Satine mid-show switch @ Moulin Rouge 1/1?- Page 3

[AEA AGMA SM]

Posted: 1/4/20 at 7:06am

devonian.t said: "Knowing KO somewhat, she seems both conscientious and a good company member.

Surely the fact that she is re-employed is evidence enough that producers know she is a good worker?"

Not a comment at all on Karen Olivo (I don't know her and have not heard many negative stories floating around the industry regarding how she is to work with), but there are lots of people who are not necessarily good workers who continue to book work. All it takes is being in the good graces with the person who's the "muscle" on the production/artistic team. Who that person is can vary on every production, whether it's the lead producer, a director, a choreographer, a writer, etc.

This also isn't to say that there aren't people who self-sabotage their careers. There will come a point when even the muscle on the show can't override the objections of the rest of the team, but that sometimes may take way longer to happen than everyone else would like.

[Hairspray0901]

Posted: 1/4/20 at 10:20am

hayleyann said: "Hairspray0901 said: "I was thinking of grabbing a ticket for tonight. Worth seeing without her AND Danny Burstein?"

When I go look at the Cast on the website, Danny Burstein isn't even listed anymore. It says Zidler is played by Austin Durant."

Danny is currently out due to injury (Torn miniscus according to this article): http://www.playbill.com/article/austin-durant-fills-in-for-danny-burstein-in-broadways-moulin-rouge-beginning-december-10

For what it’s worth, I saw the show last night. Karen & Austin, and the entire cast were fantastic. Karen’s vocal abilities are on another level - wow is she talented. Glad she decided to come back to Broadway!! 

Updated On: 1/5/20 at 10:20 AM

[Jarethan]

Posted: 1/4/20 at 9:00pm

Fosse76 said: "iluvtheatertrash said: "Thanks for that just_john. I could swear that’s how Iearned she’d be out, but willing to admit someone may have told me. It was a while ago.

As for the race debate, I’d like to remind the poster of how this board eviscerated Laura Benanti MULTIPLE times for her attendance, and also questioned Patti Murin’s reasons for missing some performances. To make this about race is absurd."

Donna Murphy in Wonderful Town and Bernadette Peters in Gypsy also had their attendance scrutinized. Chad Kimball in Memphis as well (and the latter missed a significant number of performances)."

Donna Murphy got some the greatest reviews I have read when WT opened.  I believe that she would have won the Tony that year had her attendance been great.  Bernadette Peters' issue was not with missed performances, it was for vocal problems.  She had serious issues early in the run, but they went away over time.  

Boyd Gaines, who was a great Bobby when I saw him in Company years ago, also had vocal issues when Company first opened, which got a lot of bad publicity.  I have always felt those early vocal problems cost the 4 time Tony winner a nomination for Company.

I would also mention that, vocal  issues aside, both performers went on during this period.  I saw  both.  98% of Gaines singing was still very good, just had some problems with some high notes when I saw him the first time.  When I saw BP, her singing was actually fine; the issue that was apparent at the early performance I saw was that she was clearing her voice throughout the show, every chance she got.  It was noticeable, but I believe she was doing this to better prep for the actual singing (which was largely solid), especially Rose'sTurn, which used her chest voice.

 

 

[Olivia11]

Posted: 1/4/20 at 10:58pm

I'm still not sure how ya'll can diagnose whether she is on vocal rest. One can be unable to perform adequately AND go out and see a show in that case.

If you see her at a karaoke bar, then sure..."

Agree 100%.  These attendance threads are often so over the top. I’m surprised Carol Channing and Ethel Merman never missing shows hasn’t been mentioned a million times.  


Saw MR. Karen’s name (among others) helped convince me to see the show, and we were lucky that she and everyone was in that night.  Actually, we were fortunate for all three shows we saw this trip (not always the case on other trips).
 


Karen was incredible, as were many of the performers. Sometimes someone else will do the part (either scheduled or because Karen called out). I’m sure they will be great and some people may even like the other performer better. It’s live theater with real people doing difficult things.  Let it go, people. You have zero insider knowledge and It really isn’t anyone’s business to track down where she is. 

Updated On: 1/4/20 at 10:58 PM

[OrchardAndRivington]

Posted: 1/4/20 at 11:33pm

At some point during the run of West Side Story at the Palace the lobby U/s board made its way to the inner lobby. I distinctly remember seeing the list of Understudies at the performance I saw posted in that inner lobby (next to the bar). Jeremy Jordan was on for Tony, Natalie Cortez was on for Anita, Haley Carlucci was on for Maria. I'm still grateful to have seen Jeremy Jordan as Tony, he was fantastic.

