An Open Letter To Susan

I am one of your biggest fans. There are millions of other fans, too. Thanks to all of us you have earned supposedly in the neighborhood of 20-30 million dollars. YOU are the one who said you wanted a singing career, to be like Elaine Paige! Well, it takes a commitment. Apparently you are not willing to do that. The many reviews of the play have been excellent. However, it has been obvious that you were as big a draw, if not more, than the actual play itself. You were and are the icing on the cake!

If you are not willing to make a commitment to sing 2 songs a show, in essence working a couple of hours a day, then do not be surprised if fans leave you in droves. Your fall just might be as rapid as your rise!

ETA: These are my thoughts, and mine alone. I speak for no one else.

I'm staying as a fan. I just have other artists that I enjoy as well.

SusaHumor had a couple of quite independent operatives at the Bradford show this afternoon, and I am told that it became quite ugly after the show, with a large crowd of people having a moan at the theatre staff about Susan being a no-show. I can only say that at approx. 10am there were no notices about her not showing up in the theatre. It was only later that notices had gone up. The audience did not know she wasn't going to be there in advance, nor was there any information to that effect on the theatre's website. I can also confirm that a number of people left before the performance once they realised she wouldn't be singing. I can also confirm that the post-show chatter amongst the audience was about her not showing up, with many people in her target demographic saying that they didn't like the fact that they'd bought her CDs and she seemingly couldn't be bothered to give them just 20 minutes of her time to sing a couple of songs. There was a lot of general anger, and many people asked for complaint forms.

Really sorry to hear that, Boss. If this was a pre-arranged absence, the management should have made that clear beforehand to give theater-goers a heads-up if it was a decision maker or breaker for them. If this wasn't a scheduled absence,---then I don't know what to think. I'm pretty sure that originally, it was announced that Susan may or may not be there to perform at the end of each show. Then sometime recently, I believe I read something to the effect that Susan was expected to appear at every show. I don't know why they changed that,---but I sure wish they hadn't, for Susan's sake and the sake of the hard-working cast.

Prove that she was supposed to be in all the shows. Prove that she missed a show and it was deliberate? If this was another star they wouldn't care.

Just so there is NO confusion, I do not speak on behalf of this forum. The thoughts in the opening post are mine and mine alone.

Whatever happened and whomsoever is to blame, Susan is the star and the buck stops with her(she will reap the rewards or suffer the loss), right or wrong. IMHO
It's not about reality, it's the public perception of her absence that is the issue.

I knew when I read all the reviews, which were glowing and excellent for the most part, that there could be a problem. All the reviews spoke of Susan's two song appearance on a par with the actual play. Susan is on for a few minutes, and the play is on for much longer. That was great news for Susan, but it also meant that she had a much greater responsibility to attend as many performances as possible.

I just had an interesting thought, how many fans from here or other places would have gone to the premier or rehearsal shows if Susan wasn't involved in the musical at all? I bet not as many would have gone. Shows how fake the are with their being Elaine C Smith fans...kind of shows their true colors.

Well, we need to wait and see whether Susan will be consistent in her appearances. I think any of us at any of her fan forums are here because we admire and like Susan immensely. We are also very cognisant of potential problems she may have when it comes to maintaining the psychological stamina needed for public singing appearances and being away from home.

What people really need are realistic expectations from Susan and her team about what she's able to manage - people are understanding if a person has certain issues but they don't like disappointment or to be ripped off. Far better to be honest. There will always be haters of Susan - those who say she shouldn't be a professional singer, but they aren't likely to go see her anyway so I think honesty is called for.

Emmylou wrote:

Well, we need to wait and see whether Susan will be consistent in her appearances. I think any of us at any of her fan forums are here because we admire and like Susan immensely. We are also very cognisant of potential problems she may have when it comes to maintaining the psychological stamina needed for public singing appearances and being away from home.

What people really need are realistic expectations from Susan and her team about what she's able to manage - people are understanding if a person has certain issues but they don't like disappointment or to be ripped off. Far better to be honest. There will always be haters of Susan - those who say she shouldn't be a professional singer, but they aren't likely to go see her anyway so I think honesty is called for.

