| re: CHINA DOLL | |
| Posted by: | AC126748 09:56 am EST 11/02/15 |
| In reply to: | CHINA DOLL - origamiboy 09:32 am EST 11/02/15 |
|
| |
| I feel sorry for her. Until I realize that she should've read the play before signing the contract. You're assuming there was a script when the contracts were signed. I'm not so sure. | |
| reply to this message | | |
| re: CHINA DOLL | |
| Posted by: | origamiboy 10:01 am EST 11/02/15 |
| In reply to: | re: CHINA DOLL - AC126748 09:56 am EST 11/02/15 |
|
| |
| Good point, AC. That thought crossed my mind yesterday too. The entire thing is just disgusting. It's so very obvious they don't care about the quality of the play. The delayed opening also shows how they're trying to boost sales before negative reviews impact it. | |
| reply to this message | | |
| re: CHINA DOLL | |
| Posted by: | Teesh 10:34 am EST 11/02/15 |
| In reply to: | re: CHINA DOLL - origamiboy 10:01 am EST 11/02/15 |
|
| |
| Oh please, we are talking about professionals. Of course they care and are working to the best of their ability. But if the material is bad there's only so much you can do. | |
| reply to this message | reply to first message | |
| When the author leaves town a few days after previews started | |
| Posted by: | dramedy 11:23 am EST 11/02/15 |
| In reply to: | re: CHINA DOLL - Teesh 10:34 am EST 11/02/15 |
|
| |
| Has he even come back to NYC? I don't see how you can argue they are professional and fixing the play. Pacino might be forgiven if they were giving him lots of rewrites during previews and rehearsals. Elton John also left during San Fran tryout of lestat, but at least he had the excuse of Vegas performance dates. | |
| reply to this message | reply to first message | |
| re: When the author leaves town a few days after previews started | |
| Posted by: | NewtonUK 11:29 am EST 11/02/15 |
| In reply to: | When the author leaves town a few days after previews started - dramedy 11:23 am EST 11/02/15 |
|
| |
| SO before we jump to conclusions and bash everyone involved in CHINA DOLL - previews start, Pacino has line problems. FAir enough for the author (he's not directing the play) to not be around for a few days, or a week - until there is something more secure to look at to figure out if there are problems to fix. That said, Mamet doesnt strike me as a big rewriter during previews. He is a playwright (perhaps not in the same class) like Pinter, carefully crafting language in his personal mode, weaving a story our of it all. Then its the director and actors' job to mine the text for performances and a show. Its also good to NOT see every preview - if writer or director - to be sure you don't start fixing what isn't broken. What IS broken you only have to see once. | |
| reply to this message | reply to first message | |
| Authors of new shows leaving town during previews? | |
| Posted by: | mikem 12:59 pm EST 11/02/15 |
| In reply to: | re: When the author leaves town a few days after previews started - NewtonUK 11:29 am EST 11/02/15 |
|
| |
| I've always assumed that the authors of a new Broadway play or musical are at virtually every performance until the show is frozen. (This may not be true for transfers.) Is it common for authors of new work on Broadway not to be there for even a few days in early previews, particularly for a world premiere? I seem to remember reading that Neil LaBute was revising from California during one of his recent Off-Broadway premieres, and Elton John and U2 were notoriously out of town during recent flops. Are there other examples? | |
| reply to this message | reply to first message | |
| re: Authors of new shows leaving town during previews? | |
| Posted by: | AlanScott 11:23 pm EST 11/02/15 |
| In reply to: | Authors of new shows leaving town during previews? - mikem 12:59 pm EST 11/02/15 |
|
| |
| In Everything Was Possible, there is a mention of Sondheim not having been to any performance of Follies for a week at one point during the Boston run. He was busy writing new stuff. And sometimes it's probably good to stay away for at least a few days, even if you're not staying away specifically to write new material or rewrite or make cuts. You may come back with a somewhat fresher perspective. | |
| reply to this message | reply to first message | |
| the visit | |
| Posted by: | dramedy 03:57 pm EST 11/02/15 |
| In reply to: | Authors of new shows leaving town during previews? - mikem 12:59 pm EST 11/02/15 |
|
| |
| McNally was working on his opera great Scott during previews of the visit. He was there for the first week or two in NYC, but slipped out to San Fran for a week to work on the opera However, the visit had been a work in progress for a decade, so there probably was little for him to do anyway. | |
| reply to this message | reply to first message | |
| re: the visit | |
| Posted by: | Michael_Portantiere 05:15 pm EST 11/02/15 |
| In reply to: | the visit - dramedy 03:57 pm EST 11/02/15 |
|
| |