[JPeterman]

Posted: 1/5/20 at 1:44am

We saw the show Friday night. Karen was fantastic ... she was the highlight of the show to me. The energy and enthusiasm of the cast was great with the exception of Aaron who I would describe as good but seemingly disinterested in the proceedings.

[ModernMillie3]

Posted: 1/5/20 at 3:49am

Let it go, people. You have zero insider knowledge and It really isn’t anyone’s business to track down where she is. 

People can share stories of her crappy attendance record all they want, and if she taking time off to go see other shows or leaving mid show, she isn't very professional. This is a discussion board so we will be discussing anything we would like, thank you. 

[haterobics]

Posted: 1/5/20 at 7:53am

ModernMillie3 said: "if she taking time off to go see other shows or leaving mid show, she isn't very professional."

IF she is doing those things, I would agree... whereas if she is unable to finish a performance due to some legit reason, or doing public things that don't involve her voice while on vocal rest, then I wouldn't. I just don't know how people decide which is true.

[dramamama611]

Posted: 1/5/20 at 8:57am

^this

There are many reasons one might not be able to perform that dont include isilation and/or bed rest.

[ArtMan]

Posted: 1/5/20 at 9:34am

This has only happened to me once, when actors are switched out during performance.  Although I prefer the original cast member, I would rather the understudy had went on for the entire performance than see them switch out.  I know there is no way to control this, but I felt at least for my performance, I was seeing two different person's interpretation and it bugged me.  I came back the next night and luckily saw the main actor's entire performance.  Do people on here feel the same way or does it not matter to you that you had two different portrayals during the same performance?

[poisonivy2]

Posted: 1/5/20 at 9:46am

^This has never actually happened to me in Broadway but it has happened when I've gone to the opera. A singer's fallen ill, cannot continue, cover will go on. And in every case I always wish the cover had sung the entire performance because:

1) In almost  every switch out the main performer was vocally struggling well before he or she decided to pack it in

and

2) Some of the covers were so good that I wanted to hear their entire performance. 

The most bizarre was once in the middle of act one Placido Domingo walked off the stage as Siegmund and his cover walked on during his next entrance ... in the same act ... wearing street clothes.

[Zion24]

Posted: 1/5/20 at 1:24pm

haterobics said: "ModernMillie3 said: "if she taking time off to go see other shows or leaving mid show, she isn't very professional."

IF she is doing those things, I would agree... whereas if she is unable to finish a performance due to some legit reason, or doing public things that don't involve her voice while on vocal rest, then I wouldn't. I just don't know how people decide which is true."

correct- the premise of this thread, if i remember correctly, was that Olivo said she "wasnt feeling it" and left for Act 2. This sounds highly unlikely to the point of ridiculous, BUT FOR Olivo's reputation re attendance and self-importance (which in and of itself is hearsay, true).

 

For what its worth, performers' vocal chords are alot like NFL players' ankles: they can be injured easily and need time to heal. No shame in vocal rest or other forms of self-care.

[Fagnes Gooch]

Posted: 1/5/20 at 2:51pm

iluvtheatertrash said: "Her attendance was atrocious in West Side Story too. I won’t forget the night I skipped WSS (despite winning the lotto) as I had seen she was out on the board just before I paid. I went to Fela and nabbed a last minute rush seat instead. Guess who was there too... Olivo."


A scandal. But not at ALL surprising. She may be talented, but she has quite a reputation for absences. I remember well the grief she got for her many, many, many absences during WSS. She complained about it to the press, citing the way the folks on message boards were unforgiving and just didn’t understand her plight. Sure, Karen.

I was dating someone in the company of WSS. Arthur Laurents read them the riot act about professionalism and attendance one night during the run — and Karen wasn’t there to hear it. She called off (BEFORE anyone knew Laurents was coming). Updated On: 1/5/20 at 02:51 PM

[RippedMan]

Posted: 1/5/20 at 3:24pm

And yet... she's still getting work so clearly it doesn't mean much. 

