the West END? And within 12 months? After 12 months? The rest of that sentence translated "stages" as "phases" and makes no sense either.

I knew it was ridiculous, R241. That's why I shared it. It was originally posted on the thread about the "1776" brouhaha.

R241. You are the best. The UN should hire you for simultaneous translations.

Maybe if Pork Rinds gave 76 rusty trombones on stage it might be worth seeing...

So the Tea is beginning....Johanna Glushak tweeted the following in response to some crazy loving on the Pork Rind:

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

ooooohhhhhhhh, gurrrrllll

Porkaboo’s IG is private. Was it before?

I think this is what comes of participation trophies

Don’t fuck with Glushak. Nice lady but she’s been in the business a long time and will not tolerate this kind of bullshit.

Apparently the head of equity thinks giving 100 percent to an audience is "Part of the Patriarchy". Jesus.

Here's how someone responded to Kate Shindle's tweet:

[quote]The point of the union is to help preserve the 25%. Any work that demands 100% all of the time is not a job, it’s exploitation.

Can this person really be such a complete idiot that she honestly believes this is what Porkalob meant with her insane comment about 75 percent? Really, there are no words.....

For no reason...

There are so many people working in theater right now who believe in Porkalob's kind of woke bullshit, and it was just a matter of time before they had enough influence to push this kind of nonsense through past provincial theaters and campus theaters to Broadway.

if I were a Broadway investor, i would seriously consider the judgment of people like Diane Paulus at this point for allowing this fiasco to happen.

I LOVE the Porkalob interview. Through the sheer artistry of her own words she demonstrates the plight and limitations of being an actor - a pawn - in somebody else’s show. She’s obviously a creator. How else would you expect her to illustrate her experience? DL hates the very idea of this production and then expected her to give some brain dead “rah rah” interview about it? She’s not saying it’s a bad experience for her, she’s saying it’s only one part of what she does, of what she’s capable of doing. Why are people so TERRIFIED of specificity of experience? Is it because you’ve never reflected very deeply on your own?

Do you really think the cast of Phantom is giving 100%? Do you think they’re even allowed to give “100%” of themselves by the people who hired them? What would that even look like? You think the cast/production of Chicago is giving “100%” after phoning it in for decades, 8x a week? Ridiculous people ridicule Porkalub but have acknowledged for decades that a production isn’t the same at a matinee - some productions even acknowledge this by having a standby do matinees. It’s been that way for years. Are those producers giving 100% to their audiences? Why not just don’t do matinees if you can’t present the same show to audiences every time? Why not limit performers so they can at least give “100%” to all 8 performances then, in fairness to audiences then? They can give their “100%” divided by 8 then. lol DL never even wanted 100% of this production but now you theatre Marys are even more offended by this disrupter and ready to pounce.

This Sarah Porkalub is a genius. They should give her a MacArthur grant for this interview alone.

It reminds me of when the actress Betty Gilpin said in a NYT interview lamenting that she’s only called upon to give maybe 10% of what she’s capable of doing and that if called upon to give 100% of herself, she wondered what that would look like, what she might be able to do. I guess nobody cared because she’s an attractive white woman.

I’m sure the cast Sarah Porkalub works with admires and respects her because they’ve been working with her and already know who she is. How hilarious that she’s ruffled feathers by puncturing the ridiculous myths of theatre folks - myths that up to the present moment have left performers vulnerable to sexual abuse, harassment by well known successful producers and exploitation. Isn’t this the industry that thinks little of their culpability in the suicide of performers when they’re randomly forced out of long-running shows? Oh right, Broadway. The Great White Way.

Kudos to Sarah Porkalub! This isn’t even the controversial stuff, lol. Long may she wave!!!

Thank you to the poster here who outlined the Porkalob (sp?) situation and linked the Vulture article! I appreciate it.

Yeah so...who does that? Really, really stupid on her (their?) part to poo-poo the show as it's running. Such bad form. And 1776 was just starting its run too...

"I just did it to maybe get a Tony nom" is one of the most shit-the-bed things I've heard an actor say in recent memory. Who do you think you ARE?

...speaking of which...

The journalist who was screamed at by La LuPone wrote a blog post/article about it, identifying themself (herself?) so that's out there on the interwebs.

I agree, it's strange that Patti would mistake a photographer with obvious equipment for a rude audience member overstepping...but apparently that's what it was.

I've always wondered if Patti ever tried to make it right after embarrassing them. Hopefully she did...but I've never heard her speak on it. Usually she mentions how people have no manners in the theatre anymore.

As for Lea, I watched a clip of "You are woman, I am man" and no, sorry, she really isn't doing an amazing job in the part. She seems adequate. And lord, the set is ugly.

Ramin and Lea are so smug it's impossible to enjoy them. And Lea trying to be funny? She was all wild gestures and mugging. It wasn't good.

If anyone takes seriously this idea of creating a "replacement" category just so she can have a Tony for this....I'll barf. There have been FAR more impressive performances in Broadway history.

I really doubt her performing career will open up much after this. She's so one-note. Seeming a little less like Rachel Berry doesn't make her a great actress...

R253 Shut up, Singapore/FuckingFling or one of his disciples. Most folks who do a show make their day about the performance. Warming up their voices -- if it doesn't feel like it's there, taking their time, drinking tea, warming up again, doing exercise, not speaking too much or on the phone, saving their voices, maybe doing some vocal exerciss again to see if voice is in better shape, etc. It's all about getting ready to put on a great performance later at the evening show, or on matinee day, starting to think about it earlier and how to do it twice. Your body or your voice might not be at 100% if you're not feeling well, but you do your best -- and that doesn't mean saying you're only doing some assinine number like 75%.

The Porkyslob shalt be banished from the Great Bright Wat.

YouTube just served me a clip from the 2014-15 revival of On the Town. I'd forgotten what a joyous experience that was. That revival seemed to get everything right -- the casting, the music (with that HUGE orchestra), the most exquisite dancing I'd see on Broadway in ages and -- somehow -- a freshness and vitality that made it feel like the show had just been written last week. I feel like Bernstein, Comden & Green would have loved that revival. Any favorite musical revivals?

Lea DeLaria was a better Hildy in the previous revival. Great jazz belter with great stage presence.

Oh Porkalob's toast. It's not the woke-ism, it's the bitching in public. You don't publicly undercut your own show like that. I doubt she'll get fired--the show's not going to run that long, but who's going to hire her after that? She's clearly a pain to work with--there's no way she wasn't difficult during rehearsal with that attitude--and she can't be trusted. There are other chubby Filipinas who can sing.

R252, it's already there, but the big issue with it is that the audiences aren't there for it. There's a huge disconnect between the woke theatre crowd, who think audiences should pay a bunch of money to be indoctrinated, and the audiences who want to be entertained.

When all's said and done, a social media following of underemployed grumblers doesn't make for a career on Broadway.

Really, one of the dumber career suicides I've seen. All she had to do was not bitch about the director's choices. Really simple.

The thing about Sara Porkalob is that she's doing what many other millennials and Gen Zers make the mistake of doing: they think everyone is entitled to their feelings. It's the same mistake Constance Wu made, except Porkalob doesn't have the excuse that she let it slip on social media like Wu did--she vented her feelings about her current job during a full-fledged interview with a major magazine when she had time to prepare and think about what she was going to say.

Porlob comes across as utterly self-serving and self-centered. and is telling her audience she doesn't really care about her job. That's why her fellow millennials are lauding her for her honesty--they always feel this way about their crappy jobs. the problem is that this ISN'T a crappy job: it's a chance most Broadway aspirants would give their right arms to have.

Millennials and Gen Zers often think everyone else in the world cares about their individual feelings on every topic, and the truth is only their parents and their own peers do (if anyone does). Porkalob was given a job to do in a very high-prestige and high visibility show , but she's complaining it feels to her like a job instead of like funa nd she doesn;t feel like giving her all for it. Well, boo hoo hoo. I'm sure future casting directors will find someone who won;t shit over opportunities like this again.

But she's a POC theythem! She is unencumbered by the norms and rules of society! Unless you mean the rules and norms she and the bluehair woke brigade have invented. Those must be followed to the letter

She is a louse!

When you go into work today, try telling your boss that you’re only planning on giving 75%. See how sympathetic they are.

