Broadway twitter bashing- Page 4

[PalJoey]

Posted: 7/25/12 at 10:12am

That's my point, Wynbish: You can't Tweet to one person. When you Tweet, you Tweet to an unending number of people. Even if you subsequently erase your Tweet, it still is out there, making you look like an asShole to dozens, hundreds, thousands, millions.

So she didn't Tweet to "one person." She Tweeted to everyone.

Updated On: 7/25/12 at 10:12 AM

[dramamama611]

Posted: 7/25/12 at 10:14am

I find it funny that apparently there is a porn star with the same name.

[Harpz2006]

Posted: 7/25/12 at 10:17am

@PalJoey- Wynbish was talking to me about how many people she retweeted defending her. I did think BroadwaySpotted (who is very close with Morgan) made an interesting point though- where was all the industry support during the Spider-Man debacle?? Remember how the actors in that would complain they felt like they weren't even in the theater community because their peers would say the show was trash, etc?

[iluvtheatertrash]

Posted: 7/25/12 at 10:18am

What a terrifically genuine apology.... NOT. Is she kidding me? She SUPPOSES she should apologize? WHY BOTHER?

[TalkinLoud]

Posted: 7/25/12 at 10:20am

I don't understand how anyone could be defending her. I mean, she totally has a right to have an opinion and, yes, she even has a right to tweet that opinion no matter how nasty she words it. The criticism is from the fact that it's pretty tactless, not to mention coming from someone with her resume.

But beyond all, it's a really boneheaded move on her part. The Broadway community is (relatively) small. Doesn't she realize that there are people (directors, actors, The Public) working on this production that in all likelihood she will want to work with in the future? I'm not saying the everyone would turn down working with her in the future because of the comments, but I guarantee it would make a lot of them think twice.

[dramamama611]

Posted: 7/25/12 at 10:21am

I don't remember clearly, but wasn't most of that about the safety issues and the spectacle?


If her tweet had been that she found the sexuality to be offensive, (her back pedalling statement) I think this wouldn't have blown up.

That's a reasonable comment, suggesting that musiciality and acting were non existant is another story.

[Wynbish]

Posted: 7/25/12 at 10:23am

The Broadway community is just so interconnected. Take my Wesley Taylor example. Wesley was in The Addams Family with Morgan while he dated Matt, presumably the first tweet from the community to comment on what she said. It is a place where, upon consideration during casting, talent is often seen in correlation with who people know.

You just never know when you may need a bridge that was burned.

[ECahill84]

Posted: 7/25/12 at 11:02am

"The criticism is from the fact that it's pretty tactless, not to mention coming from someone with her resume."


Please tell me how her resume affects her ability to form an opinion? Just wondering.

[artscallion]

Posted: 7/25/12 at 11:12am

It doesn't affect her ability to form an opinion. It just speaks to the credibility of said opinion. You can ask a terrible cook to recommend a restaurant. Or you can ask a talented cook. They can both form opinions, since they both eat. But the talented cook is more likely to know what he's talking about.

eta: I'm not judging her specific opinion as I have no idea who she even is, and have not seen any of the shows she's been in.

Updated On: 7/25/12 at 11:12 AM

[NewYorkTheater]

Posted: 7/25/12 at 12:17pm

I wrote an account of the attack on the "attack" by Morgan James on Into The Woods, and the attack on the attack on the attack, and then I was attacked on Twitter for not "moving on."
I think there are a lot of sensible remarks on this message thread as to why Ms. James' Tweet was ill-advised. But I wonder whether the harshness of the attack on her has something to do with the Sondheim can-do-no-wrong cult following.
I agree Sondheim is a genius. Sondheim's work turned me onto musical theater. But his following can be scary sometimes, no?
Into the Woods First Preview: Attack on Attack By Morgan James

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 7/25/12 at 12:29pm

Tact is an art form and one that should be honed by any actor in the business seeking to advance their career. I don't particularly agree with censorship, but that's just how the business works. Be critical, but be mindful of your form of expression. In other words, don't piss off your potential employers. Or their colleagues. Or their friends. It's just not a good idea.

Unless you're Ethel Merman. Then say what you want.

[Kad]

Posted: 7/25/12 at 12:30pm

errr...I don't think the Cult of Sondheim has anything to do with it in this instance.

In fact, his name has never even been invoked in this thread.

Even if the show was just crummy overall, in terms of score or book and the whole shebang, it's not appropriate for a member of the Broadway community to state publicly that she was "#horrified" by it, and that acting and musicianship is dead.

Whether it be Wonderland or Into the Woods, it's just a lousy thing to do. The Broadway community is infamously close-knit. James undoubtedly is familiar with people involved with the show and vice-versa, either directly or through people.

