Fantasia explains why she left "The Color Purple" on Broadway

[HometownGlory]

Posted: 9/11/08 at 6:20pm

Fantasia Barrino has come clean about why she left The Color Purple before its official end on Broadway. The actress said she developed a tumor on her throat that left her feeling drained and too exhausted to keep up her nightly schedule.

"I couldn't get enough sleep and sometimes onstage, I could taste blood ... every now and then," she tells Sister 2 Sister magazine. "They (producers) would send me to the hospitals and they would say, 'Well, she's dehydrated; that's what's making her tired.' They would put IVs in me. But it just wasn't enough."

Eventually, Barrino sensed that something was seriously wrong and visited a top throat doctor in Los Angeles. With the use of a small camera, the physician discovered what he thought was a cyst. The singer recalls, "I went into surgery and he came out and told my mother it was a tumor."

Barrino is now healthy following surgery, but the entertainer says she is still "hurt" by some of the negative publicity that surrounded her missed shows. At the time, there were rumors that she had gotten pregnant.

"It really hurt my feelings. ... I told my manager, 'Please, somebody protect me,' because I've never missed a show. ... I like to perform," said Barrino. "I felt like, after I had my surgery, nobody knew about it. 'The Color Purple' didn't know about it, my record company didn't know about it, and I was very hurt by that. ... I wasn't receiving any flowers, any balloons."

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Interesting. I so wish I had gotten to see her.
Article source

[NGD2225]

Posted: 9/11/08 at 6:24pm

I feel so bad for her!! I hope she does end up doing the movie.

[Testing1232]

Posted: 9/11/08 at 6:35pm

Wow !! Hope she is better ! Her performance was amazing !!!!!!!!!

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 9/11/08 at 6:47pm

Wow...that's crazy. She was great in the role...shockingly.

She's very talented when she gives her all, but I guess in this case she was giving a little too much.

Posted: 9/11/08 at 6:50pm

"somebody protect me,' because I've never missed a show!"

Uh huh.

[ucjrdude902]

Posted: 9/11/08 at 6:51pm

Rumor has it Oprah wont do TCP: Movie Musical if Tasia doesn't sign on.

[NGD2225]

Posted: 9/11/08 at 7:01pm

^^^ Awhhh yeah! You go Oprah!

[me2]

Posted: 9/11/08 at 9:43pm

That reminds me of when Donna Murphy missed the shows in WONDERFUL TOWN, and people were so brutal to her. Later she revealed that she had a very serious vocal injury. She wasn't just playing diva.

To quote Phil Collins, "Take a look through my eyes . . ."
Broadway Mouth: Finale Ultimo: 20 Great Broadway Songs of the Past 10 Years

[BrodyFosse123]

Posted: 9/11/08 at 9:51pm

Who is Fantastic Barinio?

[javero]

Posted: 9/11/08 at 10:09pm

Wouldn't a press release from her publicist announcing her recovery from surgery would have nipped all the false rumors in the bud?

[muscle23ftl]

Posted: 9/11/08 at 10:18pm

Im not making fun of her, but maybe that's the reason why she seemed to be crying all the time in the show, if I tasted blood, I'd cry too. Poor thing.

[Scarywarhol]

Posted: 9/11/08 at 10:45pm

I would've left the show because I would've made an ass out of myself not being able to remember any of that music from one night to the next.

[dakota242]

Posted: 9/11/08 at 11:38pm

Well, this just seems to be a weird story. You would think this would be all over the media. Fantasia was on Idol this past season and nothing was mentioned about this? All we got was a crazy performance and a shocked Simon Cowell. Then she was dropped by 19 Idol Management.

[Amalia Balash]

Posted: 9/12/08 at 11:44am

I thought Fantasia was amazing as Celie, but something about that story just doesn't ring 100% true for me. It makes it sound like all the rumors were just about her leaving the show early when as I recall there were a lot of weeks during her schedule run where she missed performances. NYC has one or two top throat doctors so I find it hard to believe the problem couldn't be diagnosed correctly during her run. I'd recommended TCP to several friends and she wasn't there for any of the shows they went to during her run. They weren't happy.

I'll definitely buy a ticket to see her in the movie and hope that her throat problems don't affect that.

[TheaterBaby]

Posted: 9/12/08 at 1:52pm

I heard Donna Murphy missed shows in WT due to pregnancy misscarriages?

When I saw the title of the thread I was all ready to jump in with snarky witt, but when I read the actual reason, it's actually really sad. Glad to know she's doing better after surgery.

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 9/12/08 at 2:03pm

No balloons?

[uncageg]

Posted: 9/12/08 at 2:12pm

"No Balloons?"

...and no flowers.

[Bettyboy72]

Posted: 9/12/08 at 2:29pm

It does stink that if all that is true, that her reps did not make a statement to protect her image. She was really trashed for her attendance record and it can harm her ability to be hired in the future.

If she is cast in the film version, it could easily be J-Hud all over. There is no doubt she would get an Oscar nod. Also, the audience would be up and cheering after "I'm Here."

[Gothampc]

Posted: 9/12/08 at 2:34pm

I sent a Macaroni Barrino. I guess she didn't get it.

[philcrosby]

Posted: 9/12/08 at 2:43pm

She gave one of the most amazing performances I have seen on stage ever. She WAS Celie. And that may have been the problem with sustaining it over a long run. She didn't have the technique to sustain the role ... the throat injury probably a symptom.

Posted: 9/12/08 at 3:58pm

AND there was an invisible leprechaun that would poke 'Tasia with a fork JUST before she had to sing...and NOBODY believed her when she complained about the invisble Leprechaun poking her. It's a nightmre and clearly, she did nothing wrong, ever. I totally believe her and feel sorry for her.

Updated On: 9/12/08 at 03:58 PM

[TheBoyDownstairs]

Posted: 9/12/08 at 4:27pm

I was lucky enough to see her in TCP and it truly was one of the best performances I've ever seen. I had never been able to stand her in anything she had done, and went in ready to hate on her and she blew me away.

If this story is true its pretty inexcusable for her management not to release some sort of statement on this matter, as her reputation really did take a beating due to all the missed shows.

[toanythingtaboo 2]

Posted: 9/12/08 at 5:00pm

I suppose you could argue that her management didn't release the information because it might do serious harm to career if people questioned her health and ability to perform as high a standard. Her voice is her livelihood, so if that is damaged it gets pretty risky.

Obviously its not to the same extent, but Julie Andrews got totally discounted from singing roles after her throat surgery and people questioning her ability.

So they probably hoped that if they kept it under wraps, waded it out and just took the shame for the mean while...that it would do her better in the long run.

However, on the other hand they missed out on big publicity and sympathy from the public. That could have boosted things and at least mended her image going down in flames.


That all said, I find it strange the whole thing strange. It just doesn't seem 100% reliable.

[Wanna Be A Foster]

Posted: 9/12/08 at 9:59pm

LaChanze was eons better.