Patinkin's THE WILD PARTY fiasco

[musicalkid]

someone mentioned "THE WILD PARTY fiasco" in another thread (and doubted Mandy will ever be hired a gain for a show after that)

could anyone please elaborate on this intriguing title?

[Wanna Be A Foster]

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[commasplice]

https://www.broadwayworld.com/board/readmessage.cfm?thread=955542&dt=44&boardid=1

(There are more threads out there that mention it, but I think this is the most recent one.)

[Mattbrain]

Yay!!!!! One of my threads has been linked on another thread!!!!!

Well, I didn't say it was a fiasco. I just wanted to know the deal about Patinkin's antics backstage.

[Jon]

The problem was his antics ONSTAGE - slapping and spitting on other actors.

[TheatreDiva90016]

And over-acting...

[MrSweetNAwful]

and locking himself in his dressing room, crying that the lighting was wrong :)

[ray-andallthatjazz86]

And whining about his character not having enough to do.
And keeping Toni Collette from wanting to be back on Broadway.

[LimelightMike]

I appreciate his work, but hearing all of thkis 'he's nuts' stuff is scaring me off. LoL

[MrSweetNAwful]

Whining about his character not having enough to do!?
He was the male lead for christ sake. Though I guess in his defense the show was more of an ensemble piece, Burrs did really sit around and brood silently for most of the show.

[Tom148502]

MrSweetNAwful said:

"Whining about his character not having enough to do!?
He was the male lead for christ sake."

I saw the production twice, once with Patinkin and once with his understudy. The character had very little to do and what it had to do wasn't well written. I much preferred the Andrew Lippa version of THE WILD PARTY.

[MrSweetNAwful]

Still, what he was given was powerful enough. How Many Women in the World alone is startling. George C Wolfe's book wasn't a mess, I found it very fleshed out and better than Lippa's. And small or not, Patinkin's a big boy, his acting is strong enough that he should be able to make the best of any role.

[sondheimboy2]

Toni Collette said in some interview that the stagehands used to tell her that Broadway isn't usually like this and to please not let this keep her from coming back.

[roquat]

I have never pitied an actress more. Considering Toni Collette's role required her to be erotically and emotionally obsessed with Patinkin's character. The poor thing looked like she couldn't stand being onstage with him--and who could blame her?

So he supposedly bit Eartha Kitt (hard enough to draw blood) during a performance?

Miserable or not, I wish I could have been in that greenroom. How many chances do you get for a Mandy Patinkin/Eartha Kitt musical?

[EponineAmneris]

I have always liked Mandy.

I find it hard to believe this or pretend this is "rumor."

[landryjames2]

Not me. His abrupt departures from his successful TV series as well (both Criminal Minds and Chicago Hope) both support these "rumors" as well. He does not appear at all stable to me (appear being the key word as I do not know him personally).

[Jon]

I'm a longtime friend of Sally Murphy (since she was 15) and when I visited backstage, I saw a great sense of comaraderie between her, Toni Collette, Eartha Kitt, and Leah Hocking. I also noticed them all giving Mandy a WIDE BERTH as he stalked around in the corridors.

[JoeKv99]

He bit Eartha Kitt? Hasn't everyone?

[SamIAm]

Anyone who knows Patinkin knows that he REALLY gets into his characters. When he did 'Hunchback' with Salma Hyak he avoided talking to her outside of work because his character was supposed to be in awe of her. That being said (and knowing that every actor is considered a bit strange or weird by people outside the community), Patinkin is a passionate, VERY intense person. He is very patient and gracious with his fans and is respected by those who have worked with him and who understand HOW he works.

In this entire Wild Party mess, Collette was no victim. There is no point in going over the details again but suffice it to say that there was a lot of tension involved in this production and that things were not going so well for the run...everyone was under pressure and everyone had their little outbursts. If you have seen Patinkin work in shows like SITPWG and in movies and on TV you know that he has a unique talent. The Wild Party rumors did not prevent him from getting work, nor will they. Go see him in concert sometime and see that he acts in every song. He is one of a kind and you either love him or hate him.

[Tom148502]

I first saw Patinkin in EVITA and loved him. I thought he was wonderful in SITPWG, but THE WILD PARTY was a disappointment because I had seen the Lippa version first. It didn't help that Patinkin sat out most of the previews because he was sulking about something. When I finally caught hin in the role of Burr, I was disappointed because he had literally nothing to do and didn't seem terribly happy about what little he was doing. I would see him in another show in a heartbeat but that doesn't mean I have to overlook THE WILD PARTY fiasco

[Ed_Mottershead]

Mandy was out the Saturday matinee I attended. As I didn't particularly care for the show itself, I didn't make a point of trying to catch him in it. The understudy (I forget who it was) sounded EXACTLY like Mandy.

Intense is the single-word adjective I would use for him. I've really liked his work -- his one-man shows were always brilliant, IMO. I never stage-doored for him -- he just always seems so wired that I'd be hesitant to bother him. Nice to read that he's nice offstage, though.

[EponineAmneris]

Thank you, SamIAm

[Jimmcf]

From Datalounge:

I've got a Mandy story from THE SECRET GARDEN. This college friend of mine was cast in the original company as an ensemble member and understudy to "Lily". Ha, I haven't talked to her since the 80s, and don't remember her name -- but I do remember the story someone told me about her experience doing that show.

Mandy was a major DIVA during the rehearsal process. Had to have his OWN vocal coach, etc. Just a pain in everyone's ass what with his attitude, etc.

So they come to the tech rehearsals, which are notoriously long, frustrating, and boring. You expect that going in, so you gird your loins for the tedium.

One of my friends' roles was a maid in the Craven Mansion, and during a set change she was to bring Mandy his overcoat and cane. Well, the first time they did it, she couldn't get around the revolving automated set, and was late for the on-stage costume change. Understandable -- I mean, that's what tech rehearsals are for, right? To work out the bugs.

WELL. Mr. Patinkin turns on her and let's her have it but good. On and on about professionalism, and how important this coat is to his arc, etc., etc., etc., bull****, bull****. Just an unnecessary blowup.

She stands there. She takes it. She doesn't react but levels her gaze at him. And when he finishes, she says, calmly but loud enough for everyone to hear: "I need to clarify something for you, Mr. Patinkin. I only PLAY your maid."

An eruption of applause burst forth from the wings and the house, and Patinkin's face went white.

And no more outbursts after that episode.

[roquat]

I love it.

I have always been frightened of him. He's intense every single minute in everything he does; he never relaxes or seems like a normal person. Even his "restrained" moments are full of what might be called "over-underacting." In THE WILD PARTY, every time he entered, I thought, "I'm not going to understand what's going on until he leaves."

[adamgreer]

To those who were asking...his understudy was David Masenheimer.