I'm still not sure why we're supposed to consider her so brave and fearless.

In a nutshell she said she doesn't like the show she's in and she only took the role for the money/exposure/potential to win awards/increase her IG followers. She passive aggressively trashed her directors and implied she could have done a better job because she's very smart and talented and above all this Broadway nonsense but please give me money and a Tony.

Making public statements like "I hate my job" and "I'm only using this job to get ahead" and "I'm way smarter than my bosses" isn't brave...it's what many people think and actually say out loud to friends/family members/perhaps on their social media if they're especially stupid. I don't see much bravery there or how she's a fierece social justice warrior by using this gig to get ahead...how is that "dismantling the white patriarchy" of commercial theater?

Also: why do I think that if an actor or a collaborator of hers in a production she was directing did the same thing to her, by badmouthing her directorial skills, she'd be furious and having a tantrum on social media that she was the victim of some kind of persecution. With her ego, I can't see her taking that very well.

R261, I know plenty of POC who also don't have a lot of patience with an attitude like Porkalob's--her Black director for one, but really anyone who doesn't have an off-the-wall sense of entitlement and, maybe, needs to pay the rent.

I have a young relative at one of the big theatre departments--the wokeism is off the charts and the backstabbing and competition is cut-throat--no one there would publicly bitch about a show they were in. Even at that level, they all get that there's someone else who wil take your spot. And that people gossip and *remember*.

Porkslob doesn't come from one of the big theatre schools (Cornish College of the Arts in Seattle with a 79 percent acceptance rate). She didn't come in through open auditions, so I suspect that she has no real idea just how replacable she actually is. She's 32-33--too old to have been this dumb.

She can retreat back to fringes of showbiz, doing her one-woman shows, leveraging her experience, I suppose, into lectureships at minor colleges somewhere. Whereas, if she'd not attacked the director, a few good notices probably would have gotten her a decent agent and a shot at a more successful show.

r264 and r265 win. It's delightful that this narcissistic person has decided that being an asshole and trashing your gig in an interview is gonna get her a good agent. LO fucking L

Actually, the greatest theatre practitioners aspire to do their job at 150%.

The Porkalub incident is interesting. Patti LuPone phoned in lots of Evita performances and even changed musical notes because she couldn’t sustain. It was said if you wanted to see her give a 100% you had to go see her cabaret act at Les Mouches. But at that time, the internet wasn’t around and Patti let others do her complaining while she pretended to be the toast of Broadway.

[Quote] DL hates the very idea of this production and then expected her to give some brain dead “rah rah” interview about it?

It’s not (pun intended) a binary choice you blowhard. There’s a lot of space between what she did and a “rah rah” interview. Including some opportunity simply to say less. Speak out later and don’t do harm to the show you’re in.

I hope Porkalob has a shit-ton of commissions lined up, because there is no place for her outside the not-for-profit sector now. And you can only live off that public money for so long before you're replaced by a newer, fresher, worker young thing.

The entitlement of some of these actors seemed to really ramp up from the pandemic onwards. There were lots of tweets about how people shouldn't expect perfect performances until months after re-opening, Kathryn Gallagher saying she shouldn't be expected to lose the weight she gained over the pandemic, and so on which generally seemed to lead to them thinking they can say anything. I recall one admitting he's done shows while still under the influence of drugs from the night/morning before, which I'm sure pleases his scene partners who might be reliant on him for their safety. The same idiot also tweeted whining he wasn't being asked to lead shows.

I want an audience to see Lillias' vagina.

I saw 1776 yesterday, as a friend had an extra ticket. The show is a slog and a relic, but the cast was fun. Sara Porkalob was very good as Rutledge, but it wasn't a "wow I'm blown away and she is a bonafide star" performance. Not that is has to be, but for the expectations she herself set.

Diane Paulus is definitely on a "she's a hack" trajectory, though. A lot of the directorial choices were sloppy and odd, and it was the talents of the cast that frequently saved the show from itself (or tried to anyway).

Which is worse? The Fish Oklahoma! or the Paulus 1776?

I loved Fish's Oklahoma!

Liza always gave 100%+ even when she went onstage stoned. Chita and Bernie and Hugh and Sutton always give it their all even when they’re under the weather. Patti? No. I’ve seen her walk through many performances hamming it up. She’s lazy. Dame Angie never let the audience down. Barbra and Gwen would cut numbers when they weren’t feeling great but they showed up for their audiences. If this Porky person is only willing to give 75% on her best day then she should get a job at the post office.

[quote]she should get a job at the post office

Haven't we suffered enough?

Are folks who disagree with Peekaboo afraid to speak up online because they'll be flamed as racists and haters? She refers to 'the haters' as if disagreeing with her constitutes hate, i.e., hate speech. That's what's hateful.

R273, how filled was the theater? And how did the audience that was there react to the show?

Fish's Oklahoma felt like he hated the show. 1776 feel incompetent in lots of spots but it's somehow questioning some of the material not trashing it. And there are no falling boots, thank god.

"The latest Broadway revival of “Oklahoma!,” now wrapping its yearlong national tour, generally leaves theatergoers in adoration, awe, anger or confusion. Some performances of the Tony-winning production have continued amid clamorous walkouts or loud booing; one ended with a patron running from their seat and vomiting at a volume clearly audible to the actors."

from r230's article for anyone who didn't click.

Meet Truth Future Bachman!

[quote]Fish's Oklahoma felt like he hated the show. 1776 feel incompetent in lots of spots but it's somehow questioning some of the material not trashing it.

That's in interesting distinction you perceive, and I think you have a point there, but I don't completely agree.

Who is advising Kate Shindle? There was no reason she needed to insert herself in such a ridiculous way. IF, (bit IF,) this actress if fired, Actors Equity will have to be involved in making sure her dismissal comports with the special LORT contract and set the stage for precedent. Does she even know what her job is? Btw, none of the working actors I know (including POC) have a favorable view of Sara K's stunt. And just to make this point. NOBODY was thinking this woman for a Tony nom. However now we have the false impression they are because she manipulated the media into presenting her and her performance at that level. It will backfire on her, but she now has the false narrative that she was punished for "speaking her truth" and unwillingness to perform "respectability politics" and her brilliant performance was on track to win a nomination before her stunning and brave bullshit. And yes, to the poster who asked, performers are not willing to engage on twitter because of the mob and the enormous waste of time and energy it requires. Producers are watching this shit and thier dwindling box office receipts and are considering true inclusion based on talent rather than ( as Jesse G pointed out in the NY Times) Productions that are constructed for the performers gratification rather than the audience>

[quote]how filled was the theater? And how did the audience that was there react to the show?

Orchestra was full. The audience was generally receptive, although more subdued as the show dragged on and on. There were some awkward moments, such as after the Resolution for Independence was passed a handful of people cheered and hollered, trying to get the rest of the audience to do so, but no one was having it as we were pushing on three hours. The energy certainly wasn't crackling, but it also wasn't hostile.

[quote]Fish's Oklahoma felt like he hated the show. 1776 feel incompetent in lots of spots but it's somehow questioning some of the material not trashing it.

That's a fair reading, but I actually feel the opposite. I got the sense that Fish deeply respected the source material and its strength and craft, so he felt it could withstand a severe reinterpretation pulling at it from all sides, and still hold up under all that tension, which I felt it did.

Whereas in 1776, it felt like Paulus and Page knew the show itself was creaky and fragile and could not withstand any sort of truly rigorous reexamination, so all of the tricks they threw at it were paper thin. It's like they knew if they pulled at it to hard, the whole thing would collapse. They didn't trust the material to stay sturdy, as Fish did with Oklahoma.

really interesting r285, you sound reasonable. What are you doing [italic] here [/italic] ?

[quote]How many hats are you?

I MADE a hat. Where there never was a hat.

I shat in a hat.

I don't know; I thought Porkalob's gripes were less about 1776's shortcomings and more about her/they frustration that her full fabulousness wasn't being tapped by the creative team; she/they is *so much more* than a mere actor. She's a multi-hyphenate, dontcha know?

The participation trophy generation has come of age.

I loved those Shat in a Hat books!

Does anyone still wear a shat?

Pork Chop is just a mule in horse harness.

