BREAKING: Mandy Patinkin Withdraws from THE GREAT COMET

[trpguyy]

Mostly pointless observation: if Comet makes it beyond Aug 13, Oak will be in the increasingly rare club of actors to receive checks from two shows s/he is not performing in.

[Robbie2]

GeorgeandDot said: "schubox said: "Interesting take

http://nypost.com/2017/07/29/dont-cheer-mandy-patinkin-leaving-great-comet-just-yet/"

I don't like Reidel, but this is the truth.  The producers were just doing their jobs.  They have a duty to make back their money for their investors.  They're not there to swaddle their actors.  They're there to make money.  Acting is a tough, cut throat, brutal profession and you need thick skin to make it.  Of course it's unfortunate news for Oak, but the out pouring of "support" for him was hurtful to the rest of the cast and even to his own career.  It was selfish of him to make this a big deal.  He needed to suck it up and take this news like a professional! It's a shame that Patinkin got scared away since he was probably the show's last chance.  I can't imagine any other stars wanting to touch this show with a ten foot pole.  Hopefully it'll pull through, but it's very unlikely that it'll even make it to the fall.

 

"

G&D...You're right on ...it is the truth!  This is not about Race people...It's about a show surviving and making $$$. Oak did not sell the show as they thought! Unfortunately, it will now most likely close next month! Moving along ~ 

[haterobics]

MattRVA said: "Could anyone have possibly guessed back in February, when Oak's casting was announced, that he would ultimately perform as many shows in TGC as Ingrid Michaelson?"

She will play 8 MORE than him.

[froote]

Ingrid has just tweeted saying she has 10 shows left and then she gets to see Brittain do it again.

So it seems - as far as Ingrid knows at least - they're not planning to close on the 13th.

[VintageSnarker]

froote said: "BroadwayConcierge said: "trpguyy said: "Unfortunately, the "star" that they're rumored to be courting will do nothing but result in a collective "huh?""

It's gonna be Laura Benanti as Pierre, isn't it?"

And Mandy Patinkin as Eliza.

Has anyone ever suggested Patinkin as Higgins?

[lovebwy]

Cynthia Erivo is way out of line. Now, many actors will be out of work instead of just one.

Great job, SJWs!

 

[HogansHero]

since it doesn't seem to have occurred to anyone to mention it, Riedel (as usual) gets about half the facts wrong in his piece.

[gleek4114]

I won't coment on this sh!t show (I have my opinions, and they won't be changed), but I had an idea for a potential Pierre. I honestly think Jack Black would be phenomenal. He's got that grit to his voice, much like Malloy, and he would undoubtedly sell tickets. Food for thought. 

[GeorgeandDot]

HogansHero said: "since it doesn't seem to have occurred to anyone to mention it, Riedel (as usual) gets about half the facts wrong in his piece."

His pieces are usually filled with errors, but I couldn't find any false information in this piece.  If if some of the small details are incorrect, the overall point of it is correct.  I would love for you to clarify what you found to be incorrect.

Also Snarker, Patinkin would be wonderful in My Fair Lady as Higgins or as Alfred Dolittle if he isn't open to taking on such a large role as Higgins at this point.  Unfortunately, his schedule is probably too packed to do even six months or so of a show.

 

[Dave28282]

schubox said: "Interesting take

 

http://nypost.com/2017/07/29/dont-cheer-mandy-patinkin-leaving-great-comet-just-yet/

 

"

This article is the truth and all there is to say. Very well written.

I hope the activists are happy with their triumph that now 35 actors (many of color) are out of jobs in the fall. Maybe it's the way they were raised, that they can't see past color or see the greater good in general, and learned to bring in color first and foremost in every situation, but this will never make a person grow and is a real problem to society.

The part that the producers should stop groveling is spot on. The fact that some people started hyperventilating about this business decision as if it has something to do with race was already lunacy, but that the producers even apologize for not taking race into consideration is beyond every form of common sense.

If anything, this reaction of the producers is either to calm the herd, or they somehow feel they made a mistake by actually casting him, being influenced by his color somehow and being misled by peer pressure and wrong expectations. They obviously must have expected something by casting him. Maybe that all those twitter screamers would actually buy tickets for him, but it seems they didn't.........

A lot of noise, no action.

In any case, the producers should have kept their back straight. Like the article says.

[DramaTeach]

^ Howard Kagan shared that article on FB.

[lana84]

JayElle said: "I don't see race.  The understudy is white to Denee who is black. Where's that outrage?  The producers gambled on stars b/c of Hamilton's popularity when they should've focused on the show. Ham still gets long wait lines b/c the show itself can withstand understudies and multiple cast replacements. Wicked, Bk/Mormon, Phantom, hold on b/c of the show itself.
"

You should probably see someone about that. I'm sure it makes Hairspray quite hard to follow.

[brian1973]

I really don't think this has anything to do with race, and anyone making it into that kind of story just has a chip on their shoulder. It's about famous vs not famous.

 

Riedels article makes a lot of sense actually. I was quick to think badly of the producers, but they were in fact doing their utmost to save the show. People like Erivo etc have really fanned those flames. Also Dave Molloy tweeting about what a dire situation the show was in sales wise, was not a good move either.

 

[dramamama611]

Gosh I wish peopke would stop saying Oak was hired because if his Hamilton status. As others have pointed out, he was a supporting character, only. Not even one of the many Tony nominated ones. Maybe they were hoping/ testing the water to see if they even needed a name - after all, he had a damn short contract. Maybe he was outstanding at his audition.

 

Even in Malloys comments he stated something like apparently we need a name.

 

The trurh is, we don't know why the producers chose him.

