Ben Vereen Given Lifetime Achievement Award Two Years After Sexual Misconduct Accusation
(WARNING: The following includes detailed sexual abuse)
Two years after multiple women accused him of sexual misconduct, Ben Vereen is being given a Lifetime Achievement Award from an organization that prides itself on “bringing the magic, pageantry, and profession of Broadway to public school students throughout New York.”
Yes, two years ago allegations surfaced that Mr. Vereen had used this position of power to not only sexually assault and harass multiple women in a cast of Hair, but also verbally abused others in the cast as well. Yet, the leadership at Inside Broadway felt none of that should disqualify him from receiving their 2020 Broadway Beacon Award.
In a statement, Executive Director Michael Presser praised Mr. Vereen:
"Inside Broadway is thrilled to award theatre legend, humanitarian & educator Ben Vereen with our Lifetime Achievement Award", he said. "Ben has contributed much to Broadway, his performances throughout his career are memorable, legendary and the kind that make people fall in love with theater. He continues to be a presence in our industry and an inspiration to young aspiring performers today and working professionals in the business. Ben has taught us that "We Have Magic To Do."
Considering the things Mr. Vereen admitted to doing to “young aspiring performers” at the Venice Theatre in 2015, this destructive statement is either an example of idiocy or villainy.
In case you didn’t read the report in the New York Daily News, Hollywood Reporter, USA Today, Variety, NBC News, Huffington Post, IndieWire, The Root, People Magazine, Miami Herald, Playbill, Boston Herald, Essence, New York Times or the dozens of other publications that reported the story, Mr. Vereen faced allegations of sexual groping, unwanted kisses, aggressive hugs, naked acting exercises, hot-tub encounters at his residence, and lewd comments about the accusers' weight, sex appeal, and personal lives during a production of Hair he was directing at the FL theatre.
The allegations were disturbing and hardly award-worthy: Mr. Vereen made all the actresses kiss him on the lips at the end of rehearsals (one refused which led to a disciplinary conversation about how she wasn’t “opening myself up to love”).
After one rehearsal, he hugged and pressed himself up against one actress. Later that night, he texted her saying “You felt so good tonight”.
He told an actress that her not having children must make her feel “worthless as a woman”, just to get an emotional response from her in a scene. He perceived another young man in the cast as gay and proclaimed to him in front of the rest of the cast, “Admit it! You like d*ck. You’re a f**got.”
And he allegedly sexually manipulated two women in the cast who were barely in their 20’s.
For his part, Mr. Vereen did apologize for his “inappropriate conduct” but did not specifically admit the allegations. His complete statement was:
“I would like to apologize directly to the female cast members of the musical ‘Hair’ for my inappropriate conduct when I directed the production in 2015. While it was my intention to create an environment that replicated the themes of that musical during the rehearsal process, I have since come to understand that it is my conduct, not my intentions, which are relevant here. So I am not going to make any excuses because the only thing that matters here is acknowledging and apologizing for the effects of my conduct on the lives of these women. Going forward, my having come to terms with my past conduct will inform all my future interactions not only with women, but with all individuals. I hope these women will find it in their hearts to accept my sincere apology and forgive me.”
However, he deleted the apology from his social media and within weeks, he was back on the red carpet at Broadway shows, being welcomed backstage and presenting at the Chita Rivera Awards. This past year, he hosted the event.
I was contacted by representatives for Mr. Vereen who clarified that his apology was for his conduct during the rehearsal period, not to the accusations of sexual misconduct. Apparently I was giving Mr. Vereen too much credit thinking he had apologized for his alleged actions.
So I would ask Mr. Presser or Company Manager, Nicholas M. Sala, what kind of inspirational presence “to young aspiring performers today and working professionals in the business” he thinks Mr. Vereen is exactly. Because I find it sickening that Mr. Presser is praising Ben Vereen for the same status he used to abuse others.