Words of wisdom from Kim

Many producers and directors may look askance at what this actress said, but there is also the central rule of today's theater: Honor the Woke at All Times. Celebrate woke, accommodate woke, make woke the reason for everything.

She will be hired for many roles. She'll even be offered three or four or more juicy parts at a time. The cynical might view her stunt as a clever way of making her employment irresistible.

Patti did walk through performances of Evita, but I've never heard of her doing it since. (Yes, even though she didn't want to be in the crowd scenes in Les Miz.) Barbra was famous for it. She got bored early on and walked through many performances. However, even walking through their shows, both Patti and Barbra were worth seeing.

I saw Patti 3 times in Company (kept getting free tix) and she was 100 percent every time. Even when she was surrounded by 10 understudies.

[quote]That's a fair reading, but I actually feel the opposite. I got the sense that Fish deeply respected the source material and its strength and craft, so he felt it could withstand a severe reinterpretation pulling at it from all sides, and still hold up under all that tension, which I felt it did.

Not only do I totally disagree with you here, it astounds me that anyone could interpret what Fish did to OKLAHOMA! that way. He did not "reinterpret" OKLAHOMA!, he somehow managed, through his direction, to rewrite it without actually changing any of the lines -- except for one or two towards the end.

Patti wades in:

[quote]Quite a week on Broadway, seeing my name being bandied about. Gave up my Equity card; no longer part of that circus. Figure it out.

Did anyone post her latest Twitter thread? It's a much more nuanced take--it seems clear she's either been talked to behind the scenes or taken some of the online criticisms to heart--while still standing by most of what she said.

WHOA! Did Patti really give up her Equity card? If not, why would she write that? And if so, for what specific reason?

This is my favorite response on the SP thread. Maybe she'll genuinely learn something.

r299 Is it really nuanced when in the first tweet she says anyone who disagrees with her is racist?

Trust Patti to make this all about her.

And yes, Porkalob has been walking back her interview and prior twitter comments all morning. Notably, she didn't mean to cause "pain" to the company. I don't believe her for a minute, but it should be interesting to watch this play out.

Can someone shove a spring roll in her mouth and shut her up already?

Another disastrous PR response from Gen Z. Lol. These kids really don’t get it.

Good for Patti. The leadership at Equity has been sorely lacking throughout the pandemic, and they continue to be inept in everything they do. Try getting a call answered for one...They seem to have adopted some of their crazier members' "burn the house down" attitude when audiences are shrinking and most regionals are struggling more than ever. Shindle's tweet yesterday was example of how far they've fallen...

So Patti LuPone quit Broadway and renounced her Equity card because of Lillias White and a featured actress in a bad revival of 1776?

That makes sense.

I think Patti (and many, many other professional actors) is/are tired of the ineptness of Equity's leaders. The leadership during COVID was insanely bad (still is -- the only industry in the U.S. still with the ridiculous testing protocols) and now they seem to side with every angry actor on Twitter. There's no leadership - just lame reaction. There are no adults in the room, so it's all chaos.

Why would the Lillias White affair have caused Patti to quit Equity? Have their been reports that Lillias has been severely reprimanded by the union for what she did? Not that I think that would be inappropriate.

Can Patti still use the ladies room in the Losers…oops…EQUITY Lounge? Can she still get free tickets to shows?

[quote] So Patti LuPone quit Broadway and renounced her Equity card because of Lillias White and a featured actress in a bad revival of 1776? That makes sense.

No she quit Equity a few weeks ago I heard

Whenever people complain they're being held to a standard of 'respectability politics," what they really want to say is "I'm angry you've called me out as an asshole, even though I've been one--I should be beyond criticism because I am so precious."

[r311] what did you hear why she quit?

[quote] Liza always gave 100%+ even when she went onstage stoned.

Now THAT'S a sentence to ponder!

"I'm Not Afraid of the Great White Way" will be a song in their next one-woman show.

[quote] 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.

Such a rationalization! Sour grapes, anyone?

Twitter destroyed democracy. It's now destroying Broadway.

Please don't monkey with Broadway!

[quote]I'm not afraid of the great White Way. 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.

Her work can't be done on OR Off-Broadway unless someone produces it. And unless she herself produces and bankrolls all of her future work, I don't think it will ever see the light of day, because I can't imagine anyone wanting to get involved with her on any level in future.

[Quote] To the White folks & BIPOC folks w/internalized racism upset w/ me

This the most offensive thing she’s said. If you disagree with what I did you must be one of these two things.

[quote]Not only do I totally disagree with you here, it astounds me that anyone could interpret what Fish did to OKLAHOMA! that way. He did not "reinterpret" OKLAHOMA!, he somehow managed, through his direction, to rewrite it without actually changing any of the lines -- except for one or two towards the end.

I guess our disagreement stems from a difference of opinion on the acceptable limits of reinterpretation. You want conservative limits, while I embrace liberal limits. That's fine.

But I do question why pearl-clutching around how far a director can go in reimagining shows usually only pops up around musicals. No one accuses directors of "rewriting" Shakespeare when they stage Hamlet in differing ways, pulling new ideas from the text. The want for conservative, cookie-cutter productions of classic musicals feels like the proponents of such are actually the ones condescending to musicals, as if the texts of musicals are more fragile and less robust than the texts of great plays and cannot withstand the shock of something new.

Jesus Christ

[quote] It amuses me no end that these Broadway "professionals" continue to sabotage their own jobs and alienate the public-at-large with their narcissistic, deeply damaged pronouncements and virtue-signaling.

Who are you talking about besides Porkalob?

Was it just me who interpreted Patti's tweet with its "quitting Equity" reference as a specific negative reaction to Kate Shindle's (as President of Equity) tweet?

r324, I thought someone said upthread Patti quit Equity before the Porkalob controversy.

One of the biggest differences between the directorial approaches of OKLAHOMA and 1776 was the former's insistence on casting most of the leads in direct opposition to preconceived ideas of those characters (e.g. Laurey as a sullen alto, Ado Annie as a person physically disabled in a wheelchair, Judd as a skinny and pale nerd, Aunt Eller as a stubborn bitch) whereas 1776 cast actors very much in line with the original conception of the characters, EXCEPT they're played by women/non=binary/trans actors , often of color.

For me the Fish interpretation was all about shock value and it did feel like the director had great disdain for the original show.

OTOH, Paulus and Page seemed to revel in the show, even celebrate the writing and music but want audiences to now see all the political actions through a different perspective via the actors as storytellers onstage. It's very presentational and theatrical (almost like a minstrel show), not real, very Brechtian, with no attempt to create historical pictures onstage..

[quote]I guess our disagreement stems from a difference of opinion on the acceptable limits of reinterpretation. You want conservative limits, while I embrace liberal limits. That's fine.

Someone writes a scene in which a man and woman are alone together, the man comes on to the woman, and the woman strongly resists the man's advances. Then, years later, someone directs that scene so it opens with the man and the woman having noisy sex in the dark. To me that's clearly beyond the acceptable limits of reinterpretation.

[quote]But I do question why pearl-clutching around how far a director can go in reimagining shows usually only pops up around musicals. No one accuses directors of "rewriting" Shakespeare when they stage Hamlet in differing ways, pulling new ideas from the text. The want for conservative, cookie-cutter productions of classic musicals feels like the proponents of such are actually the ones condescending to musicals, as if the texts of musicals are more fragile and less robust than the texts of great plays and cannot withstand the shock of something new.

First of all, this is a lazy, annoying, straw-man argument, because, OF COURSE, the fact that someone rejects idiotic desecrations like Fish's OKLAHOMA! doesn't necessary mean that someone only wants "conservative, cookie-cutter productions of classic musicals." And your straw-man argument is such an insult to everyone's intelligence that I'm not going to bother to argue with the rest of what you wrote, though I could easily shoot that down as well. So please leave me to clutch my pearls, and I'll resist telling you what you can go ahead and do.

[quote] But I do question why pearl-clutching around how far a director can go in reimagining shows usually only pops up around musicals.

Because we're GAY.

Bravo, r327.

Not only is 1776 far from creaky and fragile, it is, in fact, one of the most solidly written and thrilling shows in the canon. Its tremendous success and great popularity only underscore the fact.

Apropos of nothing …

*

This Porkbob scandal needs to move faster because I’m bored. Has she been fired yet?

