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Is Kristin Chenoweth CANCELLED by Broadway? | The backlash to her Charlie Kirk comments explained
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- [00:01]
Sarah
Hey, this is Sarah. Look, I'm standing out front of a.m. p.m. Right now and well, you're sweet and all, but I found something more fulfilling, even kind of cheesy. But I like it. Sure, you met some of my dietary needs, but they've just got it all. So farewell. Oatmeal so long, you strange soggy.
- [00:19]
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- [01:31]
Sarah
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- [02:04]
Mickey Jo
Oh my God. Hey, welcome back to my theatre themed YouTube channel. Or hello to you if you are listening to this on podcast platforms. My name is Mickey Jo and I am obsessed with all things theatre. I am a theatre critic here on social media as well as a content creator. I just got back from a seven day Disney cruise through the Norwegian Fjords, the latter half of which I spent knowing that this was going to be the first thing I was going to have to talk about as soon as I got back. I tell you this both to explain the sense of concern you may be hearing in my voice and for those of you watching me right now, rather than just listening to illustrate that if you do see me gently swaying from side to side, it's because my brain still thinks the floor is moving. And that's either the enduring effects of a week spent on the North Sea or the Earth literally falling off its axis, which honestly isn't impossible. This, for just so many reasons, is never the song I want to be quoting from Wicked. But something bad is happening in Oz, everybody. And though I felt certain that some sort of big theater news was bound to break unexpectedly while I was away from my desk, as it were, this is not the story I was anticipating. Because it is a new week and a new Broadway diva has found herself in hot water for controversial comments that she has shared on social media. We are talking, of course, about the Tony Award winning Broadway actress Kristin Chenoweth, known primarily for originating the role of Glinda in the Broadway production of Wicked and set to return to Broadway in the Queen of Versailles, opening very soon at the St James Theatre, making all of this hugely unfortunate timing for Ms. Chenoweth, her comments came in response to the death of the outspoken right wing activist Charlie Kirk and the gunshot heard round the world and the ensuing political flashpoint that we've been experiencing. However, the thoughts shared by Ms. Chenoweth, who throughout her career has openly identified herself as a Christian woman and an advocate for the LGBTQIA community, have shocked and upset many of her fans, particularly those from the queer community, who have viewed this ambiguous signal of support for Charlie Kirk and some of the values that he held as a betrayal of trust in her as an ally. And with much of the dialogue around this having become very contentious and understandably frustrated, Kristin Chenoweth did something that I certainly wasn't expecting, which was to address this backlash in a video interview with New York's Frank Delella. This, of course, is the lead up to her Broadway return in the Queen of Vision. There is plenty for us to discuss about this whole situation. Is Kristin Chenoweth cancelled by Broadway right now? And also, ought she be? What has happened? What exactly did she originally say? What did she then offer by way of of an apology? And what do I think about all of this? And also, where have we seen this before? I'm going to be sharing my thoughts and insights about all of this today, but as always, I would love to hear yours in the comments section down below. Remembering, of course, that this is a hugely contentious topic with a lot of political crossover, and that every individual in the comment section of this video should be met with basic decency and humanity and respect because we are all human beings. Unless, of course, there are robots in the comments section. Honestly, the world's on fire, but we're going to try and get through this one. If you enjoy listening to this and want to hear more about the goings on of Broadway and the West End, and occasionally some reviews of some theatrical productions, when people are done being controversial, feel free to subscribe right here on YouTube or go follow me on podcast platforms. In the meantime, let's start digging into this one why is Kristen Chenoweth Cancelled by Broadway? Now, for those of you who aren't familiar with Kristin Chenoweth, which I imagine having clicked on this video, is a minority of you, we will cover more ground in terms of who she is and what she she stands for and the career that she has had and the values that she has upheld as we talk through all of this. But the basic background that you need to know is this dual characteristic of her identity that she has always been an outspoken woman of faith, of Christian faith from Oklahoma, as well as a beloved, glittering queer icon of the Broadway stage who has always been enthusiastically supportive of the queer community and their right to exist. And she has always been explicitly celebratory of the idea that those of the Christian faith can and should support the queer community. And they're not antithetical identities. They're not entirely distinct. There are queer people of faith. There are queer Christians. There are also people of the Christian faith who are allies and supporters of the queer community. Kristin Chenoweth having for a long time now identified as one of them. And while I'm sure the center of that Venn diagram has at times been an uncomfortable place to exist, it all got a little bit more challenging recently when Kristen shared some comments about