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Post by Playbill99 on May 16, 2019 16:36:35 GMT
Massively intrigued about what's going on here. I work on the Strand - Tempted to see if there's any cheap seats available when I leave for the day. We expect full running commentary if you go 😉😁 Well not during the show obvs 😆 Of course! Even If I don't go I'm wondering if the box office will tell me? Surely they're no going to be keeping it a secret at like 6:30pm? |
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Post by welsh_tenor on May 16, 2019 16:41:22 GMT
Why anyone would want to work for such a deceitful producer/company is beyond me. How must it feel for people going into work now, knowing that if someone ‘bigger’ comes along they’ll drop you like a rock?? Really feel for everyone involved in this sorry mess and hope they don’t decide to stunt cast other Jenna if/when Amber leaves 9-5 and drop Lucie! All this from a 40 word snippet in the corner of the Metro? It's nothing more than a rumour, and even if it is true, you have no idea how it has come about or what has been agreed between the actors involved. Perhaps. But it’s no secret the show is struggling you’ve only got to look at availability for the next few weeks to see that. Bringing in a name from Strictly smacks of stunt casting and if Laura has asked to leave then I’ll hold my hands up and apologise. Add to that an understudy for the lead who would rightly expect to cover cast holidays then finds out that she’s not covering and the ‘yet to be announced’ lead is likely to be going on tonight? I might be wrong but none of this strikes me as good production management! |
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Post by danb on May 16, 2019 16:45:09 GMT
Why anyone would want to work for such a deceitful producer/company is beyond me. How must it feel for people going into work now, knowing that if someone ‘bigger’ comes along they’ll drop you like a rock?? Really feel for everyone involved in this sorry mess and hope they don’t decide to stunt cast other Jenna if/when Amber leaves 9-5 and drop Lucie! All this from a 40 word snippet in the corner of the Metro? It's nothing more than a rumour, and even if it is true, you have no idea how it has come about or what has been agreed between the actors involved. Lucie has not been stunt cast. She has been cast; as a jobbing actor, and given no preference or deference over anyone else. Pretty sure those involved have known for a while so aren’t sat in their dressing rooms crying about it. Getting outraged on someone else's behalf unlikely to be necessary in this case. Until we know that anything is actually happening with Ashley I think it needs taking with a pinch of salt. |
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Post by xanady on May 16, 2019 16:49:45 GMT
Although I love this show to bits,it has felt like an abject lesson in how not to produce a show from day one.Keep thinking Basil Fawlty! It’s been a farcical endeavour for sure what with the bizarre marketing, lack of a real publicity drive,off-kilter casting,almost ruthless determination not to offer deals until very recently and now all this cloak and dagger nonsense.Fred Karno’s in living colour right here in the dazzling WE.It’s like Waitress...The Soap Opera!
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Post by welsh_tenor on May 16, 2019 16:52:27 GMT
All this from a 40 word snippet in the corner of the Metro? It's nothing more than a rumour, and even if it is true, you have no idea how it has come about or what has been agreed between the actors involved. Lucie has not been stunt cast. She has been cast; as a jobbing actor, and given no preference or deference over anyone else. Pretty sure those involved have known for a while so aren’t sat in their dressing rooms crying about it. Getting outraged on someone else's behalf unlikely to be necessary in this case. Until we know that anything is actually happening with Ashley I think it needs taking with a pinch of salt. I never said Lucie was stunt cast. I’m saying if they’re replacing Laura for a ‘celeb’ then there’s no reason they won’t do the same to Lucie if sales don’t pick up. I’ve seen enough comments from various sources today that suggest the Ashley/Laura swap is happening but guess we’ll see tomorrow. |
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Post by shady23 on May 16, 2019 16:56:14 GMT
I'd love to know why Lucie has not officially 'started' yet but it going on.
Unless the understudy is ill?
It just doesn't make sense!
Publicity maybe but why haven't they announced it?
I will be very interested to see what time Waitress release this news on their "channels" and whether it is after she has stepped on stage!
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Post by beatrice on May 16, 2019 17:01:18 GMT
Seriously, if Lucie is on tonight I just HOPE they handled it well with Sarah. Honestly furious for her. The way they've been treating Stephanie Torns forever on Broadway, it wouldn't surprise me if they just.....didn't tell Sarah until say yesterday.
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Post by highonahill on May 16, 2019 17:08:23 GMT
Been following this thread with interest and will be watching like a hawk for updates tonight!
I saw this on the dress rehearsal and did enjoy the show and wanted to see it again before a major cast change.
This whole situation is bizarre. Nothing against the newbies if they are actually recasting but to take Laura Baldwin out now is criminal - I think she's amazing! I just hope it's for something else, maybe finally the West End run of Eugenius - now that would make me happy!!
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Post by sparky5000 on May 16, 2019 17:18:19 GMT
Seriously, if Lucie is on tonight I just HOPE they handled it well with Sarah. Honestly furious for her. The way they've been treating Stephanie Torns forever on Broadway, it wouldn't surprise me if they just.....didn't tell Sarah until say yesterday. I mean, I don’t think they’ve treated Stephanie Torns badly at all! She has literally been with the show from the very beginning and clearly loves it, and TPTB clearly love her, or else she would have left already. She’s gotten to play Jenna for probably 4 or 5 months since the show began, which is wayyyy more than any understudy would probably ever get to do with a show. The only thing I think is a bit of a shame is that she’s never gotten her own playbill given the number of 2, 3 or 4 week stints she’s done 😆 |
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Post by geweena on May 16, 2019 17:21:22 GMT
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Post by alison on May 16, 2019 17:21:40 GMT
Well, it's pretty much confirmed now. Someone's posted a picture of the cast board on Twitter.