Go throw a stone at her on twitter.

Please. Only the chronically online and mentally ill queerlings are on Twitter. I live in the real world, dear.

So, she claims it's not about her ego.

OK...if it's not about her ego, then she should shut up for a few days at the very least and go into radio silence to allow the furor time to calm down.

I kinda doubt that is gonna happen.

Girl is hawngry.

Diep Tran will be gone in two months. PLAYBILL is the in house organ for Broadway, not any serious journalism (which is fine). Tran won't be able to not make everything about ideology.

[quote]I live in the real world, dear.

Not on DL, r334.

Playbill is all about selling advertising, so as long as she doesn’t mess with that she’s fine.

Wow, that's a slap in the face to Andrew Gans, who has been at Playbill for 30 years. He ought to be running that place by now.

It's like Porkalob yearning for a Tony while condemning Broadway for being an evil expression of white colonial patriarchy....

Uh, Tony Awards are given out by the Broadway Chamber of Commerce. The #1 rule of such organizations is, you don't badmouth the Industry but promote it.

She wants the Evil White Colonial Patriarchy to give her all the shiny things she craves (awards/money/followers/recognition/power) while sneering at the people who can provide those things.

It's like "fuck you White Mommy & Daddy! I hate you! Now, give me a Jaguar and a Platinum card!"

[quote] Its tremendous success and great popularity only underscore the fact.

???

It's not that popular. Not a single standard emerged from the score. It's rarely performed at high schools or in community theater.

The original run did very well, but the (only two) Broadway revivals in the fifty intervening years did not.

[quote] Wow, that's a slap in the face to Andrew Gans, who has been at Playbill for 30 years.

Horrors, Mary!!!

Porkslob is a millennial, not Gen Z. She's 32, though she's kind of the worst of both.

She's a millennial behaving like a Gen Zer.

I work in academia and work with her type all the time.

The Datalounge condoles you r344.

Brilliant analysis, R340. I'm not sure if Porkalob has been shockingly hypocritical or just incredibly stupid in what she has tweeted, but of course, it could be a very toxic combination of both.

So Sara Porkalob the new Follies?

There have been just as many revivals of 1776 as there have of FOLLIES. Jus sayin...

I know she’s queen of cunts but I love Patti on stage and am sad that the idea of her not being in the mix for a production is quite sad.

[quote] So Sara Porkalob the new Follies?

She's the new ME!

[quote]So Sara Porkalob the new Follies?

There is no *new* FOLLIES, r347, there is only...FOLLIES.

[quote]So Sara Porkalob is the new Follies?

Porkalob is the other white meat. Oh, wait....

Ohmygawd. "Truth Future Bachman"!!!

Lordy, that article is like a parody! I can't EVEN!

[quote]...Paulus and Page knew the show itself was creaky and fragile...

Huh, r285? What are you talking about?

1776 is neither creaky, nor fragile, it is an expertly constructed piece which has stood up to almost every level of production for fifty years!

Who's going to see the re-imagined PIRATES OF PENZANCE to night at The Roundabout?

And who will everyone be talking about in the lobby?

Will Ramin be shirtless?

Is the Pope Catholic, r356?

[quote] And who will everyone be talking about in the lobby?

Sara Porkalob.

I'll be burning my Equity Card in the lobby.

That people in the theater are cheering on Porkalob's inane, narcissistic gibberish shows that life in the theater is not exactly a Mensa weekend. Patti LuPone is also a numbskull and needs to sit the fuck down!

Well r360, at least we poor schlubs have you for wisdom.

Lupone would make a great Bloody Mary.

r361 is clutching his Sara Porkalob autographed Playbill ranting about the "Broadway Patriarchy" while standing in the TKTS line...

sadly

when i saw Patti in Gypsy she was racing through each act to get to the big songs at the end

the scenes suffered especially the scene where her or leaves

made me miss tyne

that should be. where herbie leaves

R362 But, much more importantly, could she mix & serve a great Bloody Mary?

Can we have a 1776 where the British win and the delegates end with nothing but infighting?

I think I'd rather hear Patti sing "Molasses and Rum" and if Daniel Fish was directing, have servings of molasses and rum at intermission.

Onequicklookaseachofemleavesyou

Porklob and Beanie for the inevitable musical version of Hocus Pocus.

[quote]I think I'd rather hear Patti sing "Molasses and Rum" and if Daniel Fish was directing, have servings of molasses and rum at intermission.

That's just an obvious half-baked choice.

What you do is soak the audience with molasses and rum for the entire 2nd act via snowblowers.

Speaking of dear, sweet, Ms. LuPone, did she ever bother to make any sort of public statement about the death of her brother? Or has she carried that estrangement beyond the grave?

Equity to Patti LuPone: Thanks a lot and out with the garbage!

R372 - Yes...

R372 Dick.

I guess Patti issued a brief statement following up on her Tweet. I figured this was more the case -- that she'd decided not to renew her Equity membership after Company closed because she was going to take a long break from the stage. She's spoken before about how the rigors of doing 8 shows a week of a musical have not been easy. I saw her toward the end of her run in Company and, FWIW, she was full of energy and giving much more than 75%.

Patti can be a bit melodramatic. I imagine she will eventually renew her union membership and return to the stage -- perhaps not in an open-ended musical run -- but maybe a limited run play?

[quote]“When the run of Company ended this past July, I knew I wouldn’t be on stage for a very long time,” LuPone said in a statement obtained by Deadline. “And at that point I made the decision to resign from Equity.” A spokesperson for LuPone said the actor would have no further comment on the matter.

Thanks, R374. I missed that entirely. My understanding is that they were estranged for many years, perhaps off and on, so I don't know why R375 is insulting me for asking that question.

R372 - I knew what you were referring to. I don't know why R375 had such an over the top reaction. You weren't even being that bitchy. It's well known that Patti and Robert had a bit of a falling out. I think they reconciled within the last couple of years? I'm not sure what it was all about. Perhaps someone here knows.

[quote]I guess Patti issued a brief statement following up on her Tweet. I figured this was more the case -- that she'd decided not to renew her Equity membership after Company closed because she was going to take a long break from the stage.,,,,,Patti can be a bit melodramatic.

Indeed. The tweet that caused all the brouhaha -- “Quite a week on Broadway, seeing my name being bandied about. Gave up my Equity card; no longer part of that circus. Figure it out" -- seems to have been carefully crafted to make it sound as if she gave up her Equity card more recently, and in response to something that happened this week, presumably the mess involving Lillias White.

R377 Because your post was dripping with stupid cuntiness, about relationships you know not a single thing about.

Patti is still making a stink to impugn the labor union that supported her for over fifty years and gave her a pension. Since she'd already spoken of retiring why toxically badmouth the union she's probably not done shit to help change in whatever ways she's cryptically referring to?

It's not like you pay a lot in dues if you're not working. She's just being a jerk.

"Shut UP Patti LuPone!"

And she does it *just* to annoy you, r381...

What are you FUCKING TALKING about, r382?

She's a public figure making a lot of noise and I'm a union actor, it is distasteful to me and not only disloyal, but unprofessional for her to take this inflammatory action with only the vaguest of reasons she leaves out. She's also been a real bitch most of her career, so there's that. Why are you pretending to make this about me?

[quote]Why are you pretending to make this about me?

Ohhhhh, no reason, r383.

I don't like r375.

R383 Bless your shrieking. She is utter class. Equity is shit.

We interrupt our regularly scheduled broadcast to bring an update for the James Corden haters here

[quote] A New York City restaurateur said he was rescinding a ban on TV host James Corden, hours after he called out the comedian for being one of his restaurant’s “most abusive” customers ever.

BUT I'M A CHEERLEADER: THE MUSICAL!

Maybe GottMik could take over Porky's role in 1776.

Krysta Rodriguez leaving ITW to join The Collaboration. Will Philippa Soo return now that Guys and Dolls has concluded it’s run?

Pikachu left 75% of her shoes on the steps of the palace

I saw The Collaboration in London at The Young Vic. How does one write a play about two utterly inarticulate people (Warhol and Basquiat), no matter how famous they were? This did not succeed in solving that problem.

Though I guess it's admirable for Krysta Rodriguez to stretch herself in a non-musical, even if the role is rather insignificant (Basquiat's helpless girl friend).