the death of Charlie Kirk. So here is the initial comment that has l the fire Kristin Chenoweth, under the final most recent video to be posted to Charlie's Instagram account, shared the I'm so upset. Each word with a period after it didn't always agree, but appreciated some perspectives. Period. What a heartbreak period. His young family, period. I know where he is now, period. Heaven, period. But still broken heart emoji. The emerging and perhaps surprising message of which is the revelation that Kristin Chenoweth appreciated some of his perspectives in spite of not agreeing with all of them. Now, for context and before we go any further, I am talking to an international audience here via the Internet. There is every possibility that you may not be familiar with some of the messages of Charlie Kirk. And while offering exceedingly little of my own opinion here or editorializing, because I am not a political commentator, I will share some direct quotations from this piece in the Guardian entitled Charlie Kirk in His Own Words written by Chris Stein on 12 September this year on the subject of race, he said, happening all the time in urban America. Prowling blacks go around for fun to target white people. That's a fact. It's happening more and more. That's from the Charlie Kirk show on 19 May 2023 on the subject of gender, feminism and reproductive rights, he said, reject feminism. Submit to your husband Taylor. You're not in charge. That's about Taylor Swift. Just over a year ago, on 8th September 2024, while responding to a question about whether he would support his 10 year old daughter aborting a pregnancy conceived because of rape on the debate show surrounded, he shared the answer is yes, the baby would be delivered. And on the 1st of April of that year he said we need to have a Nuremberg style trial gender affirming clinic doctor. We need it immediately. On immigration, meanwhile, he said the American Democrat Party hates this country. They want to see it collapse. They love it when America becomes less white. That's from the Charlie Kirk show on 20 March 2024. On 1 March of the same year he said the Great Replacement Strategy which is well underway every single day in our southern border is a strategy to replace white rural America with something different. On Islam, he said islam is the sword the left is using to slit the throat of America. That was shared in a social media Post on 8th of September this year and critically on the subject of gun violence on 5 April 2023 at an event organized by a Turning Point USA faith, the religious arm of Kirk's conservative group, Turning Point usa he shared, and I quote, I think it's worth it to have a cost of unfortunately some gun deaths every single year so that we can have the second Amendment to protect our other God given rights. That is a prudent deal. It is rational and if I can offer one little moment of expansion there when we are talking about gun deaths in the what we are predominantly talking about is the needless devastating loss of children in what I would characterize as an entirely preventable and yet needlessly ongoing pandemic of school shootings. So the rational loss of life that Mr. Kirk was describing at that point was that of school children. And I could share with you a handful of really devastating and eye opening facts about deaths by gun violence in the U.S. but we risk being derailed. All of this evidently begs the question, which of these perspectives, which of these notions, which of these ideas do does Kristin Chenoweth appreciate? Which of these does she find agreeable if she said she doesn't agree with all of them, or doesn't always agree to use her own words, but appreciates some perspectives? And this is the question that has been asked of her subsequently in social media comment sections, in forums across the Internet. What does Kristin Chenweth mean when she shares these words? And I mentioned that a lot of the backlash and a lot of the upset was shared among Kristin Chenworth's queer and LGBTQIA fan base, which is a partially anecdotal observation, observed, observed through my own specific social media lens. And you will notice I didn't share any direct quotations from Charlie Kirk about the queer community, about gay marriage, etc, though he had spoken on the topic previously. And this is because his exact words on the subject have been the source of fiery debate on social media, as has much of his character and what he stood for and how he ought to be remembered, and the notion of his legacy and his identity and whether or not he was an American hero and a patriot or someone creating a divisive, antagonistic political culture. Earlier this month on social media, the writer Stephen King shared thoughts about Charlie Kirk's commentary around the queer community and was subsequently pushed to rescind this statement because of the exact nature of his wording. And while the quotations that I read before utterly speak for themselves, there are many more things that have been said by Charlie Kirk and also by the likes of Charlie Kirk and by other pundits at a similar point on the political spectrum that do not necessarily invoke violence against certain communities explicitly, but certainly contribute to dog whistle politics, which is to say, the individuals and the communities that they are speaking about understand exactly what it is that they mean. They understand that they are being targeted, they understand that they are being talked about, and they understand that division and a culture of fear is being created here, even if it isn't explicitly being said and it gives them an out to illustrate that they are not deliberately inciting violence, even if that may be the subliminal intention and a lot of the immediate commentary that I'm seeing about Kristin Chenoweth and all of