After 3 years of dealing with Susan, her team should realize what she can manage.. If there was any worry about that, then the decision should have been made to let the play stand on its own with no announced or advertised Susan appearances. Then she could have showed up at as many or few appearances as she wanted. Unfortunately, if one reads the reviews, looks at the ads, or sees the marquis picture, one is led to the absolute conclusion that she will indeed be in every show. To most normal people, "barring unforseen circumstances" usually means the most dire of circumstances. Supposedly there were 100 out of 900 people in the theater foyer complaining.

BTW-some people are determining the reactions by tweets. It has been very apparent that the audiences are made up of much older people. They are hardly into the tweeting scene.

fudgemeister wrote:

BTW-some people are determining the reactions by tweets. It has been very apparent that the audiences are made up of much older people. They are hardly into the tweeting scene.

I am told that the audience were made up of at least 90% pensioners. This was 2pm on a Wednesday after all!

Here is a bit of video taken on a train leaving Bradford after the show. A number of people well within Susan's target demographic are discussing the no-show situation. You can clearly hear they aren't happy, and this unfortunately was the general mood amongst the audience. You may need to turn the audio up to hear it better. I have added subtitles for those who can't understand proper accents!

Aw, I do feel very sorry for them

OK, following up on the Wednesday Bradford no-show, our operative has been back to the theatre to ask about it. We have video of the conversation (which can't be published here, but other members here can verify it). The conversation went as follows:

Operative: Did they give a reason why Susan Boyle didn't appear on Wednesday?

Staff: No, we don't know why she wasn't on.

Operative: So they didn't give a reason why she didn't come?

Staff (shaking head): No, No.

So, if it was a planned day off as some have said, why did the theatre claim not to know why she didn't come?

Admin wrote:

OK, following up on the Wednesday Bradford no-show, our operative has been back to the theatre to ask about it. We have video of the conversation (which can't be published here, but other members here can verify it). The conversation went as follows:

Operative: Did they give a reason why Susan Boyle didn't appear on Wednesday?

Staff: No, we don't know why she wasn't on.

Operative: So they didn't give a reason why she didn't come?

Staff (shaking head): No, No.

So, if it was a planned day off as some have said, why did the theatre claim not to know why she didn't come?

____________________________________________________________

The video was posted in another thread in this forum. I saw it and can verify that this is indeed what was said.

Just a reminder to all the fans who have seen Susan, either at M&Gs or the play. You seem to have no sympathy for fans who go to the musical, expecting to see Susan, and then they complain if she is a no-show. For the Inverness week of shows, it was reported that Susan would appear in EVERY finale. The link is below. Why the hell should NOT people be pissed off??

http://www.eden-court.co.uk/whats-on/shows/i-dreamed-a-dream

"Susan Boyle will make a guest appearance at the finale of each performance on the Eden Court stage in this new musical that charts her extraordinary story."

fudgemeister wrote:

Just a reminder to all the fans who have seen Susan, either at M&Gs or the play. You seem to have no sympathy for fans who go to the musical, expecting to see Susan, and then they complain about it. For the Inverness week of shows, it was reported that Susan would appear in EVERY finale. The link is below. Why the hell should NOT people be pissed off??

http://www.eden-court.co.uk/whats-on/shows/i-dreamed-a-dream

"Susan Boyle will make a guest appearance at the finale of each performance on the Eden Court stage in this new musical that charts her extraordinary story."

Upon reading further they have managed to cover their self legally by the following statement

" Although the Producers of I Dreamed A Dream cannot guarantee the appearance of any artiste, Susan Boyle is expected to appear at all performances subject to unforeseen circumstances. "

Wabbit wrote:

fudgemeister wrote:

Just a reminder to all the fans who have seen Susan, either at M&Gs or the play. You seem to have no sympathy for fans who go to the musical, expecting to see Susan, and then they complain about it. For the Inverness week of shows, it was reported that Susan would appear in EVERY finale. The link is below. Why the hell should NOT people be pissed off??

http://www.eden-court.co.uk/whats-on/shows/i-dreamed-a-dream

"Susan Boyle will make a guest appearance at the finale of each performance on the Eden Court stage in this new musical that charts her extraordinary story."

