What's wrong with Billy Porter in CABARET? | The uncomfortable truth behind the Broadway backlash

Summary

Below is a detailed summary of the episode “What's wrong with Billy Porter in CABARET? | The uncomfortable truth behind the Broadway backlash” from MickeyJoTheatre, released on August 15, 2025.

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1. Episode Overview
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   • In this episode, host Mickey Jo delves into the controversial reception of Billy Porter’s portrayal of the MC in the musical Cabaret.
   • The discussion explores what defines this iconic role, whether it’s acceptable for an actor to bring his own interpretation to a well-established character, and why audiences—especially on social media—have launched such an intense backlash.
   • Mickey Jo not only reflects on his own theatre-going experience but also examines the broader issues of performance interpretation in a collaborative art form, as well as the sometimes harsh, even racially tinged, responses to change onstage.

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2. Breakdown of Key Discussion Points and Insights
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A. Personal Narrative & Recovery (00:00–00:51)
 • The episode opens with a brief personal story (Speaker A) that touches on physical recovery and introduces “Stem Regen” as an ad.
 • Though not directly related to the main discussion, it establishes the high-production value typical of the show’s presentation.

B. Introductory Theatre and Cabaret Context (01:04–01:39)
 • After an advertisement and promotion for other shows, Mickey Jo introduces himself as a theatre critic and content creator known for his passion in reviewing theatrical performances, setting the stage for an in-depth analysis of Cabaret.
 • He recounts the storied history of the show—from its origins in Christopher Isherwood’s Goodbye to Berlin to its multiple reinterpretations on West End and Broadway.

C. Historical and Contextual Background of Cabaret (Approximately 01:39–06:00)
 • Mickey Jo outlines the narrative of Cabaret: its setting in 1930s Weimar Germany amid the rise of Nazism, and its central plot revolving around Clifford Bradshaw and Sally Bowles.
 • He explains the ambiguous nature of the MC’s character, whose appearance evolves dramatically—from a charming club host to a more sinister, militarized figure—and how previous productions (featuring Joel Gray, Alan Cumming, Eddie Redmayne, Adam Lambert, etc.) have shaped audience expectations.  • Notable Insight: The host mentions that the vagueness in Cabaret’s text leaves much to interpretation, with some productions even speculating on the MC’s queer identity or representing broader socio-political entities.

D. Billy Porter’s Casting & Historical Significance (06:00–10:00 approximate)
 • Mickey Jo highlights Billy Porter’s historical casting as the first principal Black performer to play the MC on Broadway, contrasting his previous West End appearances where similar roles were taken by other Black actors.
 • He recounts Billy Porter’s storied theatrical past (for example, his Tony-winning role in Kinky Boots) and touches on some controversial remarks Porter made during press interviews—remarks that compared the struggles of Black people to how Jews were treated, sparking further debate.  • Quote Example [08:30]: “He said it works because blacks have replaced the Jews,” is cited as a clumsy remark that fueled criticism.

E. Criticism and Interpretation of the Performance (10:00–20:35)
 • Mickey Jo examines the divisive opinions surrounding Billy Porter’s performance:   – Some critics argue that his choices—such as his approach to vocal delivery, his improvisations, and his less-than-perfect German accent—deviate too far from established norms.   – Others appreciate the unique pain and vulnerability he brings, particularly in moments like “I Don’t Care Much,” where his performance is described as originating from personal anguish rather than a traditional interpretation.  • He stresses that the MC’s role is inherently collaborative, involving directors, dialong coaches, choreographers, and more and that isolated criticism (especially based on bootleg recordings) is both unfair and misleading.  • Bullet Point Insight:
  – The criticism often revolves around ad libs and improvisation—such as unexpected London Underground references (“Mind the Gap,” “See it, say it, sorted”)—which have been a part of the production’s evolution through different actors.   – He questions whether critics are comparing Billy Porter’s interpretation too rigidly with past portrayals (like the versions by Orville Peck or Adam Lambert).

