Jul 15 2008
The Journeymen
We took in two performances this past weekend, The Phantom of the Opera at the Majestic Theatre and a piano recital at Mannes College the New School of Music on 150 W 85th Street. John Cudia was the Phantom. This was my third time. His voice (acting was great too) blew me away. (I saw Les Miserables couple of times, once was when he played.) After the show, we were invited to meet the cast (no pictures) for a Q&A session. The leading lady Christine Daaé (played by Jennifer Hope Wills) was there among few others. One show goer in the audience asked about their salary. She chuckled, stretched out her arms, said, “TV and b’way are on odd ends with each other..” A male actor commented that the cable guy who does TV commercial for Verizon makes US$100k every time one of his commercial runs (or something like that). It’s for the love they do broadway.
Jerome Rose’s recital at the Mannes was fantastic. His resumé by the door was almost a page long. The fact we need to read to know who he is shows he’s just a journeyman who hovers around a lot. Is Lang Lang better than he is? Not sure. But the young man is sure a sensation and his face is far more recognizable.
Life, is a funny journey where only a few could reach the pinnacle, in every profession. Be it the showbiz, track driving, teaching, science, even prostitution. The stardom has very limited space, can only accommodate lucky few. No matter how hard the rest of us work, and how talented we are. But doesn’t mean we’re less happy. Ever heard of Pareto principle, 80/20 scenario or 80/20 rule? As rule of thumb, 80% profit in a given company is generated by the top 20% performers/customers, or 20% of actions lead to 80% of results .. ..