this is Kristin Chenoweth. How can you possibly support this man? He was homophobic and he said X, Y, or Z about gay marriage. And that may or may not be true. I think that is a very valid feeling. But also I think it's distracting us from the larger conversation of all of these other things that he has also said about these groups who we are capable of having empathy for, who are not us. I think it's just as valid for Kristin Chenoweth's LGBTQ fans to be outraged that she has said this about someone who spoke that way about women and about reproductive rights and about young women and about immigrants and about Islam. It is possible, and also perhaps prudent to have a certain quantity of outrage in this instance on more than just our own behalf. And that outrage, as well as the immediate shock of all of this, I think is entirely understandable. This comes with hugely unfortunate timing, not just because Kristen is getting ready to come back to Broadway for the first time in a little while with the Queen of Versailles, but also because this is coinciding with a huge political flashpoint. Nicole Scherzinger, who recently won a Tony Award for her performance as Norma Desmond in a Broadway revival of Sunset Boulevard, recently experienced a similar quantity of backlash when she was perceived to be signaling support on social media for Donald Trump and the Make America Great Again cause around the exact time of the election. And so each of these moments, which I do think bear a striking similarity, have become an outlet for the very valid fears and frustrations for a lot of individuals in that exact moment. And it all continued when last week, Kristen sat down for an exclusive interview with New York 1's onstage host Frank Dilella, in which they discussed her upcoming Broadway return, as well as the ongoing backlash around this particular comment, which it's worth saying before I share with you exactly what Frank asked her and what she said in response, I think is a conversation that by that point had proven essential. I think there was no way they could have had this interview in this conversation without addressing it. And that may even have been the reason that this exclusive interview was schedul in the first place. Of course, it's very common for Broadway stars to do press appearances and a little bit of a media tour in anticipation of their opening nights. Billy Porter, of course, received some considerable backlash a few months ago when he made controversial comments doing a press tour ahead of opening in Cabaret on Broadway. But Kristen sat down with Frank Delella, who was a trusted and friendly face who I assume she knows, who has become a staple of the theater industry in New York. And he asked her this. He said, you have a big LGBTQ plus fan base for members allies in the LGBTQ community. Charlie was a controversial figure. He opposed same sex marriage, trans rights. What were you hoping to convey with that post? A question that certainly commences the conversation and I suppose offers some level of scrutiny, but doesn't necessarily push it too hard. In response to that, Kristin Chenoweth said this visibly emotional she said, I saw what happened online with my own eyes and I had a human moment of reflection. Just right then I came to understand that my comment hurt some folks and that hurt me so bad I would never it's no secret that I'm a Christian, that I'm a person with faith. It's also no secret that I'm an advocate for the LGBTQ community and for some that doesn't go together, but for me it always has and it always will. Which doesn't really directly respond to the question of what she was hoping to convey with that post. It goes some of the way towards explaining the idea that she wasn't hoping to convey anything. You know, she was commenting on something rather than resharing or creating her own post. We can talk about the nuances of social media and exactly what that means, but in her own words, she had a human moment of reflection. And it's worth acknowledging that when she says, I saw what happened online with my own eyes. What I believe she is describing here is having seen the video in which Charlie Kirk's shooting and death take place, footage that was widespread on social media that I have thus far avoided, which has been described as as harrowing and which certainly goes some of the way towards explaining a natural emotional response. This language around having a human moment is something I heard for the very first time when Cynthia Erivo was asked about her anger towards a fan edit of the Wicked poster, in which they made it look more like the Broadway version of the poster, bringing the brim of her witch's hat over her eyeline and recolouring her lips into a red smirk. When asked why that upset her so much and whether her reaction was proportionate, she replied sort of meekly that she had had a human moment in response to it. And so, not to be too cynical, but it does sort of seem to be the new catch all PR phrase around making a mistake or doing something that you would later regret, or behaving in a way that you might not if you weren't consumed by emotion. What I struggle with a little bit more is what is said next when Kristin Chenoweth says, I came to understand that my comment hurts some folks And I think it's interesting that Frank's question directly invoked the LGBTQ community, gay marriage, trans rights, but didn't speak around immigration and Charlie Kirk's comments about the black community, about women, etc. And sadly, that did sort of seem to set the stage for a response in which she talks about her religious identity and being an ally and an advocate and trying to do both of those things at the same time, as she has done for years. Years. But it still didn't really provide an answer to the question that people have been