Good! His birthday is on Monday, he is working Monday night! He needs time to celebrate with friends/family and a little R & R.

I, too, hope if Max took a night off it was for R&R and not because of illness. My favorite university professor allowed one absence per semester without requiring a sick excuse -- she called it a mental health day. I adored that woman. Max is 21, after all, and we don't know if perhaps the absence was scheduled or written into his contract. And then of course, he may have been sick.

-- Edited by Kait at 13:52, 2007-10-07

It is in rather poor taste for me to comment on something I know nothing about nor is quite my business but I also rather Max is suffering from a temporary yet benign illness, or an emergent obligation, which prevents him from performing in the way he is required. Anything else would seem more ominous.

That is totally understandable, Jo. His role is very physically demanding and he has such a huge mental responsibility as the lead. I know we all just wish him and the rest of the cast much success.

I don't believe that Mr.E is rattling our cages just for fun. He probably has reliable source information, and I agree that I would much prefer that Max was physically/mentally unable to perform.

While technically his name is not above the title, in essence it is. Personally, if I travelled all the way to New York and got Max's understudy, no matter how good, it would be the end of the world.....well, not really.

Please don't think me ignorant...I know nothing about Broadway, but I thought his understudy was listed as Josh Franklin? Do they have more than one understudy? I'd be interested to know more about the understudies and how they keep up with a role when they don't play it every night.

It's probably not good for people to jump to conclusions on why he called out. Throwing out guesses about him wanting some rest could put him in a bad light and we don't want to do that.

-- Edited by slackerbacker73 at 21:50, 2007-10-07

I always choose to believe the best of anyone. Whatever reason Max had for what he did I'm sure it was a good one.

Another tenor had to be replaced on Saturday night.....uptown at The Met.
The young hunk slated to play Romeo came down with a cold that took out his high notes.
The understudy was ready for the break of a lifetime, when management decided that the full house of 3800 (imagine!) deserved a star....and they had one available.
The story made the New York Times Music Section.


-- Edited by Ray at 23:51, 2007-10-08

That's not the reason why he went on, though.

I know of quite a few actors who played roles in regional productions of shows and then got parts in different productions which played the main stem....they weren't hired because they did the roles before.

OK, you guys, here is the real inside scoop on why Max missed Saturday night's performance. You all should have known that Max would NEVER let his fans down if he could help it!

Max injured his ankle over a month ago and has been getting physical therapy. He re-injured it during the Friday night show, did the Saturday matinee and the physical therapist would not let him go on for the evening show. He got more therapy iced, wrapped and put it up all night and then did both shows yesterday. It had to be answered prayer that he was able to perform on Sunday becasue you should have seen it on Saturday after the first show. He sat in his apartment worrying about the fans and how they would react and talked about "they are doing this number right now" and so on.

Dude, she's Max's #1 fan! She has a direct line for all info. It's like the Batphone! We call it the "Maxphone".

from what i've heard, he is doing much better now. of course, our prayers and positive thoughts for him i'm sure will go a long way.

Thanks for letting us know. I was sure that Max had a good reason. I sent him a MySpace message though to tell him I was concerned. Thanks again. When I pray for Max I'll add an extra one for his ankle.

Very nice ERIS, too funny. Thanks for the laugh.

May his injury not hold him back, but safety must always come first.

In the case of Max and Laura, as 2 actors in an open-ended run, they are guaranteed a week of vacation after 6 months, though they don't necessarily have to take it. They can choose to keep performing and they get a nice checky when they leave the show with their vacation salary. That's just the basic idea, as I don't have much time to post the specifics.

I'll say this - if they want long, lengthy careers (and I'm above and beyond sure they both do), they better have voice doctors and therapists (physical and mental) on speed-dial. There are many haphazards that come with performing on Broadway - from sprained bones that don't heal right to busted vocal chords/vocal cord nodes, polyups, etc., that, if left unchecked, can lead to dangerous consequences.

Regarding what the theater would do if/when they're absent, I'm sure it will be announced in advance if they schedule a vacation. The theaters are required by Equity to post signs if a person is absent in 2 spots of their choosing - on a board inside the theater lobby, on a slip in the Playbill, an announcement before the show, or a sign on the door. Since Max and Laura are the "stars," despite not being above the title, patrons are elligible to get a refund or exchange the tickets. However, since so many people are coming in from out of town to see the show, I can't imagine they'd want one, since I don't think they'd have the opportunity to see it again.

the show IS intense on the body-especially in Greased Lightning, when they pretty much start doing pushups in the middle of the song. haha/that takes skills

I just wanted to say thank you to Laura's mom for caring enough to post here, it was really nice of you to set the record straight and keep Max's image perfect. I'm sure he was very sad to miss that show and his new fans. I hope his ankle heals well and in record speed. Thanks again Jane (Laura's dear sweet Mother) You must be so PROUD!!!