Upon reading further they have managed to cover their self legally by the following statement

" Although the Producers of I Dreamed A Dream cannot guarantee the appearance of any artiste, Susan Boyle is expected to appear at all performances subject to unforeseen circumstances. "

All well and good until people read tweets that she was out and about during a performance, apparently not sick at all.

I seem to recall 2 very respected members who went to Chicago to present a quilt, and after numerous Emails they stated they would not be fans of Susan anymore if she did not show up. Yet, here we have members of the public, paying good money on the promise that Susan would be appearing in EVERY show. Yet when they complain, it is suck it up, just enjoy the play without her. Do you people even think about how ridiculous your posts are?

Sassyone wrote:

Prove that she was supposed to be in all the shows. Prove that she missed a show and it was deliberate? If this was another star they wouldn't care.

Sassy, it is on every website. I don't mind when you differ from our opinion, but this time please go and read the website. If you didn't bother to do that, then don't ask us to prove anything. You should do that for yourself. Sometimes you are just plain wrong and this is one of those times. When people buy tickets, they have a right to expect what they have been promised. You have a right to complain or to differ, but please know what you are talking about when you do. Go on the musical webiste and read the advertising.

And it is not theatre advertising. It is he standard marketing advertising for the musical. It is just below the purchase tickets button.

fudgemeister wrote:

I seem to recall 2 very respected members who went to Chicago to present a quilt, and after numerous Emails they stated they would not be fans of Susan anymore if she did not show up. Yet, here we have members of the public, paying good money on the promise that Susan would be appearing in EVERY show. Yet when they complain, it is suck it up, just enjoy the play without her. Do you people even think about how ridiculous your posts are?

Especially when the majority of people who attend are seniors and living on a fixed income. We don't have a clue what some people may have given up in order to see this show. Not everyone has a company pension and some live on next to nothing. My cousin has a pension from working for the government and trust me, it doesn't compare to mine. My cousin's pension is more than double mine.

Wabbit wrote:

fudgemeister wrote:

Wabbit wrote:

fudgemeister wrote:

Just a reminder to all the fans who have seen Susan, either at M&Gs or the play. You seem to have no sympathy for fans who go to the musical, expecting to see Susan, and then they complain about it. For the Inverness week of shows, it was reported that Susan would appear in EVERY finale. The link is below. Why the hell should NOT people be pissed off??

http://www.eden-court.co.uk/whats-on/shows/i-dreamed-a-dream

"Susan Boyle will make a guest appearance at the finale of each performance on the Eden Court stage in this new musical that charts her extraordinary story."

Upon reading further they have managed to cover their self legally by the following statement

" Although the Producers of I Dreamed A Dream cannot guarantee the appearance of any artiste, Susan Boyle is expected to appear at all performances subject to unforeseen circumstances. "

All well and good until people read tweets that she was out and about during a performance, apparently not sick at all.

I agree with you but I was just pointing out the ones who advertise this stuff made a way out for their self legally.

The musical marketing (from the play) still says she will be at every appearance barring unforeseen circumstnaces - unforeseen is not going home, being give a day off, or taking a day off. It is something very important like illness in your family.

Wabbit wrote:

andyp wrote:

Wabbit wrote:

fudgemeister wrote:

Wabbit wrote:

fudgemeister wrote:

Just a reminder to all the fans who have seen Susan, either at M&Gs or the play. You seem to have no sympathy for fans who go to the musical, expecting to see Susan, and then they complain about it. For the Inverness week of shows, it was reported that Susan would appear in EVERY finale. The link is below. Why the hell should NOT people be pissed off??

http://www.eden-court.co.uk/whats-on/shows/i-dreamed-a-dream

"Susan Boyle will make a guest appearance at the finale of each performance on the Eden Court stage in this new musical that charts her extraordinary story."