asking and are now continuing to ask on social media. Which of Charlie Kirk's perspectives did she appreciate? And so, rather than this interview closing the chapter on the whole saga, the backlash does seem to be continuing. Here am I, after all, continuing to talk about it days later. And if you check out the comments sections on social media posts about the Queen of Versailles, about Kristin Chenoweth, made by her, made by the show, made by other individuals in the Broadway sphere, you will see that this is continuing to be a question that asked by fans and by the Broadway community. What exactly was it that Charlie Kirk stood for that Kristin Chenoweth appreciated, and is she going to articulate it? Perhaps there was some hope from the powers that be at the Queen of Versailles that scheduling this interview and having Frank ask this question and having Kristen respond to it in the spotlight of some level of scrutiny might do away with the whole thing. But evidently that has not worked. And so it will be very interesting to see what happens as the first preview performance of the Queen of the Sign, its subsequent opening night, begins to approach over the the next few weeks. The Nicole Scherzinger backlash, after all, did seem to slow down in the months following the election, and it ultimately didn't hurt her Tony Awards chances. She won the thing. But although this next question might sound silly, it is a pertinent one. Can Kristen Chenoweth and the Queen of Versailles survive on Broadway without the gays? Which brings us, hilariously to me and exactly what I think about this whole situation and the other aspects of it that we aren't really talking about that I think that we.
- [18:58]
Sarah
Hey, this is Sarah. Look, I'm standing out front of a.m. p.m. Right now and well, you're sweet and all, but I found something more fulfilling, even kind of cheesy. But I like it. Sure, you met some of my dietary needs, but they've just got it all. So farewell oatmeal, so long, you strange.
- [19:16]
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- [19:36]
Mickey Jo
I need a coffee and you need.
- [19:38]
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- [20:05]
Mickey Jo
Now. I have so many different thoughts about this and I am disappointed, but I don't know if I would characterize myself as surprised. I think moments like this reveal a lot about people's character and ultimately we should acknowledge, I think that the tone of what Kristin was sharing here was one of sympathy and of remorse. And I think a lot of that is just the person that she is. She has spoken extensively, like I said before throughout her career about wanting to shut down homophobia, about signaling support as a Christian woman for the queer community, for the LGBTQIA platform plus community. And often when she does that, she speaks and jokes about loving people anyway, in spite of their bigotry and in spite of their hate. How she tries to love everyone and how sometimes that enrages them even further. And she sort of playfully enjoys that. But that has always been her MO. And so it isn't necessarily a surprise that this 57 year old white conservative woman from Oklahoma of the Christian fish faith would have this perspective about Charlie Kirk. The only surprising and perhaps alienating aspect of the statement that she made not the thinking of his family thinking that he's going to heaven. That's what she thinks of everyone. It seems the only real sticking point is when she said that she appreciated some perspectives and just the way that it's worded invites a certain quantity of speculation. When you say some perspectives, the natural follow up is, well, crazy Kristen Witch and not the kind that flies by bubble. And as I mentioned before, I actually think it's pretty distracting focusing all of this subsequent conversation on the queer community when there are so many more issues that we could be talking about. Is it his stance on birth control and reproductive rights? Is it his stance on other religions? On immigration? What exactly is this here? What are we talking about and can we talk about it without gay men centering themselves in this conversation? There I've said it deeply ironic for me to say that as a gay man having this conversation. I know. But as a loud and proud as I love us to be, loud is sometimes what we can be a little too much of on social media. And I've said this before as well, but I'm going to say it again because I think it bears repeating. And I am not going to use the word witch hunt, but I'm going to invoke the heck out of it. Because do you notice often when this happens and when a drama like this or a backlash is sustained for a particularly long time, the most effective fuel for that kind of a drama is a Broadway actress, a Broadway diva. There is something, for some perverse, misogynistic reason about seeing a woman fall from this pedestal that people will stop and gawk at and celebrate more so than they will criticize a man for doing far more heinous things. I'm thinking about the backlash not just for Nicole Scherzinger in Sunset Boulevard, but I'm also thinking about the whole Patti LuPone, Audra McDonald, Keisha Lewis situation and the number of signatures that came together to kind of push Patty away from the Broadway community in comparison with the announcement that Scott Rudin was coming back to Broadway, having spent the latter years of his career career as a producer, physically harming those who worked for him. Like, for some reason, we are talking far more about Kristin Chenoweth's Instagram comment than we are about Scott Rudin potentially being armed with further stapler and potato based ammunition. Or and I'm not touching this one with a barge poll, but once again, I'll invoke it, the male members of the company and the creative team