[Wayman_Wong]

Posted: 1/5/20 at 4:04pm

I just Googled and found this exclusive 2010 interview Karen Olivo did with Broadway.com. In it, she opened up about breaking her foot in ''West Side Story,'' her frustrations and heartache in trying to recover, and how she cried when she realized she wouldn't be returning to her Tony-winning role. Olivo also addressed the tough online criticism she got for missing performances: 

“Unless you’ve actually done an eight-show-week or you’ve been in a rehearsal room doing the same number for an entire day, you can’t understand the toll on your mind, your body. People say hurtful things and I’m a very sensitive person, but at the end of the day, I have to be logical. How could they know what we go through, or why I was out for two weeks? It’s a better story to say that I won a Tony and then said, ‘Screw you, guys! I already won the Tony!’ But instead, picture me at home with my Tony, saying, ‘I can’t believe I got this and now I can’t be onstage.’ I couldn’t defend my title.”

https://www.broadway.com/buzz/153823/exclusive-tony-winner-karen-olivo-opens-up-about-her-broken-foot-and-tearful-goodbye-to-west-side-story/

Updated On: 1/5/20 at 04:04 PM

[UncleCharlie]

Posted: 1/5/20 at 4:35pm

ArtMan said: "This has only happened to me once, when actors are switched out during performance. Although I prefer the original cast member, I would rather the understudy had went on for the entire performance than see them switch out. I know there is no way to control this, but I felt at least for my performance, I was seeing two different person's interpretation and it bugged me. I came back the next night and luckily saw the main actor's entire performance. Do people on here feel the same way or does it not matter to you that you had two different portrayals during the same performance?"

I had this happen to me last January when one of the leads in Mean Girls was replaced late in the first act after a 15 minute hold. It was extremely disconcerting especially since the understudy was much shorter and looked and sounded completely different from the lead she replaced. It took me completely out of the show but what the hell can you do? If they had offered everyone a ticket to come back, I would have taken it but I'm not going to spend the $ to buy another ticket cause of it. What was cute was that one of the other actors adlibbed to her character that "you seem a lot shorter than yesterday". It got a big laugh and broke the ice a little bit.

[Patty3]

Posted: 1/5/20 at 5:06pm

This happened last night at Tina. A 45 min intermission then an announcement that Nkeki Obi-Melekwe would play Tina in the 2nd act. Both actresses were awesome. Adrienne looked to have some kind of support on her ankle during the first act but not sure if that was the reason for her not finishing the show.

[Jarethan]

Posted: 1/5/20 at 6:09pm

ArtMan said: "This has only happened to me once, when actors are switched out during performance. Although I prefer the original cast member, I would rather the understudy had went on for the entire performance than see them switch out. I know there is no way to control this, but I felt at least for my performance, I was seeing two different person's interpretation and it bugged me. I came back the next night and luckily saw the main actor's entire performance. Do people on here feel the same way or does it not matter to you that you had two different portrayals during the same performance?"

When I saw Big Fish, NLButz did not return for Act 2.  He wasn’t his usual energetic self in Act 1, so I assumed that he was sick.  As an audience member, if he was pushing to go on, I probably would have preferred that he call out, because the transition was very jarring.  His understudy was fine in the role, but his approach to the role was so different that it really had a negative impact on the performance.

I guess my view is that performers (and I am convinced this is true of Olivia, as it has happened so many times) should not call out because they are not feeling it or are just not in the mood to work.  If they are really sick, then they should skip because their performance will likely suffer and/or they won’t make it through the show, which really can impact audience engagement.

i just realized that it happened one other time, when I lived in Charlotte, NC.  Ralph Macchio (remember him) was in the touring How To Succeed.  He did the first scene, and was replaced after that.  He left so early in the show that there really was no negative impact on the audience investment in / enjoyment of the show.

[FlyHigh523]

Posted: 1/5/20 at 8:57pm

Patty3 said: "This happened last night at Tina. A 45 min intermission then an announcement that Nkeki Obi-Melekwewould play Tina in the 2nd act. Both actresses were awesome. Adrienne looked to have somekind of support on her ankle during the first act but not sure if that was the reason for her not finishing the show."

Yup... I was there last night. I hope Adrienne is okay. She sprained her ankle and has been wearing an ankle brace for a few weeks. Wonder what happened... she sounded awesome in the 1st act. 