| Also, I believe the production of THE VISIT came to Broadway more or less intact from Williamstown. Am I remembering correctly that Bono and The Edge were not present for at least some of what was to have been the initial preview period of SPIDER-MAN? (Obviously, no one would ever have expected them to stay for all of what turned out to be six months of previews.) | |
| reply to this message | reply to first message | |
| Yup, they went on tour | |
| Posted by: | dramedy 05:25 pm EST 11/02/15 |
| In reply to: | re: the visit - Michael_Portantiere 05:15 pm EST 11/02/15 |
|
| |
| But I think those tour dates were after the first official opening night in December before it was postponed. So understandable to move on. Of course, they probavly made a lot of money for the four years Spider-Man ran on Broadway. | |
| reply to this message | reply to first message | |
| re: Authors of new shows leaving town during previews? | |
| Posted by: | ryhog 01:26 pm EST 11/02/15 |
| In reply to: | Authors of new shows leaving town during previews? - mikem 12:59 pm EST 11/02/15 |
|
| |
| As with most things, there are no rules. There are also cases where the director and/or actors and/or producers ask the author to take a hike. And there are cases where (as noted in another post) the author has seen enough to know what needs to be done and goes off to write those changes in solitude. | |
| reply to this message | reply to first message | |
| Someone posted below that they saw the show on Friday | |
| Posted by: | Esther 11:28 am EST 11/02/15 |
| In reply to: | When the author leaves town a few days after previews started - dramedy 11:23 am EST 11/02/15 |
|
| |
| night & spoke to Mamet, so it appears he is or was in NYC three days ago. | |
| reply to this message | reply to first message | |
| Paccinos pay | |
| Posted by: | cjmclaughlin10 10:12 am EST 11/02/15 |
| In reply to: | re: CHINA DOLL - origamiboy 10:01 am EST 11/02/15 |
|
| |
| Last time Paccino was on Broadway, his obscene paycheck was a big story. Dose anyone know what he's making on China Doll??? | |
| reply to this message | reply to first message | |
| re: Pacinos pay: in line with who he is ... | |
| Posted by: | NewtonUK 11:24 am EST 11/02/15 |
| In reply to: | Paccinos pay - cjmclaughlin10 10:12 am EST 11/02/15 |
|
| |
| LAst time out, Pacino received (According to published reports) $125,000 a week, plus 5% of profits after recoupment. This is about what it should be considering who he is, and that he is why people buy tickets to this two hander. Matthew Broderick and Nathan Lane both famously got $100,000 a week when they returned to save THE PRODUCERS from box office blight. And that was in a HUGE cast musical. I would say that if someone knew what Hugh Jackman's Broadway salary was, no one would say anything except 'Great for Hugh, he deserves it.' I think theres just an undertow of 'who does Pacino think he is?' Well, he's a great movie star and movie actor who loves theatre. Has he left his stage work too late in his career? Possibly. Not for us to say. But let's not knock him down. OK? | |
| reply to this message | reply to first message | |
| re: Pacinos pay: in line with who he is ... | |
| Posted by: | ryhog 01:40 pm EST 11/02/15 |
| In reply to: | re: Pacinos pay: in line with who he is ... - NewtonUK 11:24 am EST 11/02/15 |
|
| |
| Agreed. What box office draws are paid should be a function of what their value is to the production. And when someone says the amount is "obscene," the natural corollary is that they would rather for the producers alone to reap the "obscene" proceeds as compensation for the value they added, which is in putting a moneymaker together. | |
| reply to this message | reply to first message | |
| re: Paccinos pay | |
| Posted by: | StageLover 10:44 am EST 11/02/15 |
| In reply to: | Paccinos pay - cjmclaughlin10 10:12 am EST 11/02/15 |
|
| |
| What exactly is obscene about it, besides the fact that you're not making it? Agree or not, Pacino is still a superstar (at least in the theater), and the last production of GLENGARRY (which wasn't bad and did make money) only happened because he said Yes. I'm not disputing that CHINA DOLL is a stinker. It sounds like one. Glad you're obsessed with Al. You may want to spell his name right next time. | |
| reply to this message | reply to first message | |
All That Chat is intended for the discussion of
theatre news and opinion
subject to the terms and conditions of the Terms of Service. (Please take all off-topic discussion to private email.)
Please direct technical questions/comments to webmaster@talkinbroadway.com and policy questions to TBAdmin@talkinbroadway.com.
[ Home | On the Rialto | The Siegel Column | Cabaret | Tony Awards | Book Reviews | Great White Wayback Machine ]
[ Broadway Reviews | Barbara and Scott: The Two of Clubs | Sound Advice | Sound Advice Upcoming Releases CDs/Books/DVDs, etc. | Off Broadway | Funding Talkin' Broadway ]
[ Broadway 101 | Spotlight On | Talkin' Broadway | On the Boards | Regional | Talk to Us! | Search Talkin' Broadway ]
Terms of Service
[ © 1997 - 2015 www.TalkinBroadway.com, Inc. ]
Time to render: 0.120280 seconds.