[FosseBoi]

Posted: 7/25/12 at 12:38pm

Why the hell is Playbill.com reporting this?

http://www.playbill.com/news/article/168391-Godspells-Morgan-James-Apologies-For-Twitter-Stir-Following-First-Preview-of-Publics-Into-the-Woods

[artscallion]

Posted: 7/25/12 at 12:39pm

SJS followers can speak for themselves. But for me, it has to do, for me, with the fact that she publicly said the performers and musicians were so bad that they managed to screw up ITW. Then all of her apologies conveniently ignore that fact and try to make it sound like it was the concept of the production or the sexuality.

For me it's about publicly and personally attacking her business associates. It's not about her right to like or not like a show or about her attacking an SJS show. It's about a personal attack on actors and musicians that she then acts like she said something completely different even though we can all see it in writing.

If she wants it to move on, I'd guess that all she has to do is acknowledge what she said and apologize...not because she's s'posed to or because people are mad, but because she understands why what she did is tacky. Of course she doesn't NEED to do anything. But this kerfuffle is the consequence. And you can't blame what she did on "Sondheim can-do-no-wrong cult following"

[SonofRobbieJ]

Posted: 7/25/12 at 12:43pm

Years ago, I used to post a lot more about shows I saw and, though I thought I was fair, I also enjoyed being a little cutting and tried to be funny...at the expense of performers and other industry professionals that I wished to work with. I realized this was ugly behavior and that my opinion matters very little. So I took a step back...and now I try not to be overly harsh about my friends and fellow performers as they try to do good work in this city (and around the country). I had to own up to the negativity I was putting out there, where it came from and how unproductive it was for me. It was a really good lesson to learn, and I think I've become a better professional because of it. I mean...I can still be a c*nt sometimes. But I fight against it...because I know how hard it is to create something good.

Hopefully, Ms. James will learn that lesson as well.

And, yes. Sondheim has nothing to do with it. Manners and respect are what's at issue here.

Updated On: 7/25/12 at 12:43 PM

[PalJoey]

Posted: 7/25/12 at 12:44pm

I can still be a c*nt sometimes.

As Hermione Gingold once sang, "Oh, no. Not you."

[finebydesign]

Posted: 7/25/12 at 1:03pm

Who is Morgan James?

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 7/25/12 at 1:16pm

"Morgana James" sounds like a Troma scream queen.

[TheHappyPhantom]

Posted: 7/25/12 at 1:18pm

She had EVERY right to say what she did. The so-called community needs to get a tougher skin and grow the hell up. What a bunch of babies. Theatre people should be the harshest critics. She knows what it takes to do a show, and she gave an opinion. She can be as honest as she wants. I haven't seen this production, but I love Into The Woods, and most productions of it are crap. If the work's not good, the team needs to hear it. End of story. She doesn't owe them anything. Anyone who doesn't hire her based on that is childish and doesn't know how to handle criticism. Musicians don't have to like all music. Film directors don't have like all movies. Theatre artisans sure as Hell, don't have to like all theatre. God knows I don't. And I'd have said as much, if I felt like she did. The ONLY thing I'd say against her, is that someone who starred in Wonderland and Addams Family, hardly has room to call other shows "horrifying".

[PalJoey]

Posted: 7/25/12 at 1:21pm

Playbill posted its article about the Twitter-versy on its Facebook page, along with a very clever line:

"Careful the things you tweet.. Children retweet them."

[everythingtaboo]

Posted: 7/25/12 at 1:23pm

Holy Christ I'm not sure if the tweet or the fallout is worse.

Like Janet's nipple, nobody cared until people started listening to other people with a bigger audience that wouldn't shut up about it.

[finebydesign]

Posted: 7/25/12 at 1:26pm

I really had to read that Playbill article to understand how pathetic all this is. A z-list actress said something dumb on social media to make herself feel better about her own ****ty career. A bunch of other nobodies went all concern troll on her.

Seriously? This is grade school stuff, anyone that suffered through Psych 101 can see these people need to CHECK THEIR EGOS.

[followspot]

Posted: 7/25/12 at 1:28pm

This has somehow gotten twisted into the criticism being about James' right to voice an opinion. She has every right to voice an opinion. No one ever said she didn't have that right. The fact that her opinion was "HOW can you f-ck up "into the woods"?? I fear musicianship is dead in musical theatre. And acting, for that matter. #horrified" — and that she chose to publicy broadcast this opinion after a show's first preview — simply brought up the response that this was a) tactless and unprofessional; b) not very forward-thinking, career-wise; and c) comically ironic coming from a young perfomer whose only Broadway credits are three musical debacles.

Updated On: 7/25/12 at 01:28 PM

[PalJoey]

Posted: 7/25/12 at 1:28pm

It's the future, finebydesign.

Andy Warhol once said everyone would be famous for 15 minutes. It's happening now.

[Kad]

Posted: 7/25/12 at 1:31pm

Thank you, followspot.

No one is policing what opinions people are allowed to have.