Today’s theme: Humpty Dumpty
The one on the left is definitely a Humpty Dumpty, made by Mansell in England. The one on the right isn’t technically Humpty Dumpty but I think of him that way. So I’ve grouped them together. They’re two of my favorite egg cups.
Oh, yesterday! Yesterday was a day in which nothing seemed to go right. Mostly petty little things but they piled up and I ended up feeling tense. I was so thrown that I forgot to put my newly washed sheets on the bed until I walked upstairs to go to bed and realized I hadn’t. Yikes. Nothing relaxing about trying to get a California King bed quickly made up right before attempting to go to sleep!
We did find out some rather disturbing news yesterday. The tour of Escape to Margaritaville is going to be non-Equity. Non-union. The ramifications of this choice by the producers are many. All actors who work on Broadway and in regional theaters throughout the country are members of Actors Equity, guaranteeing them a certain level of pay, health insurance – in fact, I’m going to use a quote from Playbill:
“A note about Equity versus non-Equity tours: Many touring productions are marketed as “direct from Broadway”—but performers and stage managers on Broadway work under Actors’ Equity contracts, which provide fair pay, benefits, and job protections. An Equity tour means actors and stage managers are fairly compensated with rights and protections that allow them to give you their all, every performance.”
In hiring actors who are non-union, the producers are paying them much less money (trust me on this one) to do the same 8 shows a week the Broadway cast did, with days off being used for travel from venue to venue.
They’re also deciding to tour a show that just finished its run on Broadway using actors who haven’t been able to join the union – either because they’re very young and just starting out, or because they never got enough professional credits to get in the union.
The vast majority of First National Tours – the first one after the run of a Broadway show – are union. When it comes to the second or third or fourth tour, the tour might become non-union. But the first? Very rare. Anastasia’s national tour is Equity.
This tells me that the producers (and Jimmy Buffett) want to make money on the tour. Period.
I’ve coached non-union tours. I’ve seen some good performances. But they never reach the level that comes with using seasoned professional actors. There’s a big difference in quality. (I’m not in the union, by the way, so I had no conflict of interest working on those productions.)
When the cast of Margaritaville went to Washington DC right after closing to do A Capital Fourth, they were told they were doing it as a promotion for the upcoming national tour. They used the Broadway cast of Equity members to, in essence, put in a plug for a non-union tour – a tour that they could not be a part of. The cast didn’t know that at the time, of course.
If you’re a member of the union, you can’t do a non-union show. Professional actors work hard to become union members. Every actor who has serious professional aspirations wants to be in the union.
Look, Margaritaville is a fun, light, feel-good show. Buffett fans will love it, I suspect, whether it’s union or not. But we know the difference on this end.
Don was shocked when he heard the news. We never thought it would be non-Equity. Don had always kept the idea of the tour in the back of his mind. It would have been a big, year-long commitment, but he probably would have done it. On a purely personal level, it would have been an opportunity to add some more money to our savings account. But we had mixed feelings about being apart that long and it would have entailed sacrifice for both of us. This means that Don is really saying a permanent goodbye to a character he created and that’s a little sad. And any option to be a part of the tour was taken out of his hands.
They just don’t want to pay union wages. They want actors who will take the job for much less money. The production will probably look the same, but it won’t be the same. Not by a long shot.
Ah well. Further evidence that this is a business, first and foremost. A bit disillusioning in terms of the way we now see the producers, one of whom assured Don that she wanted him with the show ‘forever!’ In the end, they want to make money, earn back what they lost on the production – no one can blame them for that – and they’re willing to sacrifice a certain level of professional experience and expertise to get that.
We’re fine. And we will be fine. But one of you asked about the tour recently, so I thought I should share this with you.
We’ve been very fortunate in terms of our work and our careers and we know that. We are blessed.
Okay. I have to go buy glue for the dollhouse project since none of my glues worked properly yesterday. Grrrr!
It’s cooler here today, but sunny, so I’ll take it!
Happy Wednesday.