F. Vocal Performance and Artistic Choices (20:35–26:00)
 • Focusing on specifics, Mickey Jo discusses:   – Billy Porter’s vocal delivery, which some have compared to rap rather than a bel canto style found in previous interpretations.   – The host explains that while earlier MCs were noted for their melodic performances, the expectations around the role’s vocal production have shifted over time.   – He recounts how different actors have injected their own style into the role, making it difficult to claim there is one “correct” way to perform the MC.  • Emphasis is placed on the notion that changes in performance styles (such as vocal riffs or variations in diction) are a natural outcome of artistic interpretation rather than evidence of incompetence.

G. Social Media Backlash and Microaggressions (26:00–33:52)
 • Mickey Jo notes the intense and, at times, racially charged reactions on platforms like TikTok, where critics have singled out Billy Porter for his vocal choices and improvisations.  • He points out that many of the negative reactions are not coming from those who have seen the performance live, highlighting how relying on cast recordings or bootleg recordings for reviews misses the collaborative, live theatrical experience.  • Highlighted Opinion:
  – “Stop reviewing something based on a snippet of one song out of context.”   – He condemns the tendency to mock or impersonate Billy Porter online and notes that such behavior is not only hurtful but also reflective of broader issues of microaggression and racism.  • The host draws a parallel with past backlash (for example, criticisms aimed at Todrick Hall) and calls for more respectful, constructive critique.

H. Concluding Thoughts and Call for In-Person Experience (33:52–End)
 • Mickey Jo wraps up by urging listeners to see the performance live before forming opinions, reinforcing that theatre is a communal, in-person art form that cannot be fully captured through digital snippets.  • He reminds audiences that while it’s fair to have opinions—he personally wasn’t completely taken with Billy Porter's performance—the criticism should be tempered with understanding of the actor’s creative choices.  • Final Quote [just before closing]: “You are entitled to your own valid opinion because theatre is subjective. But Billy Porter is entitled to his own artistic interpretation of that role.”  • The episode concludes with a reminder for viewers to share their thoughts respectfully in the comments and to engage with the performance on its own merits rather than relying on online hearsay.

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3. Notable Quotes and Memorable Moments
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• At 08:30, discussing Billy Porter’s controversial press comment: “He said it works because blacks have replaced the Jews,” sparking a debate on cultural sensitivity in theatre.
• Around 20:35, Mickey Jo stresses the importance of experiencing a show firsthand: “You can't review a show based on cast recording alone... it’s the live, communal theatrical exchange that matters.”
• Near the end, he sums up his balanced view on criticism: “You are entitled to your own valid opinion... but Billy Porter is entitled to his own artistic interpretation.”

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4. Final Insights and Takeaways
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• The episode is both a critique of social media’s quick judgments and a defense of artistic freedom in theatre.
• Mickey Jo encourages a more nuanced discussion that respects multiple interpretations of long-standing roles such as the MC in Cabaret.
• The conversation ultimately invites listeners to attend live shows, form their own opinions, and engage in respectful dialogue rather than perpetuating hostile online commentary.

This thorough review provides ample context for understanding the layers of criticism, the historical significance of casting, and the challenges of comparing modern interpretations with those of the past. Whether you are a die-hard theatre fan or a casual observer, Mickey Jo’s discussion offers valuable insights into how traditional roles can be reimagined—and the sometimes uncomfortable reactions that follow.

Transcript

[A]

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[B]

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[C]

I'm James Richardson and I host the Toadley Football show four times a week. If you're not familiar with it, perhaps you care to give it a listen in the season ahead because we cover all the big stuff, Premier League, Champions League, in depth, European League coverage, Football League and more. We've got insights and analysis from the best reporters in the industry and we've got quizzes and nostalgia too. Plus, we're going to be bigger and broader than ever for the season ahead. So check out the Totally Football show wherever you get your podcast. The rest is not as good as the Totally Football Show.

