Illumination
May. 1st, 2006 01:28 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ceebeegeeAt our chocolate-infused convo on Saturday, Michelle and Lori also mentioned something I hadn't known before--Julie's cancellation of Macbeth had nothing to do with money, or any sort of health or family emergency or anything like that. Are you ready for this?
She said she wasn't going to put on a show where she looked bad, where she gave a bad performance.
Yep, you heard it here, folks. It was All. About. Julie. Juliejuliejulie. She spit on the hard work, love and dedication of some 20+ performers, techs, a director, etc. All because she was going to look bad,* in the part she cast herself in (and hadn't learned the lines for yet).
And by the way, this was all confirmed by Michael, our SM. I had a long, illuminating convo with him last night. He also said that the theater is FULLY PAID FOR--so she didn't save any money by cancelling the show. She paid thousands of dollars for an empty theater, plus she still has to pay the director, the fight choreographer, the photographer, etc. She is committed to ALL of that expense. And she still cancelled the show. My mind was reeling--in fact, I was literally reeling when Michelle and Lori repeated what Julie had given as her reason. I stood up in my chair and said "Wait, wait--you're telling me this whole mess was about her performance?" I was jumpstumbling backward, waving my hands, so angry I couldn't speak for a few seconds. After Wednesday, I didn't think I could get any angrier--I was wrong.
*Michael said they'd had a photo shoot Tuesday, the night before the boom fell, and it was weird. Julie, in the photos as Lady Macbeth, insisted on looking "pretty." Insisted on it, got very upset when Catherine said that wasn't as important as, you know, communicating the essence of the play. Julie is really messed up about looks--Tracy and I also joke about how Julie would fawn on me and talk about my looks in this weird, you-look-like-the-classic-shiksa-so-by-definition-you-MUST-be-beautiful way. I don't mean *I* think that--I think *Julie* thinks that, I think she has the classic self-hating Jewish stereotype going on. Last fall she talked about wanting to convert to Episcopalianism. Not because she has any particular pull towards it--I don't think she has the slightest clue of what our belief system entails. She wanted to convert because Episcopalianism treats women well. She thought Judaism devalues Jewish women and seems to exalt shiksa women (HER words, NOT mine)--she gave as an example the fact that at her temple, she keeps seeing Jewish men with non-Jewish wives. I didn't even know how to respond to this, especially because I get this sense she thinks of my denomination as one big country club where the Beautiful People all sit around and sip martinis and eating pate. Julie, there are actually some beliefs involved, and it would be nice if you wanted to join us because you too believe in them. It sucks if you feel devalued where you worship, but I don't necessarily think that has anything to do with Judaism per se. Tracy hit it on the head when she said mockingly "Oh Clara, if I convert to Episcopalianism, will I look just like you?"
And of course, Julie still hasn't contacted any of us individually since that glib email she sent out Wednesday. Hasn't apologized, hasn't tried to explain (not as though she could), hasn't sent us checks to cover our expenses (although she will have to do that for the Equity actors, at least). Michael said when he called Clare Patterson (our sweet little Baby Macduff/Fleance), she was completely crushed; she said "this was my first New York show..."
I can't say I hate Julie. I will say, I have nothing but contempt for her now, and I have no sympathy for her writhing mass of insecurities and weakness and...garbage.
But--this too shall pass. I have other plans; Macbeth will go on.
She said she wasn't going to put on a show where she looked bad, where she gave a bad performance.
Yep, you heard it here, folks. It was All. About. Julie. Juliejuliejulie. She spit on the hard work, love and dedication of some 20+ performers, techs, a director, etc. All because she was going to look bad,* in the part she cast herself in (and hadn't learned the lines for yet).
And by the way, this was all confirmed by Michael, our SM. I had a long, illuminating convo with him last night. He also said that the theater is FULLY PAID FOR--so she didn't save any money by cancelling the show. She paid thousands of dollars for an empty theater, plus she still has to pay the director, the fight choreographer, the photographer, etc. She is committed to ALL of that expense. And she still cancelled the show. My mind was reeling--in fact, I was literally reeling when Michelle and Lori repeated what Julie had given as her reason. I stood up in my chair and said "Wait, wait--you're telling me this whole mess was about her performance?" I was jumpstumbling backward, waving my hands, so angry I couldn't speak for a few seconds. After Wednesday, I didn't think I could get any angrier--I was wrong.
*Michael said they'd had a photo shoot Tuesday, the night before the boom fell, and it was weird. Julie, in the photos as Lady Macbeth, insisted on looking "pretty." Insisted on it, got very upset when Catherine said that wasn't as important as, you know, communicating the essence of the play. Julie is really messed up about looks--Tracy and I also joke about how Julie would fawn on me and talk about my looks in this weird, you-look-like-the-classic-shiksa-so-by-definition-you-MUST-be-beautiful way. I don't mean *I* think that--I think *Julie* thinks that, I think she has the classic self-hating Jewish stereotype going on. Last fall she talked about wanting to convert to Episcopalianism. Not because she has any particular pull towards it--I don't think she has the slightest clue of what our belief system entails. She wanted to convert because Episcopalianism treats women well. She thought Judaism devalues Jewish women and seems to exalt shiksa women (HER words, NOT mine)--she gave as an example the fact that at her temple, she keeps seeing Jewish men with non-Jewish wives. I didn't even know how to respond to this, especially because I get this sense she thinks of my denomination as one big country club where the Beautiful People all sit around and sip martinis and eating pate. Julie, there are actually some beliefs involved, and it would be nice if you wanted to join us because you too believe in them. It sucks if you feel devalued where you worship, but I don't necessarily think that has anything to do with Judaism per se. Tracy hit it on the head when she said mockingly "Oh Clara, if I convert to Episcopalianism, will I look just like you?"
