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Megan Mullally is exiting the Roundabout Theatre Company’s Broadway production of Terrence McNally’s Lips Together, Teeth Apart, I’m told. The reason? Mullally simply had had enough of the abrasive manner of director Joe Mantello, who is gearing up for an April 9 opening at the American Airlines Theatre.
While he’s one of Broadway’s proven hitmakers with Wicked and others to his credit, Mantello can be confrontational with his actors. Mullally decided yesterday that she’d seen enough. The Emmy-winning Will & Grace star has appeared on Broadway in Grease! and Young Frankenstein. She was going to star with comedian Patton Oswalt (in his Broadway debut), Lili Taylor and David Wilson Barnes, in a drama that takes place on the deck of a Fire Island beach house, where two couples celebrate Fourth of July and face uncertain futures.
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I’d comment, but you’ve all used up the allotment of exclamation points.
As someone who was on set to watch both her demeanor and performance levels during an LA shoot, I can tell you first hand (and no, I’m not a friend of hers) that she was really nice and had no “star demands” about her. If she stood up to an abusive personality, how’s that a bad thing? Good for her. And who cares about a TV commercial? Celebs have been doing them for years over seas and still do them now.
I completely agree with you there!
Megan leaving is a gift to everyone who had to work with her. Trust me on this one folks.
Saw Megan M. in YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN and she was basically delivering her WILL AND GRACE persona more loudly, with music, plus arms waving… nothing additional… which led me to believe she works in a narrow zone-of-comfort range and maybe didn’t want to be knocked out of it here… like Adam West and Leonard Nimoy, she’s going to go to her grave tied to one and only one role.
Frankly, this is the kind of sorry and small town gossipy item placed by a desperate actress and her ‘team of advisers’ in an odd attempt to control their image, and for what purpose? You have to follow the money, in this case – the source. What was to be gained by leaking this spurious nonsense in a pre-emptive strike? The fact is — This actress has a long and very well recorded history of deeply erratic behavior, including abruptly and capriciously abandoning plays in mid rehearsal. it goes back a very long way. There is undoubtedly a whole other side to this, ( and there always is), and for outsiders to idly speculate about the director is cruel and destructive, ironically the very behavior that the many commentators decry.
What other record of her leaving mid rehearsals? I haven’t heard anything of her being a diva or anything like that. I would genuinely like to hear or know what shows specifically.
1. How the heck do you know if this item was set up by her team of advisors??
2. “This actress has a long and very well recorded history of deeply erratic behavior” and I assume you have proof of this right? Because I have done my research on Ms. Mullally, and I have never come upon anything regarding this.
Well, we still don’t know if this is true, but if it is, and if she left for the reasons stated here, all I can say is….good luck to that director finding someone talented, hardworking and humble like her.
why is everyone so hateful towards her? She is very successful and if she did leave the show, it would be for good reasons
There’s nothing official yet. The official website of RoundaBoutTheatre not said anything about it. I do not believe in speculation and gossip behind the scenes, perhaps this is just an invention to take the credibility of the show or the professionalism of Megan. Until we get the official announcement, if it exists, that to me, is just gossip!
who the fuck cares. she didn’t care to stand up to the little prick so she moved on.
This is ridiculous – I paid $280 for tickets to this show JUST to see Megan. What a diva…
I’m sorry you paid $280 for tickets to the show but having been the actor in a bad spot with the director sometimes enough is enough and you’ve simply got to draw a line in the sand about how you are treated. It’s not to say that anyone is right or wrong but YOU are owed nothing for this break down in communication between the director and an actress. I know there are a handful of people waiting in the wings to say what a nightmare I was when a certain big name director walked into the room had us table read for over a week because he admittedly hadn’t read the play, spent time with a fight choreographer making a hilarious fight only later to decide it was serious and wanting us to make slap-stick look serious and it was getting dangerous to work with him and he pushed back letting me know he was holding private auditions for my replacement that weekend in nyc. (he announced this mid rehearsal in front of the cast and I was the leading man. it was too much and union reps had to get involved. Financially i’m not in the position that megan is but rest assured if i had been I would have told him and the producers to fuck off. And not cared about the damage to the show. If something is deeply off it needs to be fixed and when people aren’t respected and more importantly respectful this happens.