So that explains it. Pretty low, I think.
I inadvertently went to a non-Equity production of The King and I here in Ft. Lauderdale. My friend informed me after the fact. I hadn’t realized because, as you say, it was billed as “the Broadway Production.” From now on I’ll know to check
I’m so sorry, Claudia. I don’t think theatres should allow these deceptions. If Don had been in the show, he could have stayed at our short-term rental that’s about 10 minutes walk, and you could have visited in the cold weather!
Dang.
Yes. I think it’s pretty low myself. So disappointing. When they bill it as The Broadway Production, one assumes that it’s the same level as the Broadway production. If it’s non-union, it isn’t.
So sorry we won’t be able to visit!
I am, too.
Jimmy Buffett must have had a say in this. This makes me lose respect for him.
Of course he did. And he’s a gazillionaire.
sorry about the “etm” news … for your sakes and mine (i was still holding out hope to see don as jd again on tour).
and the glue.
hope today goes better for you and don. :)
snow was in our forecast for this friday, but thankfully now it’s gone. i feel bad for the people in nebraska, the dakotas and minnesota who are getting snow in april … some might see 18 inches of snow! :0 i’ll take our 49 degrees today! hope you can get to your garden soon.
kathy in iowa
It would be hard to handle snow at this point in the year!
That is absolutely crappy news. I get that they want to make money, but I hate that is the way they do it.
Yep. Thanks, Brenda.
It is a shame that money is more important than having a well made production. Now I understand that those who don’t have experience need to start somewhere. If I understand it, then the production of Margaritaville won’t have the same quality as it was shown on Broadway? I’m sorry for the way things worked out for you all.
Wanted to share something that I came across as I was reading this morning, I think, would make one laugh. I looked it up to see if it was true. Back in 1893, a case went before our US Supreme Court. The case was Nix vs Hedden. Had to do with a tarif that was signed into law. The US Supreme Court needed to ruled whether tomatoes were a fruit or a vegetable. Their unanimous opinion was a tomato is a vegetable. Just had to share.
It won’t have the same professional expertise and experience that the performers – both leads and ensemble – had in the Broadway production. Technically, it will probably be the same.
Love that story! And that’s why tomatoes are a vegetable!
The things that are done for money make me sick to the stomach at times!
xo
That is just so disappointing. I was hoping Don would have the option of a tour and then maybe I could see him. I know it’s to make more money but its also not fair to the audience who expect the ‘Broadway Tour’ to be of that quality. Well at least you can stop waiting to see if Don is going on tour.
I’ve been coughing so hard my stomach muscles are hurting. This has lasted so long and it’s made me cranky. I even fussed at the cat yesterday. I’m trying to rest and get better but it’s worn me down for sure.
I’m so sorry you’re still not feeling well. At least you know that coughing is toward the end of the whole darned thing!
Well, there is one show that I will not see. Years, ago, I was a friend’s guest to a non-equity show of Phantom of the Opera, ruined the show for me…just plain awful. I didn’t realize until after the show that it was not the Broadway run. It is sad. Nowadays, the USA is built on $$$, no loyalty or moral values. After all, the people who are producing this show have more money than the rest of us.
Of course they do. Scads of money! Thanks Tina-Marie.
Thank you for the education. I’m sure a lot of people like myself would not have realized this, but it is still deception and that isn’t right.
It is, indeed. Thanks, Susan.
Yep. The power of money, follow the money, money makes the world go ’round. Makes me nuts. The rich get richer by stepping on anyone below them to keep them in their place. And in show business, I would imagine anyone trying to “make it” will take what they might get to move along. And they know that. The Unions have been ravaged and depleted by this administration. The teachers in our state were one of the first to feel their heavy hands. They won’t stop until they have busted every union that they can. So sorry for Don but so very proud that he won’t do it.
Hope your day goes better! We are to get some snow, ice, and rain today and tonight. It was 73* on Monday and 67* yesterday. Northern WI is to get 12-18 inches. ugh.