of the Queen of Versailles who have been accused of sexual assault. And since we're talking about the way that we treat actresses in comparison with how we treat creative team members or producers, let's also consider, consider this. How important is it to you? And I'm asking this in earnest. You can give me whatever answer, and I don't think there's a correct answer here. How important is it to you that the actors that you see on stage or on screen share your values and are representative of what you consider to be good moral values, how important is that? And also to what extent do you think we all have a right to know what those values are? Because I would argue, if you're going to see a piece of theatre, particularly one not necessarily like the Queen of Versailles, that is politically relevant and topical and politically charged, the person who you want to stand in the greatest agreement with is presumably the playwright, perhaps the director or the producers, less so the actors, though you would hope they would have some sort of an insight into the notions that they are sharing. But I think it ignites a potentially really sticky debate about the extent to which an actor's own politics and philosophies matter. Also, not for nothing, there is the possibility that the actors who are being scrutinized because they are the public faces of these productions are not nearly as politically astute as we expect them to be. And there is perhaps an assumption being made here that Kristin Chenoweth was fully abreast of every controversial thing that Charlie Kirk had said on social media. Now, of course, it's her responsibility to educate herself before making such a public comment. And, you know, these are celebrities and they are perceived and their words are seen, and there is an impact in everything that they do, which in and of itself is quite an anxiety inducing concept. But I do wonder why it is celebrities and it is actors and it is not activists and politicians that we look to and that we scrutinize or celebrate for their political beliefs, especially when there are so many other things happening right now that people could engage with, that people could speak out against, that people could boycott, that people could condemn, rather than a social media comment made by Kristin Chenoweth. And people will, as soon as I say that, reply to me by saying that, you know, we can be mad at more than one thing at once. Just because this is also happening doesn't mean that we can't also offer our criticism here. Except for the fact that more often than not, people don't, because these are fatiguing political times that we are living through. And so it takes a certain quality, quantity of energy to be able to voice that frustration in one direction. And it seems to me like there are many better directions to channel it in. That is not taking away from the very real upset and frustration confusion caused by this Instagram comment. I just also think it's worth remembering that Kristin Chenoweth herself is not the President of the United States of America. What I do find curious, though, is the question of exactly how politically astute Kristin Chenoweth is. Because like I said many times already, she has spoken at length before, before about advocating for the LGBTQ community. She spoke out against a 1 million moms condemnation of the Wicked movie, and she said that that was based on hate and that that shouldn't be considered. And this was all very, very recent. So, you know, this doesn't point towards a more conservative leaning in her more recent years. She was at the time of those comments utterly candid in her distaste for them, which once again leaves us in a slightly confusing place about what on earth she meant with that Charlie Kirk. Far as her sort of non apology goes, in which she didn't really say the words I'm sorry, but confessed to having had a human moment of response or whatever it was, I did think it felt a little bit evasive. I think there were moments of it that felt like a slightly scripted PR response. But I think as well, and this is incredibly difficult, we have to be sensitive to the reality that people are entirely within their rights right now to refrain from loudly broadcasting political or social beliefs that contradict what is being said by the US government, what is being said by the Commander in Chief, because we're living through very uncertain times in which media personalities and entertainers are being publicly targeted by very high up individuals in the US Government. I'm saying this myself in a very diplomatic way and we can no longer say it's not as if the President is going to personally go after one actor for saying one contradictory thing, because guess what? That has already happened. There are celebrities, celebrities who have left the US for fear of being targeted or who have been threatened with having their citizenship revoked. Rosie o' Donnell is living in Ireland because the President of the United States of America seems weirdly obsessed with her. And so from that perspective, you can maybe begin to understand a certain quantity of reluctance from Kristin Chenoweth when talking subsequently after the comment I'm talking about in the New York One interview about Charlie Kirk. Also, by this point she and everyone else has realized how insane injury this topic is and how much debate and outrage and anger there has been around the Charlie Kirk of it all. And people have been reported to their employers and people have been doxed on the Internet and people still are being hugely criticized journalists for the way that they are reporting on this, for the exact phrasing that they use to identify him. The topic of this man and his views and his legacy has become a wildfire, one which I'm sure Kristin Chenoweth now wishes she had.
