My Self-Care Lady: Why Broadway Burns Women Out

This week, an article about Lauren Ambrose, who is currently playing Eliza Doolittle in a musical revival of My Fair Lady, has been making the rounds in the Broadway community, regarding her choice to take the Sunday matinee off. She might be taking it off because her role is extremely difficult musically and she needs to take a vocal rest day. She might be taking it off because she has children and she’d like to spend more time with them. Whatever the reason, the decision had been made and it’s nobody’s business except for Ambrose and the show management. That should have been the beginning and end of the story.

Except, it wasn’t the end of the story. No, what happened next played into our worst instincts and harmful “ideals” of the Broadway community that pit women against one another, generation against generation. And devalue women’s bodies and well-being.

5 Shows That Need To Come Back To Broadway (Because We Need Them Now More Than Ever)

2017 has barely begun, but with the looming threat of a Trump presidency and everything that comes with it, it is difficult for many people in the theatre community to feel optimistic about the New Year. In times like this, theatre can serve as a reflection of a world we can aspire to create, a means to see the world through another person’s eyes, or a way to escape our worries for a few hours. Unfortunately, in the New Year, we are losing five terrific shows that were very popular with audiences and also added to the diversity in Broadway’s leading characters. I wish that all of these shows were sticking around, and so here I am with one last plea. Don’t go. We need all of you now, more than ever.

“On The Spot-Light”: Thomas Burns Scully

The “On The Spot-Light” series wraps up today with actor/writer/musician extraordinaire (and On the Spot’s production manager) Thomas Burns Scully. Before that, however, I want to thank readers for checking out the series and getting to know the talented folks behind On the Spot. I haven’t seen a show that combines cabaret and improv quite like it, and if you enjoy Broadway standards and comedy in the style of Whose Line Is It Anyway, you can still see On the Spot Monday nights at the Broadway Comedy Club. Tickets are available here, and check out the previous spotlights with Meg Reilly, Chris Catalano, Patrick Reidy, and Andrew Del Vecchio.

Thomas Burns Scully is a multi-talented performer, writer, and musician. He starred in the short film The Boy Under The Piano, which was nominated for a BAFTA, and he composed and performed the score for A Girl Without Wings. Scully is also a recipient of the Origin Theatre WB Yeats Emerging Playwright Award. Read on for his decidedly British comic influences and why he is drawn to villains (specifically mad scientists).