Upon reading further they have managed to cover their self legally by the following statement

" Although the Producers of I Dreamed A Dream cannot guarantee the appearance of any artiste, Susan Boyle is expected to appear at all performances subject to unforeseen circumstances. "

All well and good until people read tweets that she was out and about during a performance, apparently not sick at all.

I agree with you but I was just pointing out the ones who advertise this stuff made a way out for their self legally.

The musical marketing (from the play) still says she will be at every appearance barring unforeseen circumstnaces - unforeseen is not going home, being give a day off, or taking a day off. It is something very important like illness in your family.

I would want my refund if I bought a ticket but legally the "circumstances" is not described in the advertisement. I think it is horrible but I don't know what could be done about it. I am in NO way taking up for the ones that are involved in these activities, just that "circumstances" is not described and that is a shame it isn't. It is left to interpretation.

Legally it usually means something that cannot be avoided or foreseen. But you are correct, people cannot get their tickets back because it is a "vague" word. What worries me is that Susan gets so much applause and praise when she does appear that I wonder that she can be there for two days or so and then leave. Most actors that I've heard interviewed say that it is the applause that keeps them coming back. It is addictive. Not so much for Susan if she can take it or leave it. It keeps reminding me of Gerry saying something to the effect that she just wants to be in the business. It's enough for her to wake up in the morning and know she is in the music business. Maybe that is enough for her - do an album - be respected by her community - be sought after for charitable functions and make apearances every now and then. That lifestyle is huge compared to what Susan had before she became famous. Maybe that is enough for her. But I do hope she keeps developing her craft and keeps making cds. After this, I cannot really see her touring, even for small two or three night tours.

Andyp, good points. I just think that if something is promised in an ad, then all parties involved should do their very best to live up to it. We all know what a huge letdown it would be for any of us if Susan did not show up.

fudgemeister wrote:

Just a reminder to all the fans who have seen Susan, either at M&Gs or the play. You seem to have no sympathy for fans who go to the musical, expecting to see Susan, and then they complain if she is a no-show. For the Inverness week of shows, it was reported that Susan would appear in EVERY finale. The link is below. Why the hell should NOT people be pissed off??

http://www.eden-court.co.uk/whats-on/shows/i-dreamed-a-dream

"Susan Boyle will make a guest appearance at the finale of each performance on the Eden Court stage in this new musical that charts her extraordinary story."

No they don't have sympathy - why should they when they got what they wanted - several shows with Susan singing, stage door mobbing and a visit to the lunch by Susan and Andy! Now, having had all of that, they can safely say that people are being unfair and unrealistic and should be grateful to see the show without Susan in it! Oh please! How smugly self satisfied they are and lacking in compassion for other fans of Susan!

Yes, the topic has been 'done to death' - as fans are admonished by certain pompous Susa-knights to desist from doing, and as such should just shut up about it I guess, even if other fans do continue to be disappointed by these now frequent no-shows. That isn't relevant to them - for some reason they are dismissing the fans right to be bitterly upset, as many clearly have been.

We do not know if the specific days Susan would not appear were pre-planned or if the no-shows are rather more randomly decided, but I do hope the fans have not been disappointed simply because Susan has been capricious! That's the way it tends to look, I'm afraid, Ultimately, it is Susan who gets the blame whether or not she's the one who decided to skip appearances. Sure, we can understand that Susan had prior engagements, but to miss so many? This whole non-appearance debacle is just so wrong, and likewise fans who have seen the show or defend Susan no matter what without looking at the fan point of view, are very wrong to tell other fans to be quiet about the situation! Who the heck do they think they are to tell others what to do and think?? Once again, we see arrogance displayed by certain members of a certain fan site who believe they have some sort of right to dominate the other 100 or so fans that go there - and the million or so who do not.