[B]

Acast helps creators launch, grow and monetize their podcasts everywhere. Acast.com I would love to tell you that like the MC in Cabaret, I don't care much, but we all know that that's a lie. If anything, I care far too much. Oh my God. Hey, welcome back. Or should I say to my theatre themed YouTube channel. My name is Mickey Jo and I am obsessed with all things theatre. You may be watching this here on YouTube, you may be listening on podcast platforms. In any case, if you're meeting me for the first time, I'm a theatre critic and content creator from the uk, but I see a lot of shows on Broadway and one show I've seen plenty on either side of the Atlantic Island Cabaret, the currently running West End revival, which for now is also running concurrently on Broadway. Directed by Rebecca Frecknell, this semi immersive, atmospheric interpretation of the show opened in London in late 2021 and continues to run at the KitKat Club aka the Playhouse Theatre and subsequently opened at the August Wilson Theatre, making that the New York KitKat Club, with both productions originally starring Eddie Redmayne as the mc, who had a hand in devising the production and the role for himself. But after winning the Olivier Award for his performance, nominated for a Tony Award for his performance, Eddie has since departed both productions and been replaced by a handful of subsequent star names with other star names alongside them in the iconic role of Sally Boltz and on either side of the Atlantic. This has been the way that this show has been produced to get pairs of star names simultaneously in these two big roles, and the show has seen alumni including Cara Delevingne and Ali Cravaglio and Adam Lambert and Jake Shears and Orville Peck and even Oblazada, who until recently was playing the role on Broadway and is about to return to the West End production with her in real life fiance Reeve Carney. Fun fact, but why am I telling you all of this? Well, a couple of nights ago, having returned from the 2025 Edinburgh Festival Fringe, I was uploading some 50 review videos to TikTok when I noticed more and more comments and videos about Billy Porter's performance in Cabaret as the mc. He recently starred opposite Marisha Wallace in the West End production and then the two of them together became the first actors to transfer to the Broadway production in which they are currently and I had been aware of a little bit of controversy surrounding comments that Billie had made during the press appearances that they did in the run up to the start of their performances in the show. But even taking those comments into account, I was sort of astonished by the extent of negative commentary that I was seeing about his performance. And I want to dig into that a little bit today because I think while there is a validity to all of our theatrical opinions, there is also a certain way to go about criticism. Some of the feedback that I get most often about the reviews that I share here on social media is that people enjoy that I review with kindness, and I think that there is a way of doing that. And there are certain other facets of reviewing, certain other nuances that I think we need to talk about today. Now, as always, these are just my opinions and I would also love to know yours. Feel free to share all of your thoughts about this particular drama in the comments section down below. I would love to hear what you think and if anyone has seen Billy Porter's performance on Broadway, I would love to know what you thought of that as well. I saw him with Marisha on their gala night performance here in London. And I shared my own thoughts in a previous video, which I'm not going to extensively rehash. But needless to say, it was Marisha's performance that I was more impressed by, and I wasn't all the way taken with Billy's choices as the mc. So basically what's happened here is people have been so rude about it on social media that they have now forced me to defend a performance I didn't even enjoy that much in the first place. Anyway, let's talk about it. Why does everyone hate Billy Porter as the MC in Cabaret? So let's first talk about how we got to this point. Now, the bare minimum context that you need for the musical Cabaret is that it is based on a play, which is based on a book, Goodbye to Berlin by Christopher Isherwood. And it's set in 1930s Weimar Germany with the rise to power of the Nazi party, with the musical principally depicting an American