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Bougielala mothafucka (![[info]](http://www.journalfen.net/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} thoms) wrote in ![[info]](http://www.journalfen.net/img/community.gif){kind=small} fandom_wank,@ 2008-01-22 14:32:00 |
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| Entry tags: | broadway, disney, fandom: the little mermaid, think of the children |
Smoking at The Little Mermaid? SAY IT AIN'T SO!
Of the many shows currently playing on Broadway, one of the more popular for the family set is The Little Mermaid at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre.
Our wankstory begins on the Broadway World message boards, when EdwinDrood172 posts that he saw one of the cast members from TLM outside, in his makeup and hair, smoking a cigarette.
I had some friends in town this week, so we spent lots of time waiting in line at TKTS. We saw some great shows - August, Hairspray, Color Purple, November, and Little Mermaid (which I actually loved). However, what I saw across the street outside of the Lunt-Fontanne absolutely disgusted me. On two different occasions this past week, I saw one of the cast members of Little Mermaid sitting outside the stage door, in half of his costume, smoking. In plain view, in daylight, in the midst of thousands of theatergoers, smoking in his neon green hair and makeup. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. I mean, this is a Disney show! As a long time fan of Disney's theme parks, films, and Broadway shows, I have always appreciated the company's dedication to making every patron's experience "magical" from beginning to end. However, what I saw this past week is the equivalent of Mickey Mouse taking off his head and having a beer next to It's a Small World!
I have been a working actor for over 20 years, doing everything from cruise ships to Broadway, and rarely have I ever seen someone behave so rudely. It is an absolute honor to be a working actor on Broadway. There is no other feeling like it in the world, I can honestly say. And there are thousands of actors in this city who would do anything for that opportunity. Smoking in costume, in plain view of patrons, is insulting. It is insulting to families who are spending hundreds of dollars to see you perform. It is insulting to your fellow collaborators, working hard eight times a week to create magic on that stage. It is insulting to those thousands of actors getting up at 5am everyday to be seen at open calls, hoping that this time they'll get their break. And it is insulting to the craft, itself. Whether you are doing a Disney musical or Chekhov, Shakespeare or Neil Simon, you have to treat this artform with the respect it deserves.
In short, don't wear your costume outside of the theatre.
The very first comment on the thread summed it up with "This should go well."
It is later figured out - and without a lot of difficulty - that the "offending" cast member was Tyler Maynard, who plays Flotsam. (*points at icon* That's him.) But beyond all of that, is a lot of rending of garments, so to speak, about how it's disrespectful and he is a "Disney employee" and he doesn't deserve to be in the show if he smokes, yadda yadda yadda.
Four pages later, they're still going strong. There's some bonus "THINK OF THE CHILDREN!" comments as well.