[HogansHero]

GeorgeandDot said: "I would love for you to clarify what you found to be incorrect." 

For you, anything. Here are a few, from the first few paragraphs, which are more than enough to make my point:

"Mandy Patinkin was going to replace a black actor" - the outrage was that Oak was fired. Simply saying "replace" dilutes the significance of the outrage.

"Patinkin, reluctant to step into a minefield of racial politics"- that is inconsistent with what Mandy said. The quote skews the story by ignoring that he aligned himself with the opposing sentiment, not that he was simply circumnavigating a minefield.  

"if “Great Comet” posts a closing notice in the fall" -That misreports the state of the show, as acknowledged first by Malloy, which is that it did not have the advance to make it to Labor Day, the better part of a month before "the fall" 

"he was not selling tickets the way his predecessor, Josh Groban, did. " -this is true, but misses the point which is that no one expected that he would

'Panicked, producers Howard and Janet Kagan reached out to Patinkin" -that is inconsistent with the reports and quotes about how this came about. 

"he had to come in fast to punch up the grosses." -the timing of his entry and departure was related to his schedule, not the production's need to punch up anything. 

So (as usual) Riedel consistently gets the facts half-right, whether out of laziness or the desire for a narrative that he can't support. Also interesting that there is zero scoop in this story: he was a day late and a dollar short. 

[MattRVA]

dramamama611 said: "Gosh I wish peopke would stop saying Oak was hired because if his Hamilton status. As others have pointed out, he was a supporting character, only. Not even one of the many Tony nominated ones. Maybe they were hoping/ testing the water to see if they even needed a name - after all, he had a damn short contract. Maybe he was outstanding at his audition.

Even in Malloys comments he stated something like apparently we need a name.


The trurh is, we don't know why the producers chose him."

I may be mistaken, but I believe TGC's first official mention of Oak, at least on the show's Instagram account, was a tease (Feb. 15): "We're pleased to announce that one of the original stars of Hamilton will join the cast of TGC as Pierre!" It wasn't until later they confirmed it was Oak. I suppose they could have hired him for a different reason - I'm sure his audition was strong - but it's clear that at the very least they intended to promote him as a Hamilton star. "You loved Hamilton, so check out our show about 19th century Russia."

[dramamama611]

Using it as a tease still doesn't mean that's the reason.   I'm not saying they didn't try to use it to their advantage - heck, I'm not even saying it wasn't a major reason.  But to ASSUME that it was a MAJOR or the only reason is pretty disrespectful of Oak in general.

 

 

[ACL2006]

Cynthia Erivo needs to stay off of Twitter. She's probably losing some fans for what she's posting and, at least for me, losing a lot of respect.

[schubox]

Do you think we'll get some kind of announcement about the future of the show this week? Whether it's new casting, a closing notice, whatever?

[ACL2006]

If they're planning on closing the show August 13, I'd expect an announcement tomorrow. The problem they have now is getting someone willing to play Pierre after August 13.

[BroadwayBeebe]

I'll be there today and I had already purchased tickets with the hopes of seeing Mandy. I'm waiting to see what happens before I call and get a refund. This whole situation is a mess, but at the very least I would like to see it run until the 5th and have Dave finish up the run. I feel absolutely terrible for him and Rachel in this situation that I would at least like to see him end it closer to his own terms. 

[schubox]

ACL2006 said: "If they're planning on closing the show August 13, I'd expect an announcement tomorrow. The problem they have now is getting someone willing to play Pierre after August 13.

 

"

I just hope they say something either way. I need to make a decision on some things and need to know what they're doing 

[dramamama611]

Broadway Beebe said I'll be there today and I had already purchased tickets with the hopes of seeing Mandy. I'm waiting to see what happens before I call and get a refund. This whole situation is a mess, but at the very least I would like to see it run until the 5th and have Dave finish up the run. I feel absolutely terrible for him and Rachel in this situation that I would at least like to see him end it closer to his own terms.

 

 

I'm looking at the same problem.  We had tix that turned into Mandy tix.  SO we then purchased additional tix to see Oak (this week).   I really don't need to see it again after that, I've already seen Dave in the show....and don't really want to see it AGAIN just "because".   However, since we purchased the tickets before the Mandy announcement, I'm guessing I can't get my $ back.

[everythingtaboo]

I have every reason to believe that most of what Riedel says is accurate. I can easily that believe the Kagans reached out to Mandy do help keep the show going until at least Labor Day - don't forget they also brought in Misty Copeland into On The Town to keep boost its final weeks on Broadway. I also firmly believe once the whiff of the race card came into play - thanks, social media - Mandy stepped back. Mandy was perfectly willing to publicize his Broadway return (remember, he was booked on the Today show) but how could he when race would be brought up in interviews. There's no way for him or the show to get away from race, and it wouldn't even matter if it's the most diverse show on Broadway. 

[BlackElleWoods]

ACL2006 said: "Cynthia Erivo needs to stay off of Twitter. She's probably losing some fans for what she's posting and, at least for me, losing a lot of respect.

 

"

Me ! I had to unfollow her a while back she's very problematic & I was a HUGE fan 

[LxGstv]

BlackElleWoods said: "ACL2006 said: "Cynthia Erivo needs to stay off of Twitter. She's probably losing some fans for what she's posting and, at least for me, losing a lot of respect.

 

"

Me ! I had to unfollow her a while back she's very problematic & I was a HUGE fan 

 

"

Agreed. Unfortunately she does gets a lot of hate on twitter so I don't blame her for defending herself and sometimes having an attitude, that's totally understandable, but when she made a big deal on the Glenn Close statement about Mother's Day... it was so uncalled for...