The Playgoer: Live by Idol, Die by Idol

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Wednesday, December 12, 2007

Live by Idol, Die by Idol

Fantasia has gone from Broadway's darling to its most conspicuous no-show...

Since summer, the occasional star of "The Color Purple" has missed nearly 50 performances, production sources say. Following a three-week vacation caused by the strike, she dropped last Friday's performance, causing pandemonium in the lobby of the Broadway Theatre.

An 8-year-old girl sobbed uncontrollably when she heard Fantasia was not going to be in the show.

"It was very sad," my lobby spy reports. "Her mother was trying to explain to her that Fantasia was sick, but the girl didn't understand and just kept crying."

Riedel has all the teary dirt. And since accepted B'way procedure for any star attraction is to refund tix when said star can't be delivered, Color Purple risks dipping a little more into the red each time.

(I think she's leaving soon anyway, no?)

2 comments:

Steve On Broadway (SOB) said...

Garret, She was a no-show when I went to see her in July. W

When I wrote about her no-show, her fans went nutso, as if she were the only Broadway star putting in eight arduous shows a week.

I'm amazed that her lackadaisical attitude toward her responsibility to show up has gone largely unnoticed this long.

Anonymous said...

i believe her contract is up on Jan 6th, the day BEBE and Chaka arrive.