Edit: Beaten to it.
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Post by theinvisiblegirl on May 16, 2019 17:23:06 GMT
Lucie is on, there's a photo of the cast board on Twitter.
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Post by Deleted on May 16, 2019 17:24:58 GMT
If you're cast in an understudy role, there is NOTHING guaranteeing that you will ever go on, regardless of who is playing the lead. You're there to step in when the show needs you to.
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Post by anthem on May 16, 2019 17:26:44 GMT
What we’ve heard re Ashley is rumour. Can we hold our horses please until we get confirmation?
That being said, if it does turn out to be true...
I really loved the show but if they aren’t shifting enough tickets the production will close. Stunt casting is obviously meant to be a preventative measure, to give the production a boost (though of course there’s a debate about whether it actually works/ whether it compromises the integrity of the piece). Maybe better to bring in fresh leads rather than putting the whole team out of work?
I really liked Laura in this and in Eugenius but IF she is being replaced, I’m sure that possibility would have been flagged when the show opened and it must be part of the contractual understanding. It’s a pretty cut throat industry and I doubt producers could or would be ‘deceitful’ about this possibility.
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Post by Playbill99 on May 16, 2019 17:29:55 GMT
Lucie is on, there's a photo of the cast board on Twitter. That's settled then! Just wanted to say also - as an employee that may or may not work for the company that deals with Waitress - just because they should know about certain things like this doesn't actually mean they do lol |
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Post by Playbill99 on May 16, 2019 17:30:45 GMT
West End Understudies say its the rest of the week on twitter...
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Post by danb on May 16, 2019 17:34:19 GMT
West End Understudies say its the rest of the week on twitter... That is correct. |
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Post by alison on May 16, 2019 17:50:34 GMT
But the someone has replied to WestEndCovers asking if it's all back to normal on Monday and they've replied with this:
What the heck is even happening here? Other than an apparent shambles, that is.
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Post by shady23 on May 16, 2019 17:55:21 GMT
Unless Kat is not coming back?
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Post by Deleted on May 16, 2019 17:55:59 GMT
I’m not sure but why do I get the impression that Kat isn’t returning to the show? With this, Marisha’s Instagram post and the wording of the Metro piece things could be that way...
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Post by theinvisiblegirl on May 16, 2019 17:58:12 GMT
I'll be really annoyed if Kat isn't returning, I booked for the 15th specifically because they announced it was her last show!
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Post by sparky5000 on May 16, 2019 18:00:31 GMT
Unless Kat is not coming back? Well she definitely thinks she’s coming back because on her insta story yesterday she said that when she’s back she’ll sing SUTBM to anyone who asks her at stagedoor 😆 |
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Post by andrew on May 16, 2019 18:02:09 GMT
Kat is coming back. She never specified the exact date though. She left yesterday, so I doubt that she will be back in less than a week. I imagine that Sarah, Olivia or Lucie will perform for a few days next week as well. It’s so funny that we had one Jenna for 100 shows in a row and now suddenly we have 4. Dreamgirls who?
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Post by beatrice on May 16, 2019 18:05:07 GMT
Seriously, if Lucie is on tonight I just HOPE they handled it well with Sarah. Honestly furious for her. The way they've been treating Stephanie Torns forever on Broadway, it wouldn't surprise me if they just.....didn't tell Sarah until say yesterday. I mean, I don’t think they’ve treated Stephanie Torns badly at all! She has literally been with the show from the very beginning and clearly loves it, and TPTB clearly love her, or else she would have left already. She’s gotten to play Jenna for probably 4 or 5 months since the show began, which is wayyyy more than any understudy would probably ever get to do with a show. The only thing I think is a bit of a shame is that she’s never gotten her own playbill given the number of 2, 3 or 4 week stints she’s done 😆 That's sort of what I mean - they'll have her in and out whenever they need her, but she doesn't seem to ever get any recognition for all her hard work. She seems undervalued at the very least - a cast member who will stay in the cast for years, perform flawlessly when needed but never demands to move up to principal has got to be the dream for any production, I'm always shocked they don't seem to pay much attention to her. As an example, it's so weird to me that they haven't done any instagram marketing of the joking "Two weeks only - our longest running Jenna!" type. |
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Post by sparky5000 on May 16, 2019 18:11:38 GMT
I mean, I don’t think they’ve treated Stephanie Torns badly at all! She has literally been with the show from the very beginning and clearly loves it, and TPTB clearly love her, or else she would have left already. She’s gotten to play Jenna for probably 4 or 5 months since the show began, which is wayyyy more than any understudy would probably ever get to do with a show. The only thing I think is a bit of a shame is that she’s never gotten her own playbill given the number of 2, 3 or 4 week stints she’s done 😆 That's sort of what I mean - they'll have her in and out whenever they need her, but she doesn't seem to ever get any recognition for all her hard work. She seems undervalued at the very least - a cast member who will stay in the cast for years, perform flawlessly when needed but never demands to move up to principal has got to be the dream for any production, I'm always shocked they don't seem to pay much attention to her. As an example, it's so weird to me that they haven't done any instagram marketing of the joking "Two weeks only - our longest running Jenna!" type. Well yeah I do agree with that. I guess you could liken it to a loyal longer term company employee who is always reliable and does a great job, but always gets overlooked for the promotion because they keep bringing new people in, and on a higher salary! There probably is an element of taking her and her loyalty for granted a bit, but it’s kind of on Stephanie too. She’s v talented and I wonder why she hasn’t pushed herself to try for other shows etc. It’s like she’s too comfortable with her continued understudy role (and I’m sure with all the times she’s played Jenna she’s been v well renumerated). |
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