Krysta was very good as LIZA!!! in that Netflix series about Halston.

Michael Musto FB post:

The big Broadway scandal right now involves an actor from the male-free "1776" revival trashing the direction of the show in an interview, and the co-director/choreographer firing back that this woman is fake woke and "rotten to the core." It's getting ugly, and I'll be following this mess every step of the way.

But I had my own mini contretemps about the show (which I liked) last night.

At another theatrical event, a woman sitting behind me tapped me on the shoulder and volunteered that she hated "1776" because, for one thing, "How could Thomas Jefferson be pregnant when the wife sang about their wonderful love life?"

I wisecracked, "Well, if they sang about their wonderful love life, she could definitely be pregnant."

And the woman replied, "No, Martha should be pregnant, not Thomas."

I started losing my temper and said, "It's not really Thomas Jefferson. The show clearly starts with the women rolling up their stockings and showing that they are going to be women and non binary actors playing men's roles. Thomas Jefferson is not really pregnant. The actress just happens to be pregnant."

I suppose this person thinks the actor should be fired because she happens to be "showing" and Thomas Jefferson wasn't really with child. I imagine she didn't realize that he wasn't really a woman either!!!

Whatever. Back to the drawing board. I'm rotten to the core.

Can't someone cancel Michael Musto?

There was no reason for that conversation Michael Musto had to be publicly released.

Krysta is one of the best Spring Awakening alums.

Krysta continues to have a non-career career. She and Megan Hilty.

re-Musto's points (@ R394): Look, I'm all for Brechtian reminders that the drama being portrayed on stage is not [italic]real life[/italic] but the complete rejection of any attempt at impersonation by the actors can often feel simply gratuitous. Are these actors portraying characters or caricatures?

One of the greatest gifts of drama is the way it can make an audience recognize [italic]universal[/italic] experience through the specificities of time and place. Instead of having to transform the drama (or its presentation) to suit "modern sensibilities", how about letting the drama itself be transformative?

Corden has always been a known cunt. The Brits kicked him over our way because they couldn't stand his insatiable ego.

Just dig up the Reddit AMA with him and his writing staff that went tits up (Redditors began sharing personal interactions where Corden was a known cunt and Corden and his staff had to abort the AMA) or read the IG comments under McNally's original post, and you have countless reports of his god awful behavior.

The dude really sucks. And like Ellen, once you're tipped off about his true self, you can't unsee it.

That song from The Pajama Game was certainly prescient was it not? I mean it's like telling us this was going to happen.....

Oh....wait.....no.....that was Seven and Half Cents......whew. Never mind.

More about Patti has come out--she was upset about the percentage of income going towards Equity dues, something like that. So she probably felt that if she wasn't going to do big shows anymore, why give the union her money. But it's odd she made it so public.

I've also heard rumors that Patti is ill and that's why she's retiring. I hope that's just a rumor.

And Phillipa Soo is going to be Guinevere for Lincoln Center's CAMELOT (workshop starts today) so I doubt she goes back into ITW.

Wasn't it Patrick Stewart who had a very public row with Corden at some awards show? Anyone remember?

Is Matthew Rhys still slated for King Arthur (he did the initial workshop)?

R402, If Patti isn't working, her Equity dues would be $176 a year. I doubt that would break her.

Is she still a member of British Equity, though? Because if David Hare wrote her a play about Nancy Pelosi for the National she’d be over there like a shot.

[quote]More about Patti has come out--she was upset about the percentage of income going towards Equity dues, something like that. So she probably felt that if she wasn't going to do big shows anymore, why give the union her money. But it's odd she made it so public.

Because she's a narcissist who loves to over-dramatize things. And anyone who has read her memoir knows that she loves to paint herself as a victim, and to paint other people (and organizations, in this case) as evildoers who are working against her or taking advantage of her in some way.

Patti is going for it. Here's what she just said in an interview:

But today LuPone told People magazine that Equity doesn’t “support actors at all,” and added, “They’re just not good. And I just didn’t want to give them any more money.”

As usual, she's right.

so is Patti different from Porkabob?

[quote] Aunt Eller as a stubborn bitch

Patti, please come back!

Equity is using some discriminatory language against white people in their open access to membership on-line.

"But Equity theatres, like all entertainment industry employers, are disproportionately run by white people, and their programming and hiring decisions show that they often hold biases in favor of people from similar demographics. In fact, recent hiring studies demonstrate that Equity contracts are disproportionately offered to white people, and the majority of new members join via a contract. ... Equity theatres, and indeed all entertainment industry employers, are disproportionately led by and populated by white people. Our membership rule has created a disproportionately high barrier to access for actors and stage managers of marginalized identities."

If they substituted the words "Latin", "Jewish", "Irish", "Italian", etc for white, heads would blow up.

They should perhaps change it to "the majority demographic group" or something else. Otherwise, it just sounds anti-white.

I’d pay good money to see Patti play Aunt Eller

I might even sit through that trash Fish production again

But could Patti do Charlotte Greenwood's leg kicks? They're extraordinary.

Jesus fucking Christ. Are they insane? White people still make up 3/4 of the US population. That's 75%.

So yes, by nature of basic math, you're going to have a disproportionate amount of white people joining and being cast in theatrical productions across the US. It's not racism. It's basic math. But no, there must be some horrible insidious prejudice happening in what's historically been the most progressive, liberal safe haven! Give me a fucking break.

The woke are running the asylum.

I'd like to add that, although I stand by my statement that LuPone often behaves as a self-dramatizing narcissist, etc., this does not mean she's wrong in her feelings about Equity, which does indeed seem to be a horrendously ineffectual, sometimes even counter-productive organization in many ways. But I guess I'm with those who feel that the way to bring change to an organization that desperately needs is is NOT to quit that organization. Also, I object to the way in which LuPone somehow made recent unrelated events ALL ABOUT HER. Or at least, she tried to.

She can only speak from her experience, r414.

r370

*claps*

I love you.

LOLOLOLOLOLOLOL!

[quote]She can only speak from her experience, [R414].

Indeed, but she could have "spoken from her experience" in a far less overly dramatic, incendiary way, and not tried to hitch the wagon of her grievances to what happened at 1776 and Hadestown.

[quote] And Phillipa Soo is going to be Guinevere for Lincoln Center's CAMELOT (workshop starts today)

OOOH! That promises to be great!

Can someone quickly summarize the whole 1776 Porkabob scandal. I've been skimming these threads and don't want to go back and find the original discussion.

"Incendiary", r417???

lol

Casting prediction for Camelot: Arthur - white; Gwennie - Asian; Lancelot - black; Mordred - Latino; Morgan - trans.

Audience prediction for Camelot: ZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzz ZZZzzzzzzzz

Cunt Rex Reed re-reviews Funny Girl, admits Lea Michele is a huge hit.

"Camelot" has a really dreary book, with a few good scenes and a wonderful score. It drags.......a lot.

I thought the female lead in Camelot was someone else?

[quote] Audience prediction for Camelot: ZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzz ZZZzzzzzzzz

I used to love the Camelot OBC but the two times I saw productions live, they were complete snoozefests

It was kind of boring even with Richard Burton in the revival years ago.

Richard Harris was a revelation....

[quote]"Camelot" has a really dreary book, with a few good scenes and a wonderful score. It drags.......a lot.

The book of the show is being completely rewritten by Aaron Sorkin for this production. Also, the leads have already been announced, unless there have been changes that I'm unaware of.

The Camelot leads have not been announced.

"Camelot's" book was always a slog, with an especially weak second act, which has a cardboard villain in Mordred, and Arthur suddenly going from hero to namby-pamby zero, but it keeps getting produced because the score is gorgeous. I'm not sure that Aaron Sorkin is the man to fix the book's problems, but I'll try to keep an open mind.

Patti calling out Equity as being out of touch with the membership is being cheered by actors all over town. They have no leadership right now. With McCall leaving, they hired a guy who knows nothing about theatre business, and Shindle has joined the "burn it all down" brigade, so there's no one for a working actor these days.

McColl sold out the actors long enough to leave with her golden parachute intact.

UnKindle Kate Shindle - or at least toss her out.

McCall at least knew what she was doing. The current gang is completely clueless. Getting anything done is impossible, and they've completely bungled COVID. Members are livid.

