Australian production of 'A Chorus Line' finds its "Richie", but questions remain
by Chris Peterson, OnStage Blog Founder
This past week, I reported that a theatre company in Australia had opened their production of ‘A Chorus Line’ without the role of Richie, a role written to be played by a Black performer. This followed a similar situation in Connecticut, where a theatre had tried to do the same and had its licensing agreement revoked, thus canceling their entire run of the show.
Well, there have been some updates. The Australian theatre company, Drew Anthony Creative, announced today that they have cast the role of “Richie”. They made the announcement on their social media thanking Concord Theatricals but not offering any apology or explanation for erasing the role.
In the post they state,
“A CHORUS LINE continues tonight at The Royale Theatre at Planet Royale. Only 12 shows remain so don’t miss out on this once-in-a-blue-moon chance to see this Broadway classic here in Perth. We are excited to have finally cast the role of Richie and thank Concord Theatricals for working with us to realise this awesome opportunity.”
According to their ticket-selling website, it looks as though one performance was canceled while they were finding an actor to play “Richie”.
So, I am glad that after being called out by the local press and this blog, Drew Anthony has cast the role of “Richie” the way it was intended to be cast and the show can continue now that it is fully complete. However, sources are telling me that while “Richie” has been added to the cast, his dialogue and song “Gimmie the Ball” have not been reinstated in the show. It’s unclear at this moment if Concord Theatricals would approve something like that.
So there are questions about this situation that remain and Drew Anthony needs to give a full explanation of what occurred.
Questions like, why did he feel it was alright to open the show without the role of Richie? Even if the actor who was originally cast had left the production, why did Drew Anthony progress to opening night without recasting the role? Keep in mind, none of the marketing for the show in the weeks leading up to opening night feated any mention of Richie, nor were any public casting calls put out to find an actor.
It would seem to me that Drew Anthony Creative was 100% fine with continuing the run without “Richie” as long as no one, as well as Concord Theatricals, noticed.
The other question I have is if Drew Anthony Creative had opened the show with “Richie” removed from the script, without permission from Concord, how were their licensing rights not revoked and performances allowed to continue?
I’m not defending the Bradley Playhouse in CT when I say this but they weren’t afforded the same opportunity and their licensing was revoked, canceling their production. If anything, what Drew Anthony Creative did was seemingly more egregious because they actually opened the show having erased the role from the script. I think it’s fair for the folks at the Bradley to be saying, “What gives?”
But as I said before, Mr. Anthony cannot just say that the role of “Richie” has been cast and then move on like nothing happened. He erased a Black character for a show, one that is based on a composite of Black performers who were interviewed by the great Michael Bennett to create the show. Mr. Anthony owes the Black performer community in Perth a detailed explanation and apology.
If his company truly embraces and values BIPOC performers, this would be a first step in rectifying the situation. So we’ll see.
UPDATE: “In a statement to BroadwayWorld, Concord said: "As the representatives for authors and their estates, Concord Theatricals holds our licensees accountable to their contractual agreements, which prohibit any casting or content changes unless otherwise approved by the authors."
"In this case, the license to Drew Anthony Creative was issued by Origin. Origin confirmed that they had not authorized a request for the removal or changing of any character in this production of A Chorus Line. When we were alerted to the situation, Origin reached out directly to the producing organization. The production was halted while the character of Richie was cast, as we understand it, appropriately, and they have now resumed performances."