And of course, Julie still hasn't contacted any of us individually since that glib email she sent out Wednesday. Hasn't apologized, hasn't tried to explain (not as though she could), hasn't sent us checks to cover our expenses (although she will have to do that for the Equity actors, at least). Michael said when he called Clare Patterson (our sweet little Baby Macduff/Fleance), she was completely crushed; she said "this was my first New York show..."
I can't say I hate Julie. I will say, I have nothing but contempt for her now, and I have no sympathy for her writhing mass of insecurities and weakness and...garbage.
But--this too shall pass. I have other plans; Macbeth will go on.
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WHAT?!?
Date: 2006-05-01 06:04 pm (UTC)Yep, you heard it here, folks. It was All. About. Julie. Juliejuliejulie. She spit on the hard work, love and dedication of some 20+ performers, techs, a director, etc. All because she was going to look bad,* in the part she cast herself in (and hadn't learned the lines for yet).
Has she never seen herself perform before?!
This became an issue NOW?!
Holy Mother of Pearl!!
Yo, Clara. I'm gonna call Lisa, tell her to pack the van.
Julie's going for a ride, baby.
Jersey style.
Re: WHAT?!?
Date: 2006-05-01 06:13 pm (UTC)Jersey-style, hee! What exactly does that entail? Forced mullets? Bon Jovi blasting through your ears? Or something more...*pinkie finger*...sinister?
Re: WHAT?!?
Date: 2006-05-01 06:35 pm (UTC)'Cause the one thing I want to do is put it in writing.
*rolls eyes*
Rookies.
Re: WHAT?!?
Date: 2006-05-01 07:47 pm (UTC)(I can't wait to hear what you do.)
Re: WHAT?!?
Date: 2006-05-01 07:27 pm (UTC)GRRRRRRRRRRR
Re: WHAT?!?
Date: 2006-05-01 07:40 pm (UTC)I was in a situation this year where the show was cancelled, but that was because, among the myriad of problems, including no venue two weeks before the show started, our director was insane.
But this?! This is pure gall, man. I would so not want to be Julie. For many reasons, but mostly because she's single-handedly ruined her own reputation for no good reason. Wow.
I'm telling you. Lisa can get a discount on lime. It could work.
no subject
Date: 2006-05-01 06:16 pm (UTC)That should win some sort of award. And if 'twere I, this crazy Lala would be listed in "Who NOT To Work With Gazette"!
There's so much negative lunacy in NYC theatre. They should let us take over. At least THEN the lunacy would be channeled in a creative way, onto the stage.
no subject
Date: 2006-05-01 06:26 pm (UTC)I hope she is proven wrong.
no subject
Date: 2006-05-01 06:33 pm (UTC)I am in shock over this story. What an ego!
no subject
Date: 2006-05-01 06:58 pm (UTC)But back to the subject at hand: fuck her in her stupid robot weasel ass. Dreaming up creative revenge scenarios will keep me amused while I'm writing about initializing RSP 9000 modules and crap like that.
no subject
Date: 2006-05-01 07:09 pm (UTC)It happens--producers casting themselves is a fact of the business, because most people don't produce for the love of it. I myself have done it. But you have to have a built-in self-BS detector and absolutely know your limitations. For instance, I would never cast myself as, say, Anita or Maria in West Side Story. I would be completely unbelievable in those roles. Or, say, if I produced 1776, I would never cast myself as John Adams (don't laugh, that's one of those roles I would KILL to play). Or if I did King Lear, never as Goneril.
At the very least, if you can't resist giving yourself the role you're not suited for but have always wanted to play, you had better BUST YOUR ASS to prove yourself to the best of your abilities. Julie wasn't even close to being off-book. She had done none of her homework.
Let me know your creative revenge scenarios!
no subject
Date: 2006-05-01 07:51 pm (UTC)Hey, my wife wants to play Judas in JCS (and somehow thinks that having a male Jesus and female Judas won't give the audience the REALLY wrong idea about the Jesus/Judas/Mary triangle, so her insanity is twofold), so I get what you're talking about.
no subject
Date: 2006-05-01 08:02 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-05-01 09:34 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-05-01 09:57 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-05-01 10:44 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-05-01 11:27 pm (UTC)Boy Judas, tho.
no subject
Date: 2006-05-02 06:06 am (UTC)There, see? There are some things more important than money, and Julie is learning that. And there you are criticizing her for a step forward in maturity. Shame on you. Shame on you ALL!
On the other hand, if somebody can tell her that she doesn't look good as a producer, perhaps future situations like this can be avoided.