novelist, Clifford Bradshaw, who has traveled to Berlin and meets a young British woman named Sally Bowles. While he becomes more and more aware of the creeping menace of the political shift in the country and the Nazis increasing prominence in society, Sally is indifferent to all of that and more than a little naive. But where does the MC come into it? Well, that's sort of a matter of interpretation. As far as the material goes, the MC is only really seen within the context of the KitKat Club performances, which are fun and entertaining and raunchy and help to characterize the vibrance and the naughtiness of the nightlife scene at the time, but also satirize the social and political goings on. When Cliff allows Sally to share his small room because she has nowhere else to go, despite the two of them being unmarried. Scandalous, I know. The MC performs Two Ladies when Cliff is offered the opportunity by Ernst Ludwig, who he only later learns is a super big Nazi, to travel to Paris and import things for the benefit of the Nazi party. Again, he doesn't know this at the time. I've said the word Nazi many times in this video. We'll see how this does on YouTube. At that point, the MC sings Money. @ least in newer versions of the show. It used to be a song called Sitting Pretty. And in one of his most poignant moments, the MC sings a song called I Don't Care Much. Now, this is where there is a little bit of room for interpretation. Is the MC a queer individual? Is the MC someone who, because of their background, because of their identity, someone who is likely to suffer and be persecuted in the Years that would follow. Some productions have suggested that to be the case, including the prolific 1990s Sam Mendes directed production of the show, which originated in London, but ran for significantly longer on Broadway and was later remounted. Alan Cummings starred in that one, won a Tony Award. Joel Gray, of course, played the role originally. The bare minimum context that you need for this production is that it was built around Eddie Redmayne as the mc. And I assume in the wake of some controversy of him playing a trans woman a few years previously in the film the Danish Girl, a decision was made that the role would not be overtly queer, because there is really very little in this production to suggest that the MC is. And in fact, what I have suggested many times is that the choices of this production seem to assert the suggestion that the MC is not necessarily a human individual. I. I don't mean that he's an alien, but more representative of the nation itself or of the city of Berlin, or of the underground of the city of Berlin or of the entire country. Because the aesthetic of many characters, including the mc, shifts throughout the show. First it becomes less charming and more sinister as he turns into a terrifying clown and a skeletal sort of a militarized creature with jewels representing bones and a helmet on, but eventually adopting this very conservative and usually Aryan aesthetic with a blonde wig and a very bland sort of a beige suit. And when the MC performs, I don't care much in this version of the show, there originally was a tremendous harshness to it, and he would scream out the second verse and seize Sally's wrist in this gesture of aggression, which could be interpreted, I think, in dozens of different ways. Is this Berlin and Germany beginning to treat her poorly? Is this a sign of things to come? Is he the doctor administering her abortion? There's a lot that you could take from this. And before we talk about how malleable this role is and Billy Porter's performance in this role and the choices that he is making here is the bare minimum context that you need about Billy Porter. So historically a stage actor, he found sort of breakout success in the 1990s. A lot of his earliest show stopping moments were attributed to his extraordinary vocal talent, which sort of changed in the early 2000s. But he used to have this incredible vocal range. If you haven't listened to his version of Beauty School Dropout, you need to go and listen to it immediately. It's extraordinary. Years later, he would win his first Tony Award for playing Lola in the original Broadway production of Kinky Boots, a role that he created with a sense of queer advocacy. Because interestingly enough and bafflingly enough, Lola in kinky boots, per the show's license, per the rights, per the material, per the writers, per the original film, is not a queer