Stewart Attacks 'Mt. Morgan' Producers
By ChristianApril 30, 2000 - 6:33 PM
The New York Post is reporting that Patrick Stewart (Jean-Luc Picard) yesterday stunned the audience of his new Broadway play 'The Ride Down Mt. Morgan' by standing up on stage and publicly denouncing the producers of the play. Apparently Stewart is unhappy with the producers, part of Broadway's powerful Schubert organisation, for failing to promote the show:
"[Playwright] Arthur Miller and I no longer have confidence in our producers' commitment to this production - especially the Shubert organization - or their willingness to promote and publicize it. I know we have an extraordinary, provocative and vastly entertaining play. What is also needed is promotion and publicity. People need to be told a play is out there."
In the play, Stewart portrays a bigamist, who is found out by his two wives when he has to go to the hospital. The play has received only mixed reviews, though they were almost all positive about Stewart's performance, and advance sales for the summer are weak. According to the New York Post's sources, the feeling is that Stewart's name isn't big enough to sell the show.
In the article, Stewart cites two examples of the Schubert company not delivering on promises: firstly, to take an ad in the Arts and Leisure section in today's edition of the New York Times, and secondly, to post quotes from the play's reviews in front of the theater. Playwright Miller agreed with Stewart, saying after the show that "there has been no attempt to promote the play, and we've had enough. I don't know the reason why they're not promoting the show."
Despite these accusations, Schubert organisation president Philip Smith said their commitment to the play could not be stronger:
"To have Patrick Stewart star on Broadway in an Arthur Miller play is a producer's dream come true. All of us are looking forward to the continuing success of this play."
For the full article, please go here. Thanks go out to Rob G. for this!
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