Cabaret - Playhouse Theatre

Jeese is out because she is nominated for an Independant Spirit Award in Los Angeles on Sunday.

And I beleive she was in LA the week prior for the Critics Choice Awards.

Surely if she’s under contract to perform in Cabaret, in London, she shouldn’t be flying off to LA to attend award events?! (Assuming that is the reason).

And if this is the reason, other shows are more upfront about highlighting dates when the lead is absent on their website.

Having said that, I totally disagree with the comment that said the show isn’t worth seeing without her. There’s still Eddie, the brilliant supporting cast, an apparently ‘just as good as the lead’ standby for Sally plus the whole Kit Kat Club vibe.

I wondered if it might be something to do with the screen awards she was up for but then thought 'surely in that case the theatre would tell ticket holders in advance'. That might at least allow ticket holders who were wanting to see Jessie rather than Redmayne or just the show to try to swap dates and not spend a small fortune traveling to London too. As it is, it looks pretty shabby. 

Appreciating that Jessie Buckley’s whereabouts are currently only hearsay:

If it was known that she was not going to be able to commit to what is only a short run, she should not have signed up to it, or her absences should have been made clear from the outset. If she’s contractually required to attend an awards show, then it must be in her Cabaret contract that she wouldn’t perform, and this should have been made clear to customers. There has been no communication from the producers on this, and it’s not for you to decide on behalf of other customers whether there’s any point in doing so. It’s all about giving people control over their choices.

I’m also unclear why attending an awards show on Sunday night involves missing performances from Thursday onwards.

Whether it’s how they dealt with these missed performances, the COVID cancellations, their claim of “star” casting after the initial cast, or the extortionate ticket prices, I think that the producers have behaved pretty appallingly.

Respect to Eddie Redmayne for his flawless record, though.

Try thinking things through before you post - she will have signed up to do Cabaret probably a year ago (if not longer), so it obviously wouldn't have been known then that she would be nominated for awards, as the film hadn't been released yet (I think it was only filmed last summer?).

And unless you have some crystal ball that none of the rest of us have then illness isn't something that can be predicted either. I'm sure there was a post a few pages ago saying Buckley was on a reduced show schedule on doctor's orders.

Even if she is out to go to an awards ceremony (the Independent Spirit Awards are in LA, which answers your question about why she would be out for more than one day if that is the reason) then even if she isn't contractually obliged to promote her film in that way (I wouldn't put it past Netflix to require that but I accept it may not be the case), I don't think anyone can blame her for wanting to attend an event that might recognise her talent and that in any event will raise her profile with important people in the industry. Her career is more than a short run in a show and she cannot be blamed for looking longer term. No doubt if she is out for an Awards show she won't be getting paid for Cabaret - her choice and objectively a very sensible one if that is the reason.

Given none of this could be known when tickets were put on sale, how exactly do you suggest such absences are "made clear from the outset"? Most people have sufficient common sense to know that (as all theatre tickets say) the appearance of any artist cannot be guaranteed, and to understand that people can get sick or circumstances can change without throwing a tantrum about it.

Frankly there are far more important things going on in the world at the minute and some people are taking this so far out of any reasonable perspective. Anyone can be irritated she isn't on if she's out for a performance they attend, of course, but all this mudslinging is wholly unnecessary.

Are you just Jessie Buckley/her agent/mum/sister? Your devotion to her is… fascinating!

And I didn’t realise that flights from London to LA now take four days 🤪

They just give them more champagne so that they can't remember who they saw. 😀

I understand the disappointment of people and, frankly, I also understand those here who are critical. If someone is genuinely unwell then all sympathy and support should be afforded them. However, if someone is repeatedly missing performances (including possibly to attend an awards ceremony) then that is unacceptable - Zoom in your acceptance speech for heaven's sake; that used to be the norm.The problem now is (a) that producers are so immersed in their greed when it comes to pricing and (b) many of the supposed "stars" of today lack either the stamina or the inclination for a sustained eight-show-a-week run. How did so many performers of old manage an eight show week for two, three years without such flaky attendance records. If there's not a valid reason, then its simply a lack of professionalism. 

The bottom line is that no-one actually knows why she has been out so much lately, yet so many people seem intent on jumping to negative conclusions and criticising without any proven basis or looking at the wider picture. It isn't black and white in the slightest.

Whatever happened to the benefit of the doubt? It's the exact same reason I found the exact same debate in the Cinderella thread so disappointingly lacking in compassion.

You don't know what is going on in someone else's life, no matter what the public profile or front anyone is putting on. A bit of compassion and considering what the rational reasons for absences might be rather than negative assumptions doesn't hurt anyone, and it's kinder than pointing fingers at the performer.

That's really the whole point and it seems to have been lost or ignored by many.

Please point me in the direction of “half a dozen” posts where I blame Jessie Buckley for anything. I’m afraid that you’ve resorted to making things up at my expense, which I do take objection to. I’d suggest you correct the record accordingly, please.

I’ve been clear that most of my frustration is aimed at the producers, and their handling of a number of areas in relation to this production. And I absolutely stand by that.

Having said that, I don’t share your seeming admiration of Jessie Buckley’s focus on award shows, when she has made commitments to paying audience members in a short theatre run. Have you never seen people accept their award via video link? If I were to read that she’d missed an award show because she wanted to honour her commitments to members of the public who wanted to see her, I’d admire that much more. I’ve never even heard of the Independent Spirit Awards - it’s hardly the Oscars! I also appreciate that these decisions are probably taken entirely out of her hands. On the times I’ve met her, she’s been lovely, and I’m sure she wouldn’t want to disappoint anyone.

And yes, I know that there are more important things going on in the world right now - and they’re also more important than whether Jessie Buckley gets to attend an award show.

I still appreciate that we don’t know for sure why she is missing so many performances - it may have nothing to do with award shows. There does seem to have been a change since she was nominated for an Oscar. But maybe she has been ill, which - despite further unsubstantiated accusations which you have made about me to the contrary - I of course appreciate that this can’t be predicted or helped.

Please try to change your style on this board - you don’t hesitate to throw accusations of lack of common sense, lack of thought, tantrums, talking nonsense etc - and it makes this quite an unpleasant place to be. Your unfailing devotion for famous actors unfortunately lets you get carried away with yourself. As you admit, things aren’t always black and white - so try and bear that in mind in your responses.

It’s not as simple as a flight there, attend and come home. She’ll be tied into taking part in media appearances/interviews in the lead up to the awards through her contract with the production company to promote the film.