Emmylou wrote:

fudgemeister wrote:

Just a reminder to all the fans who have seen Susan, either at M&Gs or the play. You seem to have no sympathy for fans who go to the musical, expecting to see Susan, and then they complain if she is a no-show. For the Inverness week of shows, it was reported that Susan would appear in EVERY finale. The link is below. Why the hell should NOT people be pissed off??

http://www.eden-court.co.uk/whats-on/shows/i-dreamed-a-dream

"Susan Boyle will make a guest appearance at the finale of each performance on the Eden Court stage in this new musical that charts her extraordinary story."

No they don't have sympathy - why should they when they got what they wanted - several shows with Susan singing, stage door mobbing and a visit to the lunch by Susan and Andy! Now, having had all of that, they can safely say that people are being unfair and unrealistic and should be grateful to see the show without Susan in it! Oh please! How smugly self satisfied they are and lacking in compassion for other fans of Susan!

Yes, the topic has been 'done to death' - as fans are admonished by certain pompous Susa-knights to desist from doing, and as such should just shut up about it I guess, even if other fans do continue to be disappointed by these now frequent no-shows. That isn't relevant to them - for some reason they are dismissing the fans right to be bitterly upset, as many clearly have been.

We do not know if the specific days Susan would not appear were pre-planned or if the no-shows are rather more randomly decided, but I do hope the fans have not been disappointed simply because Susan has been capricious! That's the way it tends to look, I'm afraid, Ultimately, it is Susan who gets the blame whether or not she's the one who decided to skip appearances. Sure, we can understand that Susan had prior engagements, but to miss so many? This whole non-appearance debacle is just so wrong, and likewise fans who have seen the show or defend Susan no matter what without looking at the fan point of view, are very wrong to tell other fans to be quiet about the situation! Who the heck do they think they are to tell others what to do and think?? Once again, we see arrogance displayed by certain members of a certain fan site who believe they have some sort of right to dominate the other 100 or so fans that go there - and the million or so who do not.

That is why I am on pre-mod, for telling one of them off who wrote of the disappointed fans as feeling "entitled" to see Susan just because they paid to see a show. Of course, they felt entitled. The musical website said she would be there. I refused to delete my post so I will probably be on pre-mod forever.

Emmylou wrote:

fudgemeister wrote:

Just a reminder to all the fans who have seen Susan, either at M&Gs or the play. You seem to have no sympathy for fans who go to the musical, expecting to see Susan, and then they complain if she is a no-show. For the Inverness week of shows, it was reported that Susan would appear in EVERY finale. The link is below. Why the hell should NOT people be pissed off??

http://www.eden-court.co.uk/whats-on/shows/i-dreamed-a-dream

"Susan Boyle will make a guest appearance at the finale of each performance on the Eden Court stage in this new musical that charts her extraordinary story."

No they don't have sympathy - why should they when they got what they wanted - several shows with Susan singing, stage door mobbing and a visit to the lunch by Susan and Andy! Now, having had all of that, they can safely say that people are being unfair and unrealistic and should be grateful to see the show without Susan in it! Oh please! How smugly self satisfied they are and lacking in compassion for other fans of Susan

Yes, the topic has been 'done to death' - as fans are admonished by certain pompous Susa-knights to desist from doing, and as such should just shut up about it I guess, even if other fans do continue to be disappointed by these now frequent no-shows. That isn't relevant to them - for some reason they are dismissing the fans right to be bitterly upset, as many clearly have been.

We do not know if the specific days Susan would not appear were pre-planned or if the no-shows are rather more randomly decided, but I do hope the fans have not been disappointed simply because Susan has been capricious! That's the way it tends to look, I'm afraid, Ultimately, it is Susan who gets the blame whether or not she's the one who decided to skip appearances. Sure, we can understand that Susan had prior engagements, but to miss so many? This whole non-appearance debacle is just so wrong, and likewise fans who have seen the show or defend Susan no matter what without looking at the fan point of view, are very wrong to tell other fans to be quiet about the situation! Who the heck do they think they are to tell others what to do and think?? Once again, we see arrogance displayed by certain members of a certain fan site who believe they have some sort of right to dominate the other 100 or so fans that go there - and the million or so who do not.

Very good post and well said....