Unions gave us better wages, benefits and a safer workplace. And that’s bad??? Makes me crazy, too.
Maybe I could become the tour’s nightmare and show up at every venue with my sign accusing them of union-busting!
Drat! That’s the pits. Not exactly the same but I had a similar experience years ago. My close friend Allan Knee had written the non-musical “Little Women.” It started out as a workshop production at Theatreworks, which is a venue in which actors who are starting out can earn their Equity card. Essentially, as an union actor fairly well established, it was a step down for me. I worked on the workshop for a year and a half for very little money as a favor for Allen who had promised me the Broadway show. As the workshop culminated in a performance at Town Hall attended by hundreds of bookers who would buy the show for the next 10 years, I missed the funeral of my beloved mother-in-law. I was being loyal to Allen. When the play morphed into a musical, I was the only one from the play version who was carried over to the workshop phase. When it began rehearsals for Broadway, I found out through the grapevine that they had replaced me with a Broadway veteran. So much for working for nothing for 2 years as a favor to a friend.
Don deserves more. Actors wait a lifetime to originate a role that is a perfect fit as it was with Don. In the same way, there is Intellectual Property in business, there is Creative Property in the theatre. The role WAS Don. But as with all things, money bests loyalty and doing the right thing. You’d think theatre would be above this. Obviously it’s not. But enjoy your rare together time. Something better is waiting around the corner.
I know. We tend to think that theater has higher standards for ethical behavior.
But it doesn’t.
Thanks, Tina.
Claudia, sorry to read about economic politics in theater, though I know it exists everywhere. I’m wondering if ticket prices will reflect the non-Equity status of the performers?
Hope you find the glue you need, and it works. I’m assembling albums of my children’s school years. I thought it would be a somewhat quick and easy task, until I realized half the photos I wanted are on the laptop. Somehow, flipping through prints is easier for me. I’ll get there….
I found the glue. I’ve never figured out how to keep it from jamming in the tube and becoming useless, however!
I don’t blame you for being upset—it sounds like a crime to me! Big business is never satisfied with making a lot of money as long as they can make even more by taking it from someone else. But wait—don’t the people who are making what the company is selling deserve $$ too? “Let them eat cake”! Grrrr.
Yes. They do. The reason the tour can even happen is because of the original cast. It really pisses me off, Shanna.
Thanks.
I’m awfully disappointed to hear about that, Claudia. It’s really a shame. I know a bit about Equity but I didn’t realize that some of the tours, nationals and all, are not Equity. I would think they would have to be — so much for that bit of assumption. I’m very sorry to hear this, for Don (and you) and for all those actors who were part of the production but won’t be able to go on the tour if they chose.
Love your Humptys!
It’s very disappointing. And I’m extremely disappointed in the producers and Jimmy Buffett. They know better.
You do have a good attitude around this production issue, and I applaud you for that! Me, I would probably go find your Sneezy!
Enjoy the rest of your day!
Well, we really don’t have any choice. Listen, I’m angry about it and the way those decisions have impacted professional actors who wanted to audition as well as the quality of the production. But there’s nothing we can do about it.
Of course…I can write about it. And I have. Thanks, Kelly.
I kind of knew that they didn’t use the original stars in the shows that tour. I always thought it was because the stars wanted to move on to something else. And, yes, you get that the show isn’t as fantastic as the one on Broadway. I would have loved to see your husband in the show. I bet they lost a bunch of tickets because of that.
Some shows do use the original stars, but not at that many.
Thanks, Jan.
Oh…jeez….no! Why does it always have to be about money. I’m sure Jimmy
Buffet and the other producers already have plenty of money. I know I shouldn’t judge, but, this really ticks me off. Why does quality always have to be sacrificed?
We are back, and after doing laundry, I can now sit down and watch Mrs. Wilson, and Unforgotten, which I recorded. Perfect thing to do as the snow is currently flying here! ;)
They have millions. All of them.
Thanks, Donnamae.
Love seeing the Humpty Dumpty egg cups today!