"But Equity theatres, like all entertainment industry employers, are disproportionately run by white people, and their programming and hiring decisions show that they often hold biases in favor of people from similar demographics. " So now we are going to create new biases where white people=bad, and we only hire and advocate for people who aren't white.

They hired the Diversity folks to do that, it seems. They don't seem to be interested in many kinds of diversity, it turns out.

[quote] So now we are going to create new biases where white people=bad, and we only hire and advocate for people who aren't white.

Where have you been? I work in non-profit theater, it's already happening.

Of course, in his review of Lea in "Funny Girl," uber-cunt Rex Reed had to whine about how Beanie was "unfairly maligned" and also be extremely back-handed when giving compliments to Lea. What a tiresome old queen.

Rex Reed circa 1980 would have called Beanie out for being too curvy to play Fanny. He would have destroyed her. I guess in 2022 we’re getting Woke Rex.

This might be the best looking cast ever and they sound great.

Same cast with this little slice of Heaven.

Can you imagine what John Simon would have written, r440?

Commercial for the upcoming São Paulo production of Wicked:

Any word on cast replacement for Into the Woods?

r441 Too many white people.

[Quote] Can someone quickly summarize the whole 1776 Porkabob scandal. I've been skimming these threads and don't want to go back and find the original discussion.

Summary: There’s a scandal and fuck you, you lazy queen.

Did Betsy Palmer ever do Follies?

[quote]Can someone quickly summarize the whole 1776 Porkabob scandal. I've been skimming these threads and don't want to go back and find the original discussion.

Twitter, race/gender intersectionality and egomania hook up and produce a baby named "Sara Porkalob" (she/they/me me me me me). Said nonbinary gets cast in yet another ultra-woke deconstructed bway show. Said nonbinary does magazine interview and in quick succession breaks Show Business Rules #1 and #2 (what happens in rehearsal room stays there; never trash the show you're currently performing in). Tears, insults, histrionics and hilarity ensue.

[quote]Patti calling out Equity as being out of touch with the membership is being cheered by actors all over town.

She does indeed have a very good point there, BUT that doesn't make her actions and methods any less off-putting and childish.

r448, Betsy Palmer might have been a lovely Sally in 1971 and would have been more believable as a Follies chorus girl than Dorothy Collins, but I don't think she could have ever sung Sally's songs as brilliantly as Dorothy did. I wonder if Jane Powell was considered?

Suddenly, it's a bit of relief to get back to Follies.

[quote]Same cast with this little slice of Heaven.

R442, are you talking about the song, or the guy playing Barrett? Your phrase applies to either :-)

R419, press the Ctrl key + F, type "Porkabob" in the search box. R77 with the explanation is the first hit.

[quote] Said nonbinary does magazine interview

But get this! Porkabob uses "she/they" pronouns, but does NOT identify as nonbinary.

She's a clown of the lowest order.

Does this cunt think she actually has fans?

[quote]Did Betsy Palmer ever do Follies?

Was Betsy more of an Arlene or a Dorothy Kilgallen?

Dreadful

CAMELOT leads for the full production have not been announced. But a two-week workshop began today with:

Arthur - Hamish Patel Guinivere - Philippa Soo Lancelot - Jordan Donica

My source says these are the likely leads for the full production, but nothing official yet. A lot can change.

So no whites allowed?

I wonder what the king izzzzzzzzzzzzzz……….

Betsy was not *remotely* a Dorothy, r456.

The thing about those Goodson/Todman girls:

Arlene Francis

Dorothy Kilgallen

Kitty Carlisle

Peggy Cass

Betsy Palmer

Bess Myerson

None of them was like the other.

There were no white people or knights or kings or queens in 6th century Britain. Everyone knows this.

Wait what did I miss - wasn’t this Matthew Rhys and Ashley Park??

[quote]are you talking about the song, or the guy playing Barrett? Your phrase applies to either :-)

Well, I meant the actor but it does apply to the song too, it is really a lovely moment in the show.

This whole thing with Lilias White has shown me, clearly, how completely disingenuous and fractured the Army of the Woke are. If a white actor had embarrassed a deaf person who they thought was using a phone to record, there would be an absolute condemnation of the actor online. But because we are talking about a black actor, there are the usual million excuses and arguments supporting White. How dare white people admonish this plus size queen? It's all just so phony.

Word on the street is that Matt Doyle will be the next Seymour in Little Shop.

[quote]"But Equity theatres, like all entertainment industry employers, are disproportionately run by white people, and their programming and hiring decisions show that they often hold biases in favor of people from similar demographics.

Of course the huge number of math non-whizzes assumes an equal number of non-white people economically and culturally are making the decision to "run entertainment industries" which of course is nonsense. Maybe a large number of non-white people are just not inclined to go into show biz/entertainment for a myriad of reasons on top of which is the fact that white people are about 65% of the country!

Proof of bias is never asked for, but simply assumed! Arts organizations need access to capital which I imagine is more easily raised by white people asking white people (often in real estate) to gift them with. There are far more cultural reasons than nefarious ones. Why aren't there more black hockey players and more white boxers and basketball players? Is it "racism"?

These phony, racist, discriminatory statements and acts by people who just aren't very bright to begin with infuriate me!

[quote]Equity theatres, and indeed all entertainment industry employers, are disproportionately led by and populated by white people.

Equity theatres, and indeed all entertainment industry employers, are disproportionately attended, paid for, and populated by white people.

And "disproportionate" in relation to what? The population? Because it's not.

And "disproportionate" in relation to what? The population? Because it's not.

Hot hunky gorgeous Matt Doyle??

No, the other Matt Doyle.

I hope McClure is leaving LSOH to do Camelot. Now's [italic] that's [/italic] a King Arthur I'd like to see.

Is Porkbob out of a job yet? She should be.

Don't confuse Matt Doyle with Mike Doyle.

or Mike Doyle with Mike Hunt.

[quote]Wait what did I miss - wasn’t this Matthew Rhys and Ashley Park??

I wonder if we'll ever find out what happened with that. Did Rhys and Park drop out of CAMELOT simply because it was delayed for such a long time, or is there more to the story than that? I wouldn't be surprised the change has something to do with Aaron Sorkin.

Also, isn't it.....interesting that Ashley Park, of Korean descent, who was originally involved as Guenevere, was replaced by one of the very few other (part) Asian performers who has any kind of standing in musical theatre? Is that just a coincidence, or is it race-conscious casting?

I predict this CAMELOT revival will provoke audience rebellion and a big shakeup in personnel at LCT.

Andre, you in danger, gurrrrl.

R444, at which point do the Brazilians rob the audience members?

Porkabob's biggest problem is her name

[quote] This whole thing with Lilias White has shown me, clearly, how completely disingenuous and fractured the Army of the Woke are. If a white actor had embarrassed a deaf person who they thought was using a phone to record, there would be an absolute condemnation of the actor online. But because we are talking about a black actor, there are the usual million excuses and arguments supporting White. How dare white people admonish this plus size queen? It's all just so phony.

That's Bullshit.

In this case, the guy was using a phone. She had no idea the audience member was deaf and using a device to let him understand the show. It doesn't matter of Lillas White were white or black, ANY actor would have thought it was someone recording the show

I think part of the moral of the Lillias White story is that management needs to keep performers abreast of new kinds of technology that might be used by audience members for reasons other than photographing a performance. Also, it would be great if house staff could be charged with seriously policing such devices to make sure they are NOT being used to record or photograph, but that's much easier said than done, and it's NOT going to happen.

Soo is more of a Guinevere than Park who can be quite brash in the acting department.

The Rusty Month of May!

I can't wait to go to the Lena Horne Theatre. (aka The Lens). I'm assuming the Golden will be renamed the B.D. Wong by the time April rolls around..

The Rusty Trombone of May

R487: ?????

Some might say that Guenevere is rather brash.

Matthew Rhys is 47. Patel is 32. Maybe they're going for someone more age-appropriate. (Burton was about 35.)

An age appropriate Arthur would be in his early 20s.

"More" being the operative word in R490's post.

[quote] Maybe they're going for someone more age-appropriate. (Burton was about 35.)

He may have been 35 but he looked 55.

This is why Patti fled the scene.