character. Lola is meant to be a straight character. And it's only because Billy Porter was playing the role that he said, well, that's not how I'm gonna do it. And I think it is worth saying that even though think of Broadway and musical theatre in general as this brilliant safe space for the queer community, there are still comparatively few, and certainly 10 years ago, there were comparatively few queer led stories in musical theatre. You have Lecage aux Fall, which Billy Porter is actually set to do an encores production of shortly, and you have shows like Falsettos and Rent with queer supporting characters. But for years there really weren't that many. And certainly they tended not to be big commercial juggernauts. And when they did exist, they were often gay male led and they were often white gay male led. And not to diminish anyone's experience whatsoever, and not to suggest that this has been the case for everybody, but anecdotally, as challenging and as difficult as it has been to be a gay or queer white person, there has been for many people, I think, an additional layer of cultural challenge to come out as gay or queer in the black community. And certainly there are fewer queer black role models in entertainment now. Billy Porter became part of telling another of those stories when he was a producer on the Broadway production of A Strange Loop, which earned him another Tony Award, I believe he also has an Isabelle Stevenson Award, who was a recipient of that specific honour in recognition of his work with the Entertainment Community Fund and the Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation. And I tell you all of this because amongst the criticism of his performance as the MC in Cabaret, there has also been a decent amount of criticism of his character. And I think a lot of the things that I've just mentioned have gone unsaid in this conversation. I also think, for what it's worth, people don't like feeling mean for criticizing somebody's performance. And so they like to try and make it about them actually being a bad person and excusing everything negative that they have to say about them. And in this specific instance, it has been tethered to the comments that Billy Porter made while doing press for his Broadway return as the MC in Cabaret. Now, this was during a TV interview when he was talking about assuming the role, talking about the fact that he had wanted to do it in the previous production the one that had run in the late 90s, the early 2000s, originally starring Alan Cumming, but which also featured, I believe, John Stamos and Neil Patrick Harris and Raoul Esparza and Michael C. Hall and a handful of other performers. And Billy shared that at the time he was told that is not the story that we are telling. And there's a little bit more flexibility in the new production of Cabaret. It's also, you know, 20 years later. And so he has become, I believe, the first principal black performer to play the MC on Broadway. He wasn't the first to do it in the West End because he was predated by Leighton Williams in the West End revival a few MCs before, but during this conversation he talked about what he could bring to the role and what his casting could bring to the role. And wildly, inarticulately, he said it works because blacks have replaced the Jews, which admittedly is not Mel Gibson territory, but it's still just a wild thing to say and I think extending an extraordinary benefit of the doubt. It is also just a very clumsy thing to say. It feeds into a narrative of competitive oppression which is particularly inappropriate in the current global moment as we see a rise in anti Semitism as a result of everything currently unfolding with Israel and Palestine. Worth pointing out as well that some of these comments I've been seeing have linked Billy Porter to Zionism because of his support for Ceasefire and for hostage release. And so, interestingly enough, he is simultaneously being labeled an anti Semite and a Zionist in these comments, which a big part of me does think is the metaphorical hat rack upon which people want to hang their mean spirited comments. It's the same reason everyone really focused on the Ben Platt Nepo baby thing when they wanted to talk about his performance in the Dear Evan Hansen movie. But I digress. Now that we've talked about what Cabaret is, what this production of Cabaret is, and who Billy Porter is, let's talk about why people have such distaste for his performance.

