Blogging Broadway: Jeremy Piven's "Speed-the-Plow" exit, in perspective

Jeremy Piven in Speed-the-Plow (Photo: Brigitte Lacombe) 

It’s been weeks since Jeremy Piven abruptly left the cast of the current Broadway revival of David Mamet’s Speed-the-Plow, but the media are still having a field day with the weird story of his departure. Recently, a Saturday Night Live sketch razzed Piven (best known as the star of TV's Entourage) for exiting the production without notice because, according to his doctor, he had been sickened by an elevated level of mercury in his bloodstream. Even more recently, Piven attempted to explain and justify his abrupt leave-taking in an appearance on Good Morning America.

Observers have been quick to question his stated reason for bolting, especially in light of reports that (1) he had been spotted doing quite a lot of late-night partying in the days and weeks leading up to his exit; and (2) he had taken the unheard-of step of personally making phone calls to try and find another actor to replace him in the role of movie producer Bobby Gould, apparently because he did not enjoy the experience of performing Speed-the-Plow eight times a week on Broadway. (I know; life is tough!)

For more on this brouhaha, plus examples of other stars who have had trouble keeping to a theater schedule, read on! 

JEREMY-COME-LATELY

When word of Piven's antics first came, I was taken aback. I had been impressed by his Off-Broadway performance in Neil LaBute’s Fat Pig a few years ago, and his work in that show and in Speed-the-Plow seemed to mark him as a talented, dedicated stage actor. But a reliable source tells me that he was a problem even during Fat Pig, frequently showing up just minutes before curtain time, which behavior he is said to have repeated during Speed-the-Plow. (Actors in productions covered by Equity contracts are required to get to the theater at least half an hour before showtime or risk censure and fines.)

It seems that the rigors of adhering to a regular, eight-performances-a-week theater schedule are not for Jeremy Piven. If so, he's not alone. In fact, it has been proven time and again that just because an actor is extremely talented doesn’t necessarily mean he or she has the stuff for an open run of a live theater show.

Fantasia Barrino in The Color Purple
  

DONNA, FANTASIA, AUDRA, AND NATHAN

There are many examples of individuals who’ve stumbled in this regard. Tony Award winner Donna Murphy famously ankled so many performances of the Wonderful Town revival in which she starred that anyone attending on any particular night had an excellent chance of seeing her standby. When American Idol winner Fantasia Barrino took over the central role of Celie in The Color Purple, she was hailed for her wonderfully natural acting and singing; but she soon fell into the habit of not going on, thereby bitterly disappointing audiences that sometimes included busloads of people who had traveled hundreds of miles specifically to see and hear her.

Another mega-talent who has sometimes had trouble doing eight a week is Audra McDonald, a frequent absentee from her brief but vocally difficult role of Sarah in Ragtime. (McDonald has been quoted as saying that she wouldn’t hesitate to call out whenever she felt there was any risk of damaging her voice, and it should be noted that an opera singer would almost never be required to do more than two or three performances per week, let alone eight.) And though Nathan Lane’s overall track record for showing up to do his stuff on Broadway seems to be good, he missed a tremendous number of performances during his original stint in The Producers, presumably due to a specific medical or personal problem. 

Barbra with Tom Stone and Lee Allen on stage at Funny Girl in 1965
 

THE GREATEST STARS?

Then there are those stage actors who have few if any absences from their roles but are unable to maintain a consistent level of performance. Prime example: Barbra Streisand, who left Broadway forever more than 40 years ago with only two shows under her belt. Streisand has remarked how much she hated doing the same show eight times a week for months on end, which is probably one major reason why she high-tailed it to Hollywood as soon as they wanted her. Given her feelings, it’s impressive on one level that she starred in Funny Girl for two years and only missed one show during all that time; but legend has it that when you went to see Barbra as Fanny Brice, you never knew if she was going to be fabulous or if she'd walk through the role.

It's interesting that, while some stars involved in long runs evidence their fatigue and/or boredom by giving low-energy performances, others do pretty much the opposite and start overacting. Patti LuPone was recently dogged by criticism that her portrayal of Rose in Gypsy -- for which she was generally lauded when the show opened, and for which she won a Tony Award -- devolved into vulgar caricature as the run proceeded.

So, there you have it: Some actors are simply not built to handle a long Broadway run. But, of course, many others are. Here's to those dedicated folks who show up night after night, and matinee after matinee, to give their all for audiences.