While Malloy, who originated the role in earlier off-Broadway runs, returned to it for a brief stint at the Imperial and could conceivably do so again, neither he nor an understudy would likely do much to lift sales. It remains to be seen whether producers can manage to come up with a quick solution to fill the casting gap in one of the show’s title roles. The production, which began performances at the Imperial Theatre last October, has notched up cumulative grosses to date of $44.2 million. While that figure is still more than respectable by most shows’ standards, the producers and Malloy indicated that the ongoing financial forecast was bleak. While The Great Comet was regularly grossing around $1.2 million a week throughout Groban’s run, box office has dropped in recent weeks to a little over $900,000. Supporters of the show were especially shocked that director Rachel Chavkin’s dazzling and intricate work on Comet was passed over, with the Tony for direction of a musical going instead to Christopher Ashley, for the far less complex popular hit, Come From Away. The Great Comet landed 12 Tony Award nominations this year, leading the field, but lost out in all but two design categories, with best musical going to Dear Evan Hansen. I am not sure that the show has a future now.” Please don’t give Mandy grief, he’s devastated. He didn’t ask to out Oak, the show asked him to come ASAP because we were on brink of closing. “The show was in desperate shape sales after Ingrid leaving Aug 13 were catastrophically low,” he continued. “We had to do same thing with dear beloved Brittain, so in my head it was no different,” tweeted Malloy in reference to principal player Brittain Ashford, who took a temporary leave from the cast this month to allow recording artist Ingrid Michaelson to step into the role of Sonya. “So sorry to have missed the racial optics of it,” he wrote. 13, the date when he was scheduled to make way for Patinkin.ĭave Malloy, the show’s composer and creator, also expressed regret on Twitter. Onaodowan also confirmed Friday that he would leave the cast Aug. I am a huge fan of Oak and I will, therefore, not be appearing in the show.” The production tweeted that refunds will be given to those who bought tickets specifically to see Patinkin. “I hear what members of the community have said and I agree with them. “My understanding of the show’s request that I step into the show is not as it has been portrayed and I would never accept a role knowing it would harm another actor,” Patinkin said on Twitter. Responding to the complaints, Patinkin announced Friday that he was withdrawing from his commitment to join the cast in what would have been his first Broadway musical role since 2000. Which makes this occurrence distasteful and uncouth.Īnd this means Mandy doesn’t get the chance to fully enjoy his takeover, and Oak doesn’t fully get to enjoy his start or finish. What I know for a fact is that Oak worked extremely hard for this. Ticket sales shouldnt override a person doing his job. Mandy is a wonderful man, Oak is a wonderful man, this has been handled badly. Many pointed up the perceived slight as being typical of the treatment of performers of color, a bitter irony given that The Great Comet has been lauded for the racial inclusiveness of its ensemble. A number of prominent stage actors, including The Color Purple Tony winner Cynthia Erivo, took to Twitter to call the casting switch disrespectful to Onaodowan and Patinkin. However, the move prompted an uproar in a community that is vigilant about fair and inclusive racial representation.
It was hoped that the return to Broadway of Patinkin, a Tony winner for Evita now widely known from his role on Homeland, would provide a stronger boost to sales, which have dipped since Groban’s departure. But producers announced last week that Onaodowan, an African-American actor affectionately known as Oak, would close out his scheduled nine-week engagement in The Great Comet early, with Mandy Patinkin stepping in to replace him for the final three weeks.
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