If you want to see 1,000 women burst into tears, hand them a piece of paper that says, “We regret to inform you that Josh Groban is unable to appear in today’s performance of ‘The Great Comet.’”
That’s what happened this weekend at the Imperial Theatre, where “Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812” was racking up $1 million-plus weekly grosses until Groban was laid up by a bad cold. He was out Tuesday, as well, but is expected to return Wednesday night.
“Chaos, unhappiness and rivers of tears” is how one theatergoer described the scene at the Imperial on Saturday. In the middle of the pandemonium was the show’s lead producer, Howard Kagan, begging Groban’s fans to stay and see his standby, Scott Stangland, as Pierre.
“He kept saying, ‘The understudy is fantastic’ — which is probably not the thing to say to a lot of ladies in tracksuits who have every one of Josh Groban’s albums,” another source says.
A group of women said they had come to see “The Josh Groban Show.” Kagan told them the show was called “Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812.”
“He might as well have been speaking Russian to them,” the source says.
Things got testy when a male theatergoer demanded to know how many performances Groban had missed.
“He got sick this morning!” Kagan yelled. “This is only the third time!” (Groban missed a few performances earlier in the run.)
“I thought they were going to come to blows,” the source adds.
A woman who overheard the exchange threw in her two cents: “I’ve been sick, too, and I turned up for work!”
Another woman, fighting back tears, told Kagan, “I’ve been traveling since 5 a.m. to get here!”
It’s not unusual for stars to miss a few performances, especially during the cold-and-flu season. But it’s odd to have the lead producer on hand to quell the angry mob. Should Glenn Close miss a performance of “Sunset Boulevard,” I doubt Andrew Lloyd Webber will be in the Palace Theatre lobby urging people to stick around for her understudy.
Kagan, a former hedge fund manager, tells me it’s “customer service”:
“I know how I’d feel if I had driven in from Pennsylvania to see Josh Groban and he wasn’t in the show. So I go to the lobby with my management team and try to talk people through the situation.”
I’ve been sick, too, and I turned up for work!
He says “begging” is too strong a word, but he does try to “encourage” people to stay. If they do, he still offers them tickets to see Groban at a later date. (Legally, if a performer who’s billed above the title is out of the show, ticket-holders are entitled to a refund or exchange.)
Kagan can’t persuade everyone. At Saturday’s matinee, several Groban fans opted for cheesecake at Junior’s instead of the show.
“Most people see the show and have a good time,” Kagan says. And while Groban is certainly the draw, most of his fans “know that it’s a musical, and that Josh is playing a character and is part of an ensemble.”
Groban, who’s likely to be nominated for a Tony, has extended his run to July 2. He should do great business, but rival producers wonder if the show will survive his departure.
Kagan is optimistic: “We are going to announce very soon the actor who will be replacing Josh. We know there is great demand for Josh, but we think there is also great demand for the show.”
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