- [28:54]
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- [29:25]
Sarah
Hey, this is Sarah. Look, I'm standing out front of a.m. p.m. Right now and well, you're sweet and all, but I found something more fulfilling, even kind of cheesy. But I like it. Sure, you met some of my dietary needs, but they've just got it all. So farewell Oatmeal so long, you said.
- [29:42]
Commercial Announcer
Strange soggy break up with bland breakfast and taste AM PM's bacon, egg and cheese biscuit made with K tree eggs, smoked bacon and melty cheese on a buttery biscuit. AM PM too much good stuff.
- [29:56]
Mickey Jo
Never stepped into so where does that leave the Queen of Versailles, one of this season's new musicals set to open very soon at the St James Theatre on Broadway? Well, I asked earlier whether it could reasonably sur a queer audience, and certainly I don't think this social media backlash has guaranteed that all queer audience members are going to stay away. But I do think that it will have hurt the show's box office. And I also think that as the situation continues and potentially resolves, and perhaps there is further discussion, perhaps even a more substantial apology, or just enough water allowed to pass under the bridge and enough time to heal the wounds of it all and gain a little bit more perspective, perhaps. I dare say that many people who are currently reluctant to go and see the show on the basis of their frustration with Kristin Chenoweth may change their mind. But I also think that there will be a not insubstantial number who are now never going to see it, or who at least are going to wait and go see it with Sherry Renee Scott instead. But the thing is that I'm not about to tell anyone that they can't boycott a Broadway show if they want to. Heck, there are about to be two shows on Broadway that I plan never to see in my lifetime. If you are planning to boycott the Queen of Versailles on Broadway and encouraging others to do similarly because of Kristin Chenoweth's confusing comments re the death of Charlie Kirk, then I think we may have actually tapped into a bigger problem because once again we're only really paying attention to the actors and among those only the really big stars of the entire company of the Queen of Versailles on Broadway. We don't know what their individual political beliefs and stances are when it comes to Charlie Kirk when it comes to a whole host of other social issues. And that is just the cast. And I am here to tell you if you really want to play Where's Waldo in which you are looking for a Republican in a Broadway production or a MAGA advocate, more specifically, who is a supporter of Donald Trump and this current administration, then even if you don't find one in the company, do you really think that among the team of producers and of investors and everybody else working on this show, that there isn't going to be somebody somewhere who shares that ideology and is potentially benefiting financially actually from this production? I say that like I'm thinking of some specific individual attached to the Queen of Versailles. I'm not. But if you are looking for the Republican, if you're looking for the MAGA enthusiasts and the advocates and the allies to that cause, I dare say that you'll be able to find at least one attached to every single show on Broadway. As we've said multiple times, it takes a village to bring these shows together. And sometimes there are fascist sympathizers in the village. So I ask you, what is the exact political line line here that you are not willing to cross? And I have a tremendous respect for people putting their principles before theatrical entertainment. But is it that we don't want to applaud an individual who we know has said something controversial that we don't quite agree with, despite decades of very vocal support of a community that is important to us or a community that we are a member of? Hell, the very first show I ever saw on Broadway concluded with a talkback Q Q and A with Kristin Chenoweth and Jinkx Monsoon, in which the two of them spoke about their friendship and Kristen's queer advocacy.
