Faye Dunaway Is Slated to Play Katharine Hepburn on Broadway

[Leyte2019]

On 8/16/2019 at 11:31 AM, edjames said:

Everybody hates Faye....

 

Gay personal assistant says Faye Dunaway called him ‘a little homosexual boy’: lawsuit

Actress Faye Dunaway relentlessly berated her gay personal assistant on play “Tea at Five,” calling him “a little homosexual boy” before he was fired for complaining, a new lawsuit alleges.

Michael Rocha says in his Manhattan Supreme Court suit that he began working for the Broadway-bound production — from which Dunaway was eventually fired — on April 5 and was tasked with shopping, helping the actress take her meds, arranging her schedule and getting her to and from rehearsals.

Rocha — who worked at the Oscar-winning star’s East 57th Street apartment and was paid $1,500 per week — alleges that Dunaway “regularly and relentlessly subjected plaintiff to abusive demeaning tirades” and used his sexual orientation as a gay man to “demean and humiliate him at work,” the court papers charge.

On May 2, the “Mommie Dearest” star called Rocha and other workers “little gay people” and later that month called him “a little homosexual boy,” which he says he has a recording of, the suit claims.

Rocha reported it to the general manager and general counsel for the one-woman play, in which Dunaway portrayed actress Katharine Hepburn, and also gave them the tape of the offensive comment, he claims.

About two weeks later, on June 12, Rocha was fired and told that Dunaway “is not comfortable with you anymore,” the court documents allege.

Rocha was not the only employee allegedly forced to endure Dunaway’s diva ways.

Does anyone know where this stands? Dismissed? Settled? On appeal from Manhattan (New York) Supreme Court?

Is Faye still recovering in Europe and slapping around homosexual dwarfs?

[jeezifonly]

Faye’s insecurity about her ability to do the work 8x/wk is at the root of her awfulness. These film stars who think “oh, I think I’ll go do a play on Broadway for a bit, that would be fun” are quickly in over their heads with the normal process of creating a play. Collaboration isn’t for everyone.
She doesn’t need to retire, but will have more success on the screen, perhaps as a vicious in-law, or a bipolar CEO, or a faded actress that has no friends. Something closer to home.

[+ Lucky]

I miss @edjames

[jjkrkwood]

 

She's STILL alive ?????😲

[+ WilliamM]

On 7/16/2021 at 3:36 PM, Lucky said:

I miss @edjames

I don't

[+ WilliamM]

On 7/16/2021 at 3:07 PM, jeezifonly said:

Faye’s insecurity about her ability to do the work 8x/wk is at the root of her awfulness. These film stars who think “oh, I think I’ll go do a play on Broadway for a bit, that would be fun” are quickly in over their heads with the normal process of creating a play. Collaboration isn’t for everyone.
She doesn’t need to retire, but will have more success on the screen, perhaps as a vicious in-law, or a bipolar CEO, or a faded actress that has no friends. Something closer to home.

Faye is 80 years old for God sake.

And she has appeared in three or plays earlier in her life.

Blasting an 80 woman with incorrect information is quite surprising

[handiacefailure]

9 minutes ago, WilliamM said:

Faye is 80 years old for God sake.

And she has appeared in three or plays earlier in her life.

Blasting an 80 woman with incorrect information is quite surprising

Elaine stritch was in her 80s when she was in a little night music and did an amazing job (she was a lot better than Angela Lansbury).   Her and Bernedette peters are very close and when Bernedette asumed the role from Catherine Zeta Jones and they wanted Elaine to asume Angela's part she said she would only if they would do five or six performances a week instead of eight.   I think the theater was dark on Sunday and they eliminated the mid-week matinee.   They could do the same for Faye.

Chita rivera was 82 when I saw her in "the Visit" and she did great and Estelle Parsons was in her 80s and climbed a lot of stps in Osage County.

 

 

[jeezifonly]

I had a colleague who did a play with Miss Faye 20+ years ago. She got through the run without a single member of the company who would talk to her by the final weekend. My friend said it was clear that Faye did not have memory capacity for long speeches and would regularly improvise text and stage action as she forgot. Muscles unexercised since her last time on stage failed the test. 