Holy shit! Strippers? Yeah, replace Kate Shindle now.

Wouldn't strippers be more AGVA?

Sumpin rong wit STRIPPIN???!

[quote] The book of the show is being completely rewritten by Aaron Sorkin for this production.

He'll just make it more talky--with actors talking really fast at each other.

Truthfully, with so many musical re-writes lately, I rarely see something that transforms the shows into a masterpiece--it'll still just plod along.

[quote] Many producers and directors may look askance at what this actress said, but there is also the central rule of today's theater: Honor the Woke at All Times. Celebrate woke, accommodate woke, make woke the reason for everything.

Bull shit.

Why is adding more POC into shows a "woke" thing. It's the natural thing to do, particularly in such a diverse country.

This new view of theatre is a boon for productions--Knowing that audiences will still come, producers have far more actors to choose from. Having POC actors will bring in new audiences, particular for traditional shows we all know.

[quote] Having POC actors will bring in new audiences, particular for traditional shows we all know.

It sure will!

R500, Not every show will, but Hamilton did. The show also has to be good.

[quote]Why is adding more POC into shows a "woke" thing. It's the natural thing to do, particularly in such a diverse country.

It's natural and laudable to do it with new shows that are specifically crafted for POC, and also with revivals of the rare old shows that make sense with and benefit from that kind of casting. It's very UNnatural to do it with old shows that make no sense when cast that way, which unfortunately accounts for the vast majority of older shows.

[quote]Not every show will, but Hamilton did. The show also has to be good.

Yes, the show has to be good. But more importantly, "Hamilton" was a NEW show specifically written and crafted for casting with POC. As compared to the current 1776, which is a ridiculous, reactionary, failed attempt to cast an old show in a way that makes zero sense. I suspect the people behind 1776 looked at "Hamilton" and said to themselves, "What a huge hit that show is! Of course, we don't have the talent to write a new show like that ourselves, so instead we'll just revive 1776 and cast it that way. Of course, 1776 was never intended for such casting, so it won't work at all, but that's okay, because people will be afraid to criticize us for fear of appearing racist, misogynistic, and transphobic."

Say what you will about her singing chops and her professionalism... but enlarged or not, Beanie has heart. Lea cannot relate.

[quote]The book of the show is being completely rewritten by Aaron Sorkin for this production.

[quote]He'll just make it more talky--with actors talking really fast at each other.

Because what "Camelot" really needed was to be more talky than it already was.

Beanie's performance is an embarrassment to every community theater actor everywhere. She doesn't uphold the standards they've worked so hard to establish and maintain. Even Carol Ann Kanipple would be ashamed.

Did someone say nipple?

Oh, please. Beanie's a pillow princess. Guaranteed.

It's Knippel, r505.

It was Kanipple before the divorce, r508

Darren Criss is warbling at Cafe Carlyle in Nov.-Dec. (where will they put the autotune machine?), followed by Seth Rudetsky "honoring the historic 30-year run of Phantom of the Opera." Pace Bobby Short.

[quote]Beanie's performance is an embarrassment to every community theater actor everywhere.

How did she not flunk out of theater camp?

R503 I suggest perhaps then she might be cast as Sister in "Damn Yankees", playing Jean Stapleton's role, who led off the reprise of "Heart". It's closer to Beanie's type actually.

Although Jean Stapleton could actually sing, even if it was more of a character voice.

Mother Dingbat...

"Instead of having to transform the drama (or its presentation) to suit "modern sensibilities", how about letting the drama itself be transformative?'

Precisely. In other words, save your money, stay home and stream the movie.

"Knowing that audiences will still come, producers have far more actors to choose from. Having POC actors will bring in new audiences, particular for traditional shows we all know.:

In your patois, double bull shit.

R503, where the fuck do you find “heart” in that Godawful clip?! She’s incapable of communicating beyond a simple line reading and her stage movements are so bush league she might as well be in an iron lung. JFC! Beanie really was terrible.

[quote] It's natural and laudable to do it with new shows that are specifically crafted for POC, and also with revivals of the rare old shows that make sense with and benefit from that kind of casting. It's very UNnatural to do it with old shows that make no sense when cast that way, which unfortunately accounts for the vast majority of older shows.

Oh please. It doesn't have to be a new show. It can be an old show re-done with minority actors. Good shows all show our experiences are universal.

The issue with 1776 is that it's a crappy show that no one really wants to see EVER AGAIN. They tried to make it interesting by casting only women. Sure, why not. Let's see if it works. If it does--that's great and they have a hit. If it doesn't, move on to the next show. In neither case is it armageddon.

Oh, her physicality is amateurish, no doubt. But she has heart. I can see why she's been successful on screen.

[quote]The issue with 1776 is that it's a crappy show that no one really wants to see EVER AGAIN.

Hardly, r518.

R520, really, you want to 1776 again? Enjoy...

Coming soon: a jukebox musical of Petula Clark songs... that's not about Petula Clark.

Okay.

They are fun songs, at least.

[quote]Among the score's songs are "Downtown," "You Don't Own Me," "Don't Sleep in the Subway," "The Shoop Shoop Song (It's in His Kiss)," and "The Boy From New York City."

Two of those are Petula Clark songs...

R522, PLEASE STOP THE JUKEBOX MADNESS

R518 = blithering idiot.

[quote]where the fuck do you find “heart” in that Godawful clip?! She’s incapable of communicating beyond a simple line reading and her stage movements are so bush league she might as well be in an iron lung. JFC! Beanie really was terrible.

R517 does not = Rex Reed.

It might be more interesting to craft a Petula Clark musical: US Teen Idol in her thirties while juggling marriage and motherhood with trysts (Sean Connery) and near misses (threeway with Elvis and Karen Carpenter); not to mention, touching a black man's arm (Harry Belafonte) on Network TV! And before all that there was her controlling father, her escape to France, which made her a woman...

Angie’s Mame audition

Pet Clark was a contender for Neely in VOD.

One thing I should note about the Porkalob controversy, and how much surprising support she's found online 9despite the fact that so many in the theater community are disgusted by her throwing her production under the bus and being so obnoxiously eacting in her wokeness):

I have taught for years at a liberal arts college, where I have tenure. I have noticed over the decades that while theater as a major often attracts some of the best students at my college, in recent years (particularly since the "trans moment" of 2015-16), more and more of their majors are the most excessively woke and belligerent students at our college. They love the whole idea of performativity and being watched, so it makes complete sense to me. It's been difficult for our theater professors, some of whom are young and were quite progressive in their politics themselves, although they've been relentlessly criticized on campus for not being woke [italic]enough[/italic] by their own students.

We're seeing these kids grow up and try to find work in the theater world, and so it's natural they would be attracted to (and support) someone as uncompromising as Porkalob. But with this incident I think Porkalob discovered the limits of her own arrogance in a larger money-making world. She is going to have a very hard time with finding employment in the moneymaking professional theater after this (who would trust her to support their production?), so she'll eventually likely retreat to academia herself if she can find the work. But even then she'll find she has to compromise with other older colleagues and administrators--she'll make their lives miserable and herself also so in the process.

Petula was an Anne. Dusty was a Neely.

Oh, my sides at the boob who keeps insisting diverse casting leads to packed diverse audiences.

In a time where theater companies both pro and amateur are worried because post Covid attendance is still in the toilet.

Also: why would minority audiences suddenly start flocking to something they've seldom been encourage to partake in? Just because a "brother" has been cast in a white role in a show that they have no interest in seeing?

Your average African American citizen isn't racing to buy a ticket to see LL Cool J in "Pride & Prejudice because....who the fuck wants to see that?

No one.

[quote] —No one wants to see another production of Austen anyway

???

Link, please.

When is GYPSY coming back to Broadway?

r534

history does say we are due for one soon

The woman with the listening device has learned black trumps deaf in the oppression hierarchy.

Only if LLCoolJ takes his shirt off. Wait, I've got market (un)covered.

GYPSY can never come back to Broadway, doncha know. Or anywhere. The woke have declared the word "gypsy" an unutterable racist slur.

Call it "My Sister June."

Suton Foster will probably be the next Rose Hovick on Broad Way.

The title will be changed to...LOUISE!

[quote]Suton Foster will probably be the next Rose Hovick on Broad Way.