- [33:10]
Sarah
I always think, what would Jesus do? What would Jesus say? He would fight hate with love. He would pray those. And sometimes I want to say, you know, read between the lines. I just really. And this is the real authentic me right now, I just want to fight it with love. And anybody that hasn't seen that, just try to fight it with love and even spit it in your face. Because then what do they have? What do they have?
- [33:37]
Mickey Jo
What can they say? But is that what the sticking point is? Has she become the face of this dark and fearful thing that is happening among the Broadway community right now? Is she the closest representation of that? Even though she has not openly signaled support for this current administration and for the whole Make America Great Again concept? Are we comfortable going to see that show not knowing all of the individual who are making money from it as producers, as investors, or where that money is necessarily going to go? Whether any supporters of that or another production on Broadway happen also to be supporters of the Republican Party in the US if we find that out, are we then going to boycott all of those shows as well? And should we be making an effort to find that out? These, I think, are some of the difficult questions that begin to arise when we really pick out what it is that we're doing here. I think it's much bigger than just not going to see this show because we don't like Kristin Chenoweth right now and she's on stage. I think there are thornier questions when you talk about what actually means to boycott something and the impact that you're trying to achieve. And also, you know, having dug ourselves all the way down the rabbit hole, let's just back up and consider the show that this is all about in the first place, which is the Queen of Versailles. And I haven't seen the documentary this is based on, nor have I yet seen the show itself, which had its world premiere production at the the Emerson Colonial Theatre in Boston, Massachusetts, I believe is about to open on Broadway. They're releasing a cast recording. I haven't heard it yet. I don't know the show. What I do know is that this is based on Jackie Siegel and her husband, too long ago appeared by the side of Donald Trump in support of him. And I don't know that the show is necessarily celebratory of her rather than critical of her, but I know that she is enthusiastic about it happening, which is usually an indication that it's not the second thing. So if we are going to be boycotting this production from a political position because we don't agree with an individual who is closely associated with it at the very center of it, shouldn't we have been doing that already? I ask all of this with very few answers, only a handful of questions designed to try and expand our consideration of this exact moment and this exact backlash and conversation. I think the fear and the hurt and the pain that people are experiencing right now is so valid is so understandable. And I think in light of that, the way that this shock and disappointment in response to Kristen's comment bubble together into a rage is also understandable. But several days after the fact, perhaps the best thing that we can advocate for and strive for is not only a better use of our energy and our frustration in the current political climate, but also an atmosphere of conversation and of understanding. Maybe this is a fantastic opportunity for each of us to re examine our own values and what is important to us when we go and see and financially support a Broadway show. And when it comes to the Queen of Versailles, I do anticipate that this is going to have an impact. I don't know if I thought that it was the most obvious slam dunk of a Broadway success beforehand, so it's going to be really interesting to see how this one goes. We have learned this year already that having a big Broadway star known for originating a leading role in Wicked doesn't guarantee you Broadway success. I am talking about the Idina Menzel vehicle Redwood that closed disappointingly early at the Nederlander Theatre after securing no Tony nominations. But for now we will just have to wait and see. I am still planning to cover the Queen of Versailles alongside a handful of other new plays and musicals and revivals when I visit New York next a little later in the year if my name hasn't been put on a list. In the meantime, with a little bit of trepidation, I encourage you once more to weigh in in the comments section down below and share your own thoughts about this situation. I'm going to be doing my best to moderate this comment section within the limits of my sanity, but I will again politely remind you, as the teacher I once was, to conduct yourselves with humanity and mutual respect. In the meantime, those have been some of my thoughts about the potential cancellation of Broadway star Kristin Chenoweth in the past couple of weeks. As with so many of the stories that I talk about here, this may go on, this may go further, this may merit an update, this may simmer down, down. We will all have to wait and see. But if you want to stay up to date with everything that is happening on Broadway and in the West End and in the theater world worldwide, as well as all of my reviews and drama recaps. Make sure that you are subscribed right here on YouTube. Turn on those notifications so you don't miss any of my videos or go follow me on podcast platforms. I hope, as always, and I truly mean this, that everyone is staying safe and that you have a Stagey Day. For 10 more seconds. I'm Mickey Jo Theater oh my God. Thanks for watching. Have a stagey day. Subscribe.
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