Thursday, May 19, 2016

Dear Mr. and Ms. Producer,

Yesterday, I went to see The Color Purple at the Bernard Jacobs Theatre on 45th Street.  It was a very diverse audience of all ages and colors.  I missed the original production in its first outing.  The commercial that aired promoting this revival was a recording studio commercial of Jennifer Hudson and Cynthia Erivo singing together.  Thrilling.  Great hook, but for some reason, I still hesitated.  BUT, when I heard the incomparable Heather Headley was taking over for Jennifer Hudson...it was a must see.  For those of you that don't know Heather Headley, she sprang into the forefront of Broadway stardom when she played the title character in Elton John's Aida and then was the original Nala in The Lion King.  Love, love, love her.  

May 18, 2016 matinee was the day.  The start time printed on the ticket, in the newspaper, on the internet is 2pm.  It's clear, clear, clear, but who cares?  Well, certainly not many of the patrons.  The show actually didn't begin until 2:10pm.  At 2:30pm latecomers were seated during the show.  At 2:45pm more latecomers were seated. What the hell?  During the final, moving, deep, quiet number of Act 1, the staff to serve drinks and food came barreling down the stairs like a herd of cattle and got in their places.  

When I began going to Broadway shows over 35 years ago, it was such a big event.  As the years have gone by, like everything else, it has gotten more and more casual.  We've heard plenty of stories or been in the audience when cell phones have gone off disturbing both the actors and the patrons.  BUT Dear, Mr. and Ms. Producer, you can ask more from your audience.  You can start the shows on time.  In London and Toronto, they begin making announcements at 10 to the hour about the start time and it actually starts on time.  The audiences know it and expect it.  In NYC, people expect it to start late, so many arrive late.  I'd be thrilled if we didn't reward tardiness.  I'd be thrilled if latecomers didn't get seated until intermission and must watch it on closed circuit in lobbies or just miss the First Act altogether.  

When you buy a ticket, it's sort of a contract and should be treated as such.  I took Stage Management in college and there are clear guidelines, but no one follows them.  The "house" should open 30 minutes before curtain, but many times they are late.  That should change.  They should stop selling alcohol and food promptly at the stated curtain time.  Many theatres have improved the ladies room facilities so they have made huge strides from that perspective, thankfully.  There are still long lines, but move far more quickly than ten years ago.  

Mr. and Ms. Producer, we can be re-trained.  You can ask more from your audience.  The announcement at The Color Purple worked and no one's cell phone went off.  We can arrive on time if you tell us that we won't be seated late.  Live theatre is not a sporting event or a concert.  Live theatre is magical and we are on a journey with the actors getting enveloped in the story and emotion.  When people arrive late, it takes us out of the magic.  Yesterday's disruptions were far and away some of the worst I've witnessed.  Ask more of us, please.  Demand more of us.  We paid, you got the money, make us live up to our end of the contract.  

The incredible Cynthia Erivo and Heather Headley and the entire cast of The Color Purple deserve more.  If you haven't seen this production, go, run.  It is thrilling, beautiful, funny, and deeply moving.  Worth every penny and many discounts are available.  Look at your ticket and get there on time.  It is the least we can do for these incredible performers.  It is the least you can do for your fellow patrons.  It is the least you can do if you bother to buy tickets.  Run, do not walk. Something very special and magical is happening on the stage of the Jacobs theatre.

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@DianaPodolsky

Wednesday, May 4, 2016

Things I Can't Shake Off: Part One

Remember when we had the Ebola outbreak and there was both panic and fear taking hold?  Remember when 
Dr. Nancy Snyderman was the medical expert for NBC News?  Remember that she made a poor choice and left her self-induced sequester so she didn't infect anyone (though she and her crew weren't sick and voluntarily sequestered themselves) and picked up take out food?  Remember that?  She was soundly skewered and banished.  Remember when Brian Williams was caught lying/exaggerating a story on NBC news?  Remember people were deeply disappointed that the most trusted man in news was not?  Remember NBC executives weren't sure what to do, but they suspended him until it all died down?  They started to slowly roll him out on MSNBC where he has more airtime than ever before.  He is now the overwhelming face and voice of MSNBC.  All is forgiven.  What did they do with Nancy Snyderman?  Why did they treat her differently and, seriously, hasn't been seen since.  Did they lock her away?  Her failed judgement was seen as a felony and treated far more severely than Brian Williams' lies.  Misogyny?  I don't know.  It just has bugged me since it all happened.  Seems so unfair and unjust to ruin someone's career without giving them a chance to redeem themselves.  She clearly isn't important to the network....

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Recently, we lived through an overhyped and overproduced NFL draft.  For those of you that don't follow football, every year this event has gotten bigger and bigger.  The higher up you are selected, the more money your contract is worth.  Laramie Tunsil, an Ole Miss "grad,"  was touted as one of the bright shining stars of the new class of players.  He was supposed to go in the top 5 picks.  Right before the draft began, someone (allegedly his stepdad) posted a two year old video of him smoking a bong with a gas mask on.  Now, I'm not saying fantastic image, but he fell to pick number 15.  The owners didn't want to touch that.  Seriously?  A bong hit and they freak out?  The young man lost millions of dollars because of that timely placed video.  Now, I've had a craw up my butt about James Winston for the past few years.  He was a star quarterback at Florida State University.  During his tenure there, he shoplifted, ranted offensive speech in a dining room on campus, and allegedly raped a young woman.  Again, not proven, but what has been proven...all the authorities messed up the investigation, from the school administration to the authorities.  They didn't want to take down their star.  I will never root for him or support him, but when he went in the draft last year, do you know what number he went??  Yes, people, number 1.  Number 1.  The NFL owners all are a pack of hypocrites and are far more offended by a college party high, than the alleged rape and character flaws in Jameis Winston.  A total disgrace, all of it.  

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I've been asked by many if I have feelings about Kelly Ripa and Michael Strahan.  I am a frequent viewer of the show and was also stunned by his announcement that he is leaving and that they didn't get along.  Not 100% that I believe that, but leaving for Good Morning America seems to be a very questionable move.  Other than the tons of money he is getting, just seems it could go south so easily.  Morning TV wars are brutal.  The competition between the Today Show and Good Morning America is intense and the executives couldn't care less about the human toll, just the money coming in and the ratings.  I think that LIVE with Kelly and whomever will do just fine and maybe soar to higher heights, but GMA is definitely a big old question mark. Go Kelly!

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And now, for the last thing of today...Donald T***p.  It's a reality folks.  He is now the presumptive nominee of the Republican Party.  When this started last summer, there was no way he would last, but the more outrageous things he spewed the more popular he got and the more airtime he received.  I lay it at the very feet of the news programs.  This is definitely on them.  They created this monster.  They didn't do any due diligence.  Wouldn't it be great to interview Carolyn Kepchner?  She was one of the female executives in the T***p organization that became a "star" on the original Apprentice.  She left, if I recall, because she got too big for her britches.  Wonder if that's the real story.  She, too, hasn't been seen or heard from since.  Maybe she is locked in the same tower as Dr. Nancy Snyderman.  News people, you are overdue.  You should be doing your job.  It's too late but there is a general election.  Don't think for one minute that T***p won't say or do anything to win, so do your job.  Call him out.  Can we finally deal in facts????

Please re-post, re-tweet, or forward to a friend.
@DianaPodolsky