Thankfully, people are smart and as soon as the news broke that Mr. Vereen was being honored, outrage ensued. Many left comments on social media expressing their anger.
Some have tried to post comments on Inside Broadway’s Facebook page, only to have their comments deleted. I tried and was sent the following message.
But with this comment and Mr. Presser’s statement, Inside Broadway is doubling down on their support for Mr. Vereen and at the same time, paint themselves into quite the corner. Because either:
The organization didn’t do their due diligence in vetting their honoree because any Google search would pull up the sexual misconduct allegations almost right after his Wikipedia page.
Saw the report and ignored it because Mr. Vereen has friends on the board and they want to do everything they can to preserve his “legacy.”
Excused his behavior because there is a population of people in power in professional theatre feels that sexual misconduct is not an indictment on one’s lengthy career.
Among the folks at Inside Broadway, there’s not a single person who has understanding or training to know that sexual harassment/abuse is a real problem and honoring someone who has accused of both 24 months ago, might not be the best move.
It’s one of the four or maybe all the above. Either way, it’s inexcusable.
Inside Broadway’s decision is a slap in the face of not only Mr. Vereen’s victims but every victim of sexual abuse. Furthermore, it’s a stab in the back of the woman they have the nerve to list as their honorary chair, Carol Channing.
In 1998, the Broadway icon told Barbara Walters that she endured emotional, physical and sexual abuse at the hands of her husband, Charles Lowe, throughout their 31-year marriage.
After filing for divorce from him, Ms. Channing said she wanted to help other women recognize abuse earlier than she did.
“I was not aware, but now I am,” she said. “I want to help other women grab the ball and run with it!”
She also told the Washington Post, “I was miserable. I was unhappy. And I didn’t realize it wasn’t my fault. But I’m going to survive. I’m going to live. I’m free.”
Now, just over a year since this brave sexual abuse survivor passed away, the organization that honors her is bestowing their highest honor to an alleged sexual misconduct perpetrator. You can’t make this shit up.
In case you wanted to voice your opinions to members of Inside Broadway’s practically all-male Board of Directors, here are some of their emails:
George Stonbely - gstonbely@spectacularventures.com
James Claffey Jr. - jclaffey@iatse-local1.org
Joseph Cozza - joseph.cozza@marriott.com
Kenneth Alberstadt - kenneth.alberstadt@akerman.com
Also, their advisory board consists of names such as Roger Bart, Laura Benanti, Danny Burstein, Kristin Chenoweth, Sutton Foster, Joel Grey, Jasmine Guy, Nathan Lane, Donna Murphy, Bebe Neuwirth, Faith Prince, Susan Stroman, Karen Ziemba.
It wouldn’t hurt to ask some of them why they’re comfortable having their names attached to an organization that would honor a #metoo perpetrator.
It’s unfathomable as to why they’re honoring Ben Vereen and not the plenty of other people who have done amazing things for theatre that haven’t been accused of such things. This past September alone, Marc and Julie Platt donated $1 million to MCC Theater, one of Off Broadway’s leading not-for-profit companies, for the development and production of new musicals. That seems pretty award-worthy and keeps with Inside Broadway’s supposed mission if you ask me.
But I don’t expect Inside Broadway to reconsider their choice. How can they? They’ve doubled down their support for Ben Vereen and essentially admitted to ignoring certain parts of his past. And organizations like these are as stubborn as they are ignorant. While Hollywood has done an okay job of exiling their sexual misconduct perpetrators, they look immaculate next to Broadway who can’t seem to go a year before welcoming these individuals back into their arms.
Some might ask where the line is when it comes to forgiving and forgetting past indiscretions. I don’t know the answer to that but it’s far from “it’s been two years, let’s give the guy an award.”
So enjoy the party, Ben. Take in the ovation. Despite the conduct you unleashed, Inside Broadway is telling you “it’s okay, we’ve got your back” when they should be telling that to your victims. We all should.
Photo: Ben Vereen (Getty Images)