Last week, we called out a "semi-professional" theatre company in Queensland, Australia for casting white and non-Latinx performers in Latinx roles in the musical In the Heights. Given the fact that the article was shared on Facebook alone, over 13,000 times, there was intense backlash against Matt Ward Entertainment, the producing theatre group. 

In response to the controversy, it was announced today that Matt Ward Entertainment has canceled their upcoming production of In the Heights. They have also deleted their Facebook account. 

It’s only fair to allow actors to do the same without demanding that they come visit fans when they have no energy to do so. They need time to rest. Emotions are exhausting. Making sure that the actor recovers safely from their performance is also crucial – some actions and emotions that result from those actions can overwhelm the body, and the body doesn’t know the difference between an actor’s behavior as the person versus as the character. Making sure the body recovers and the actor is safe is important.

Walking through Times Square the other day, I saw the SpongeBob SquarePants signs on the marquee of the Palace Theatre, and I was reminded: oh, yeah, Nickelodeon is coming to Broadway. About bloody time. Now, while I wish SpongeBob luck, as I do any musical just starting out, if I’m honest, it’s not what I would have chosen for Nickelodeon’s Broadway debut. I grew up and did my Nickelodeon watching in the 1990s (the best time, in my opinion, to have been watching Nickelodeon), and while I caught the beginning of SpongeBob’s amazingly successful run, I was a bit too old to become the kind of fan I was of Nick’s other shows. This is why I have given some thought, of late, to which of those shows I think Nickelodeon should turn into musicals.

There are some musicals that I adore for obvious reasons. Whether it's their epic score, relatable plot, incredible choreography, I usually know what exactly drew me to each piece.

Then are some that keep me thinking. I know I love them, I just can't figure out why., so you keep thinking about it, listening to it and it draws you back to the theatre for repeat viewings. One of those shows is closing today, Groundhog Day.

If you haven't watched the Drunk History of Alexander Hamilton with Lin-Manuel Miranda, you need to. First of all, because it's hilarious. Secondly, it gives us a brief insight into how much research Miranda did for the show. But most of all, it displays the character of the man itself, which is what I want to talk about today. 

A couple of years ago, I wrote my first piece for OnStage, discussing the song cycles and concept albums that deserve staging. Inspired by Kate Bush’s concerts in 2014, her first in 30 years, which contained the vivid story of The Ninth Wave, state of the art effects, and stark choreography, I took a look at some other song cycles that deserved the same level of attention. In my search for material for a Part 2 over the last couple of years, many of my favourite artists have released their own stage shows from concept albums or otherwise: Shara Nova (formally Worden)/ My Brightest Diamond and her baroque opera YOU US WE ALL, David Bowie’s LAZARUS, to name a few. Broadway is no stranger to contemporary artists writing shows; Sara Bareilles is responsible for WAITRESS, Vienna Teng’s THE FOURTH MESSENGER has been well-received during its multiple tryouts, Sting gave us THE LAST SHIP, Tori Amos’ THE LIGHT PRINCESS did well in London, David Byrne gave us HERE LIES LOVE, and Cyndi Lauper wrote the fun KINKY BOOTS.