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AMERICAN THEATRE | The Great Comet of Internet Outrage http://www.americantheatre.org/2017/08/04/the-great-comet-of-in...1 of 6 9/3/17, 10:50 PM
Okieriete Onaodowan in "Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812" on Broadway. (Photos: Chad Batka)
It was news that would’ve made any theatre fan weep with joy: Mandy Patinkin was coming back to Broadway. He was to play Pierre in Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812. Except there was a snag; He was coming into the show on Aug. 15 for a three-week run. That meant the current Pierre, original Hamilton cast member Okieriete Onaodowan, would have to end his run in the show earlier than expected. Immediately the troubling optics were pointed out.
Broadway Black wrote: “The story of Onaodowan joining the cast with delays followed by the abrupt replacement of his role to boost ticket sales raises questions about how Black actors are valued and supported within Broadway.”Tony winner Cynthia Erivo tweeted in a thread: “Mandy is a wonderful man, Oak is a wonderful man, this has been handled badly.
Ticket sales shouldn’t override a person doing his job.” She then added: “The disrespect of both actors is highly concerning.”
Onaodowan wrote on Instagram that even though he could have returned to the show following Patinkin’s departure, he has chosen not to.
Following the backlash, which played out on social media via the hashtag
#MakeRoomforOak, the Great Comet producers issued an apology and show creator Dave Malloy explained that the decision was purely monetary (saying on Twitter that sales after “Aug. 13 were catastrophically low. Show would have closed,” adding, “So sorry to have missed the racial optics of it”). Then Patinkin dropped out, releasing a EQUITY, DIVERSITY, AND INCLUSION | AUGUST 4, 2017 |
7 COMMENTS The Great Comet of Internet Outrage In today’s 140-character culture, dialogue and a recognition of nuance are more important than ever.
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