Being 80 is not an excuse for doing a shitty job and blaming others for it. Producers who don’t know how an actor prepares and paces themselves for a consistent performance, will hire a name not up to the task so long as it sells tickets. She does not need the money. If you’re 80, and sign a contract for a starring role 8/wk you better be Angela Lansbury. Miss Dunaway is not. 

[+ WilliamM]

18 minutes ago, handiacefailure said:

Elaine stritch was in her 80s when she was in a little night music and did an amazing job (she was a lot better than Angela Lansbury).   Her and Bernedette peters are very close and when Bernedette asumed the role from Catherine Zeta Jones and they wanted Elaine to asume Angela's part she said she would only if they would do five or six performances a week instead of eight.   I think the theater was dark on Sunday and they eliminated the mid-week matinee.   They could do the same for Faye.

Chita rivera was 82 when I saw her in "the Visit" and she did great and Estelle Parsons was in her 80s and climbed a lot of stps in Osage County.

 

 

I saw Elaine Stritch in that musical. As you know, her role was not as complicated as the leading female role. Faye hasn't spent as much time on stage as the women you mentioned

 

So I don't understand your point. Helen Hayes stopped acting at a relatively young age (she later regretted it)

[+ WilliamM]

1 hour ago, jeezifonly said:

I had a colleague who did a play with Miss Faye 20+ years ago. She got through the run without a single member of the company who would talk to her by the final weekend. My friend said it was clear that Faye did not have memory capacity for long speeches and would regularly improvise text and stage action as she forgot. Muscles unexercised since her last time on stage failed the test. 

Being 80 is not an excuse for doing a shitty job and blaming others for it. Producers who don’t know how an actor prepares and paces themselves for a consistent performance, will hire a name not up to the task so long as it sells tickets. She does not need the money. If you’re 80, and sign a contract for a starring role 8/wk you better be Angela Lansbury. Miss Dunaway is not. 

Angela Lansbury has been on stage frequently since "Mame." decades ago. Generally, actors who have a history of slow learning lined don't always get better later in life 

[jeezifonly]

22 minutes ago, WilliamM said:

Angela Lansbury has been on stage frequently since "Mame." decades ago. Generally, actors who have a history of slow learning lined don't always get better later in life 

It is all about keeping that part of the brain in shape. I worked with an actor doing Waiting For Godot - one of the two larger roles filled with repetition and non sequitur, and he had previously played two of the other parts, and had directed it twice. He worked day and night to get the words and all the stage business into his head. He was 74, and by the time we were in previews, he never dropped a word nor missed a show, and the performance just got better and better.  
He’d been doing 1-3 plays every year of his life. He was not a name. He was a brilliant craftsman who still knew how to access all his tools. 

Faye Dunaway’s tool kit is smaller, by nature. 90% of her work is on camera, created with 1-3 pages of words a day or week, and given retakes and editing to cover any slips. She may have never had a hard time learning what she needed in order to do her job well. 
She’s still a good (if slightly over-taut) actor, and should continue to play strong women on screen.

When it comes to doing Broadway, or a National Tour -  even 6/wk, she ought to avoid the inevitable scandal of failure, never ask nor say yes - just be happy with comps and opening night party invitation. Bless her cotton socks.

 

[+ WilliamM]

Yes, I know. I saw Vivien Leigh in the Broadway musical "Tovarich."

[+ WilliamM]

On 7/16/2021 at 3:07 PM, jeezifonly said:

Faye’s insecurity about her ability to do the work 8x/wk is at the root of her awfulness. These film stars who think “oh, I think I’ll go do a play on Broadway for a bit, that would be fun” are quickly in over their heads with the normal process of creating a play. Collaboration isn’t for everyone.
She doesn’t need to retire, but will have more success on the screen, perhaps as a vicious in-law, or a bipolar CEO, or a faded actress that has no friends. Something closer to home.

Well, she was fired from the Hepburn project - although she did have several friends to get her through the experience.