[Pashacar]

Posted: 1/6/20 at 10:08am

Jarethan said: "ArtMan said: "This has only happened to me once, when actors are switched out during performance. Although I prefer the original cast member, I would rather the understudy had went on for the entire performance than see them switch out. I know there is no way to control this, but I felt at least for my performance, I was seeing two different person's interpretation and it bugged me. I came back the next night and luckily saw the main actor's entire performance. Do people on here feel the same way or does it not matter to you that you had two different portrayals during the same performance?"

When I saw Big Fish, NLButz did not return for Act 2. He wasn’t his usual energetic self in Act 1,so I assumed that he was sick. As an audience member, if he was pushing to go on, I probably would have preferred that he call out, because the transition was very jarring. His understudy was fine in the role, but his approach to the role was so different that it really had a negative impact on the performance.

I guess my view is that performers (and I am convinced this is true of Olivia, as it has happened so many times) should not call out because they are not feeling it or are just not in the mood to work. If they are really sick, then they should skip because their performance will likely suffer and/or they won’t make it through the show, which really can impact audience engagement.

i just realized that ithappened one other time, when I lived in Charlotte, NC. Ralph Macchio (remember him) was in the touring How To Succeed. He did the first scene, and was replaced after that. He left so early in the show that there really was no negative impact on the audience investment in / enjoyment of the show."

This happened to me at THE PROM. Caitlin Kinnunen was replaced early in Act 2, after the curtain went down after "Love They Neighbor" for a 15-minute hold. She was seemingly performing at 100% until that point, but we later checked her social media accounts and apparently she was having a panic attack WHILE performing, which was the reason for the change.

I would agree that the switch was jarring and took me out of the show; I was grateful to return to The Prom (at my own expense) and see Caitlin's performance all the way through.

[ACL2006]

Posted: 1/6/20 at 10:21am

FlyHigh523 said: "Patty3 said: "This happened last night at Tina. A 45 min intermission then an announcement that Nkeki Obi-Melekwewould play Tina in the 2nd act. Both actresses were awesome. Adrienne looked to have somekind of support on her ankle during the first act but not sure if that was the reason for her not finishing the show."

Yup... I was there last night. I hope Adrienne is okay. She sprained her ankle and has been wearing an ankle brace for a few weeks. Wonder what happened... she sounded awesome in the 1st act."

 

I hope Adrienne is okay and didn't rush back into the show after her injury. I think she only missed two shows after her injury. Could just have aggravated it during the show. Did Warren do the show yesterday?

 

[FlyHigh523]

Posted: 1/6/20 at 12:50pm

ACL2006 said: "FlyHigh523 said: "Patty3 said: "This happened last night at Tina. A 45 min intermission then an announcement that Nkeki Obi-Melekwewould play Tina in the 2nd act. Both actresses were awesome. Adrienne looked to have somekind of support on her ankle during the first act but not sure if that was the reason for her not finishing the show."

Yup... I was there last night. I hope Adrienne is okay. She sprained her ankle and has been wearing an ankle brace for a few weeks. Wonder what happened... she sounded awesome in the 1st act."



I hope Adrienne is okay and didn't rush back into the show after her injury. I think she only missed two shows after her injury. Could just have aggravated it during the show. Did Warren do the show yesterday?

"

She did not. Nkeki was on yesterday, 1/5. 

[Auggie27]

Posted: 1/7/20 at 7:46am

The most maligned absent performer on any board was Donna Murphy in "Wonderful Town." I'm sure some posters who've been here for a decade (plus) recall. She had health issues but didn't discuss them at the time, and she was raked over the coals here.  It took me three trips to see her in "WT," and I wasn't especially kind about it  It was the first theater board discussion I can recall about this issue of calling out, and it was filled with voiced frustration. Murphy had to double down on subsequent shows to prove she'll show up. She's discussed it in interviews.   

[SFFrontRow]

Posted: 1/7/20 at 9:55am

Understudies going on is a part of the theater experience. These U/S work hard and have front line talent. And they are stars in the making - just ask Shirley Maclaine about her night of U/S for Carol Haney in The Pajama Game.

I missed Harvey in the original Torch Song Trilogy TWICE, Jennifer Holliday in the original Dreamgirls, Amber Grey in Hadestown last year. Their understudies - incredible - especially Brenda Pressley for Holliday (yeah, she was THAT good that I remember her name 36 years later).

I can see anger for serial offenders and as someone else posted, some have gotten reputations for that but how true is the reputation and what are the circumstances: vocal issues, toll of the run, family situations, or just plain lack of respect for an audience. The last one totally inexcusable but the others we should all totally understand.