They make me smile.
Thank you, Phyllis.
Sorry the show went non union. On a happy note, are you the winner of the Disney egg? I saw it ended with two bids both from the same person.
Yes, I am! Thanks, Olivia!
When I was first reading you today, I was thinking from what you were writing that maybe the tour went non-union, not so much for profit as opposed to just being able to exist for awhile longer. Like to tour that way, rather than not at all, still a feather in the cap for its namesake Buffett. I don’t know if what I just wrote makes any sense; I have naivete/ignorance on the subject. I guess I was thinking of it being less of a business/money-maker for Buffett but more of a vanity project for him(?) and no artist likes a failure, so the non-union tour is a way to keep it going for awhile and maybe save face for him (that said, Escape was no failure on the one hand because TOO many people loved it and will always remember it); of course hundreds more people were involved in Escape than just Jimmy Buffett. I don’t mean to dumb it down by calling it his vanity project because I know it was a legit Broadway production with a great cast; I wish SO much that I could have seen it and have kicked myself a few times that I couldn’t pull off going to see Don in La Jolla at the beginning; as you’d said, all the actors poured their heart into the work of the show. Hard not to have the expectation that it would all go on for a lot longer; what a disappointment after so much preparatory work.
The fashion industry, the entertainment industry; it all seems to actually be a cutthroat business. Brutal!
But, yeah, that sort of shut the door in Don’s face forever on this one gig. I’m so sorry. Just be glad for the time in the musical he had; it was glorious! Never like to see good things come to an end, though. It’s clear that the whole Escape saga has been an emotional one for both of you (how could it not be); it really re-shaped your life for awhile there although so much good came out of it in so many ways (ah, your trip to New Orleans; Don’s time at the NYC apartment; fun memories, not to mention your trip back home together cross-country). The production and Don’s commitment (with Claudia holding down the fort back at the cottage!) provided both of you with some memorable opportunities; was never in vain (but I sure wanted to see more of that private garden in NYC that Don obtained the keys for; there were more adventures ‘In The City’ to be had; darn!).
No. It’s about money. It’s not a vanity thing. They (the producers, Jimmy) decided on a tour and started the ball rolling to book that tour long before they made the decision to close the show. One has nothing to do with the other. In fact, everyone always thought this show would be more successful on a tour, would reach more people.
This is about money.
Okay; I understand it better now. Seems even worse then; that Don got to be in on the decision-making about a tour…and then doesn’t get to tour. So unfair.
No, no! Perhaps I wasn’t clear on my pronouns. Actors have nothing to do with decisions like that. “They” refers to the producers, etc. I’m just saying it was decided well before the show closed.
Just read my reply and I have no idea why I said cast and crew. I meant that they knew about it, but they had no part in the decision making process.
Sorry about the non- union tour. Hopefully Don will get something else soon. Love your egg cups.
Marilyn
He will. We’ll be fine.
I heard my first mourning dove of the season this morning and just now as the sun went down. Can yoh guess who I immediately thought of with the first notes of her song ?? Yep… Claudia !
Wonderful, Sue! The best sound. I love that mournful call.
Claudia,
This is sad news, and especially because Jimmy Buffett portrays himself as this easy-going, enjoying life type of person, who is in fact like so many others who put profit ahead of people. I read an NYT article about Margaritaville, his adult community in Florida, and it certainly seemed like he’s all about money.
He is a great guy. I really like him. But it’s true that he makes a lot of money.
Shame on Jimmy Buffet!
Maybe the only way they felt they could recoup their investment and make a profit was with a non-union tour. I don’t know.
Thanks, Kay!
Sad news about the tour but not too shocking when you read about Buffett and how he’s scrupulously managed his big bucks his entire career. He’s nobody’s fool. Still, it is disappointing when people put money above all else. Reminds me of a friend of ours who invited the governor here to his business for a public signing of a new “right to work” bill. I like this guy on a personal level. But I lost a little respect for him when I realized that he had no problem being the face of union-busting in our state.