And people thought Bernadette Peters was miscast.

"Some Folks"

"something they've seldom been encourage to partake in"

Oh, puh-leeze! A billboard, newspaper advertisement or television commercial is available to and targets EVERYONE and they will "partake" or not, as they so choose.

Alan Jay said it first and best: "The theatre is not for the young, nor is it for the old. It’s not even for everybody. It’s for people who like the theatre...The people who go to be transported or amused or uplifted or enchanted on the highest possible level—the level that has made the theatre survive the ages."

"Ramblin' Rose Lee!"

Peppermint IS Miss Cratchitt

Sutton will always find work, but for all the folks who saw her in THE MUSIC MAN, that production hasn't exactly made her more of a "get," has it?

The consensus is that she was terribly miscast. As she would be playing Rose.

Yes, not being able to sing, act, move or reliably perform a role, while possessing the deadest eyes since Bruce the Shark equals heart. Yes!

The gypsy moth has been renamed the spongy moth. So I suppose the musical will follow suit. The next revival will be AnnE Hathaway as Mama Rose and Kieran Schipka as Spongy Rose Lee.

Just call it "Everything's Coming Up Roses."

Everything’s Coming Up Rose’s … what?

Lose the S, r550, and add an exclamation point.

Call it "23 Skidoo!"

Everyone’s Coming in Rosebuds!

"Momma's Talkin' Soft"

[quote]Kieran Schipka as Spongy Rose Lee

I would watch the fuck out of that.

No need to change the name. The musical cannot be done, period. Gen Z, along with types like Lear DeBessonet and Clint Ramos, now find the material "dusty" and upholding the patriarchy. It must be deconstructed in some way to be acceptable to today's audiences.

Maybe there could be a false proscenium in the next production and we see the strippers lounging around or giving blowjobs "off stage."

Well, R558, the strippers are already Equity, so it's a win-win!

I'll never hear that Mame song again without thinking "Pass the peanuts!"

Everything's coming up Rose's what? It was Robbins, not Prince who complained about the lyric.

Fuck you, Pet.

Ditto.

Well, if we're talking originators...

Did Merry's version hit the top 10, r564?

It's not who was first, r564, it's who made it a hit and therefore is identified with it.

By that token, Cher is more identified with "It's In His Kiss"...

There's already been a Cher musical, r567.

And there's been two or more Phantom of the Opera musicals...

[Quote] Oh, my sides at the boob who keeps insisting diverse casting leads to packed diverse audiences.

No one is insisting diverse leads will pack the audience with a diverse audience—but it’s the start of trying to cultivate a diverse audience. This may take a generation but it sure will never happen if plays only have white cast members.

Note how the Times does not allow comments.

Yes, two tickets for "Get a Feathered Hat for the Baby!"

1776 is a solid, well-built musical. It will survive this. All the bashing that its out of date is ridiculous. With the right direction and cast, it holds up.

1776 has a quandary. Do it regular, and everyone will vaguely bitch about ‘old white men.’ Do it untraditional, and it’s fatally woke. It deserves better

A beautiful, large scale production of 1776, with a huge orchestra would be thrilling, but cost prohibitive these days. That’s what the show really deserves.

"1776" will be the fourth production in the Kennedy Center's latest season of Broadway Center Stage, following the just-concluded "Guys and Dolls," "Sunset Boulevard" and "Kiss of the Spider Woman." The Kennedy Center "1776" will be playing on July 4, and, judging by "Guys and Dolls," will have as full an orchestra as the show requires, just as it did when Encores! did "1776" in 2016.

Please ignore the above, as it is incorrect. The Kennedy Center Broadway series is just the three titles listed above, "Guys and Dolls," "Sunset Boulevard," and "Spider Woman." The Kennedy Center is scheduled to get the current Roundabout/ART version of "1776" this summer (surely without Ms. Porkalob). The bunch of theaters currently scheduled to receive this "1776" must not be happy about the NY reception.

From the Times article about the 1776 debacle:

[quote]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.

I'd love to ask the writer of this article what he thinks is "dated" about the humor of the show.

R577, it's actually too bad that the Kennedy Center is not going to do its own, traditional production of 1776. I think it would cause a sensation, in the best possible way, especially after the current desecration.

You hope it would cause a sensation, which says nothing about the likelihood of it doing so.

[quote] it's actually too bad that the Kennedy Center is not going to do its own, traditional production of 1776. I think it would cause a sensation, in the best possible way, especially after the current desecration.

Couldn't agree more. But guess not, unless they can somehow get out of this: _______________________________________________________________

1776 EISENHOWER THEATER They knew they would make history, but not what history would make of them. This new production of the Tony Award-winning musical reexamines a pivotal moment in American history with a cast that reflects multiple representations of race, gender, and ethnicity. Jun. 27 - Jul. 16, 2023 On Sale Tue. Feb. 21, 2023 10a.m. On Sale to Members Tue. Feb. 7, 2023 10a.m.

Just saw a preview of "Kimberly Akimbo," opening soon on Bway.

Assuming they can sell tix and settle in for a decent run, Victoria Clark and Bonnie Milligan are shoo-ins for Tony noms, at the very least. Possibly Justin Cooley, the young male lead. Just excellent work across the board.

Now THIS show has heart. A lot of the new musicals (and musical revivals) do not.

That's good to hear, R582. If the show is playing this spring, I'm hoping to see it.

I didn't see this posted. Patti's keeping her name in the headlines, milking that Equity exit announcement for all its worth.

Yeah, yeah, r584...

Re: Patti-

"There comes a time that a piano realizes that it has not written a concerto."

R586: All playwrights should be dead for 300 years!

Patti isn't wrong. If she were POC she would be heralded as the prophet of Broadway and a fierce woman taking up space.

[quote]Patti isn't wrong.

I think she's wrong. Shockingly wrong

You're easily shocked, aren't you r589?

New thread:

Oh, how I wish Peter Stone were still around to comment on all this nonsense!

For a musical to have heart, it first requires a score that evokes feeling.

Patti is smart but not as smart as she thinks she is. For example, I think she's 100 percent correct that Broadway has been "dumbed down," but really, how much of that is the fault of producers and creatives? I'm not saying they're entirely blameless, but It's a two-way street, isn't it?

[quote] Broadway has been "dumbed down," but really, how much of that is the fault of producers and creatives? I'm not saying they're entirely blameless, but It's a two-way street, isn't it?

Producers are following the money. Tourists are happy with stupid crap like jukebox and movie2stage musicals, so that's what we get.

[quote] “Broadway has also changed considerably,” LuPone said. “I think we’ve spent — not we, but whoever’s in charge of, whatever — has actively dumbed down the audience. And so the attention span of the majority of the audience, I think, is much less than it was in the past, and I don’t think plays are going to have long lives on Broadway — I feel as though it’s turning into Disneyland, a circus and Las Vegas.” “There’s still very intelligent audiences that support the theater, but the ticket price is outrageous,” LuPone continued. “There’s so many obstacles that prevent theater from being the tool it should be in society, which is an education.”

That's her direct quote. She's absolutely right.

When producers decides that tourists, not New Yorkers were the main audience to target, crazy high ticket prices and stupid productions that will charm the masses followed.

Who the fuck is going to hire Patti for anything now?

r596, If they want ticket sales, they'll hire her, Unfortunately she's basically retired now.

[quote]When producers decides that tourists, not New Yorkers were the main audience to target, crazy high ticket prices and stupid productions that will charm the masses followed.

Actually, the situation is FAR more complicated than that, and I'm sorry if neither you nor Patti LuPone can understand why.

[quote]For example, I think she's 100 percent correct that Broadway has been "dumbed down,"

Broadway doesn't go for 100 percent anymore.

Let it ride!

[quote] Actually, the situation is FAR more complicated than that, and I'm sorry if neither you nor Patti LuPone can understand why.

I'm sorry that, instead of explaining what the apparently complicated situation is exactly, all you can do is complain.

[quote]I'm sorry that, instead of explaining what the apparently complicated situation is exactly, all you can do is complain.

The causes of the dumbing-down of the population in general, and the theatergoing population in particular, are multiple and complicated to list and explain, and yet, they should be very obvious to anyone with a functioning brain. So, no, I'm not going to explain them here for people who are too dense to figure it out on their own.