So you’re calling an actress who stands up to an abrasive, hypocritical, so called director, a diva. I can understand if you are mad because I too was going to go fly up there and see it, solely because of Megan but calling her a diva is just pathetic.
This is not true. It’s all gossip.
Yes it is, both camps have confirmed in, and if you go to roundaboutheatre.org she is completely off the site, minus the video.
If you want to see the true measure of a man, watch how he treats his inferiors, not his equals.- J. K. Rowling
I cannot believe the hostility towards Megan from so many arrogant people that have posted a reply here already.
Your attacks on her are uncalled for!
And you can certainly tell those that haven’t even met Megan nor seen her in person because she doesn’t sound like Karen when she speaks, only when she choses to! And she has more talent than those who’ve posted such nasty replies here, can ever hope to have!
I worked for Joe Mantello on “Wicked,” and it’s true he’s a douche. But that show needed a douche to push it through the creative rectum so it could land steaming on the Great White Way.
Yes, he’s a major dick. But when the producers decide that they won’t change the show, the only thing you can do is cram it down the actors’ throats. If one of them gags on it, who cares? There’s always another throat waiting in the wings.
Dannielle Thomas is one of the best managers in the business. She is hardworking and intelligent. While I am not a fan of Megan, I do know Dannielle personally and she is a good person. Look at her roster of clients. She’s doing something right…
As an actress myself, I have HAD to quit a show a few times because of an abusive director. You take it and take it for as long as you can and then you just have to “walk”. Good for her…more actors should do it, in my opinion.
I know Megan personally and professionally and she is NOT a diva, and not a quitter. It must have been really bad for her to have made this decision.
I saw her in “The Receptionist” in LA recently…met with her and the cast and her director afterward. A very warm and friendly environment. Just saying. She was brilliant in the play by the way, and she and the ensemble got very good reviews, as did the director.
Again, I reiterate, I don’t think any of us should “judge” her, until we know all the facts. Btw, abusive and abrasive directors do suck and should be held to task over their behavior.
As for her future, I am not worried a bit about her career. Upward and onward.
I gotta say, she and Dana Delany are my two favorite sexy TV actresses in their 50s — diva, not diva, is she single? That photo you posted, Nikki, is scrumptious.
I cannot believe more actors that have been abused by Joe M are not coming forward.
Seriously? All this negative stuff about Megan? Seriously?
I had purchased tickets to this play and told by the theater they would happily refund my money.
Megan a diva? Seriously?
I guess you probably think it was Sandra Bullock’s fault that she was cheated on.
Good for Megan! You go girl!
I have never logged on regarding an actor I admire and found so tained
to
many comments from the actor’s fellow professionals. I’m just a fan of Megan. She has been wonderfully kind to me, extending herself to me in limited but lovely and encouraging correspondence.
I don’t know her, but I know how how kind she has been to me. I’m sorry to read such cruel remarks about directors, actors etc.
I think you all are very blessed to be in Theatre at all. Why not give Megan et alia THE BENEFIT OF THE DOUBT??? Frederica Winter
ok i thinks its great that Megan is standing up for herself. it was the right thing to do. no one should be involved in something if ther arfe not happy. Megan is brilliant and stop saying she was wrong and is horrible. shes not. she was taking a stand. i know for those of you who bought tickets to see her your disappointed and you think its unfair but if u knew shewassnt happy would ypou still want to see it? lastly, megan is amazing and i am proud of her.
Actors Equity of America is the union that represents Broadway actors. They are quick to fine their own members if they break union rules or union contracts. I haven’t heard of AEA fining Mullally for leaving this show, so I’m guessing the Equity Council must have felt the Producer was not fulfilling their side of the contract. AEA can be pretty tough to deal with, I know from personal experience, so I’m guessing they must have had good reasons for not fining Ms. Mullally. Good angle, huh?