[D]

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[B]

So this is all Blowing up, particularly right now. It wasn't non existent when he was doing the show in London because I have seen some people asking like, why are we just hearing how terrible he is now when he already did the role in the West End? And I think, you know, in the first few days of previews in London, there were immediate comments online in various forums about him struggling to remember the words about the characterization not really being there. And like I said, I shared my own thoughts when I went to go and see the gala Knight performance. I think comparatively UK audiences and Broadway audiences are a little different. I think we're perhaps a little more reserved with our criticism. We're also not paying as much for our tickets. So there's not that same level of expectation and extraordinary disappointment if you don't enjoy a performance. It's also significantly more of a novelty for Billy Porter to be performing here. And when see a famous American in a show here, it's not necessarily as egregious an issue that they are bringing with them a fairly American accent. Whereas the novelty of Billy Porter performing on Broadway is not really a novelty because he's done a handful of shows over the last decade. So while West End audiences were going to see his MC really wanting to see Billy Porter, at the same time, Broadway audiences have seen Billy Porter and they just want to see him really be the mc. And ultimately Billy is is his own version of the mc, which coincidentally looks and sounds an awful lot like Billy. A reality of his performance in the role is that he has a fairly tenuous grip on the German accent. He says that he has his own crafted backstory for the character, which is that he has fled from the Jim Crow south, giving him a pre existing insight into bigotry and hatred and oppression and what that looks like and helping to empower his very emotional performance of I don't care much in the second act. And it may surprise you to hear that I don't have an issue with this, especially with a character as malleable as the mc. I spoke to Mason Alexander park, who is one of my favorites in this role in this production previously, who spoke about how the role sort of shifted and the aesthetic of it shifted and some moments of characterization when they went into it as a visibly trans performer. There are also nuances that were different when Adam Lambert replaced Eddie Redmayne. Adam Lambert as a Jewish performer, Eddie Redmayne, who is not Orville Peck, brought a very different sensibility to the part when he went into it. And so I have incredibly little time for Commentary on Billy Porter's performance and criticism of his performance that suggests there's an absolute rigidity to the role and that he's not allowed to bring his own interpretation and having his own backstory about the character who is never named specifically, the MC does not have a government name. Like, there are so many details about this character that are enigmatic, that are mysterious. The MC has been played by multiple non binary performers in this production and in others worldwide. I, for one, would love to see the MC played by a woman. Give me a very lesbian. Two ladies. I think that that would be cool. I think it would be edgy, and I think it would bring a really interesting and new dynamic to the MC's relationship with Sally. Hell, I think I even saw an interpretation the other day that the MC was Sally decades down the line, looking back on their previous life. And that doesn't necessarily all align with the way that the text was originally written. But it's an interesting idea. And at this point, when we've had multiple productions of Cabaret, and when this particular production of Cabaret has had so many different performers, less so on Broadway, with Billy only being the fourth, but certainly here in the West End, when we're into the Double Fig. I'm all for interesting. I'm all for different. I'm all for new. I'm all for finding new things in this material rather than everyone trying to be as close to Joel Gray and Alan coming as possible. Because that's what audiences want to see. And I don't even think that's what audiences want to see in the theater. I think that's what audiences want to see on TikTok and online. Which brings me to a whole different part of this conversation. Let's just park this by the road and get out of the car and yell about this for one second. Because so much of the criticism that I am seeing of Billy Porter's performance is coming from people who have not stepped inside the damn theater. And I have before, with some backlash, that you can't review a show based on cast recording alone. You can't listen to that and say, oh, well, that's a bad show if you haven't seen the thing. Because that does not encompass the entirety of it. You cannot review fairly a performance by an audio bootleg, even by a video bootleg, because theatre is in the room, it's alive, it's in the space. If you are not there as part of that communal theatrical exchange to sound really pretentious, then I don't think you're in Any kind of a position to fairly review or appraise or critique the thing. Especially if you are just hearing it. Especially if you are just hearing a small section of a song out of context. I've seen so many tiktoks of people reacting to a phrase of I don't care much where Billy Porter is adding in vocal choices and riffing and melisma. And we will talk about that in just a moment because that's a topic all of its own. But just in principle, I do not agree that you can listen to a snippet of one song out of context, see nothing, and be like, oh, that's a bad, bad performance. Billy doesn't understand the character based on this one little moment that you are hearing on a muffled recording. There are comments beneath that saying, like, oh, well, the diction is terrible. Yeah, because someone filmed it with their shoe. And I know that these two difficult realities are true. Not everyone has access to the theater, to Broadway ticket prices, and people want to be a part of the conversation. And you can tell me that I'm gatekeeping when I tell you that you can't review something based on a bootleg or based on a cast recording. But realistically, I'm not. If anyone is gatekeeping here, metaphorically, it is the producers of the show who are sett the ticket prices. If anyone is gatekeeping here, literally, it's the ushers who are scanning your tickets as you walk into the theater or don't, as the case may be. What I'm doing is walking out of the theater where I did see the show and seeing you, metaphorically speaking, standing on the street and loudly telling a crowd of people that the show that you listen to through the Wall is bad. That is what you are doing when you review something out of context based on an audio bootleg. It's nonsense. It's ridiculous. Stop it. Moving on, let's address some of the biggest criticisms of Billy Porter as the MC and unpack those comments a little bit.

[C]

Bit.

[B]

Now, I haven't listened extensively to the audio recordings that people have been commenting on because I don't care to. One thing that has been coming up a lot is improv and Billy improvising certain lines and in the context of certain moments in the show. This is absolutely something that has always existed in this production and in fact has been happening more and more. I saw multiple actors do the role in the West End before I ever saw Adam Lambert do it on Broadway. But when I saw Adam do it, there were more ad libs than There had ever been. And the ad libs had started to change. Prior to that, it felt as though everyone was just really doing the Eddie version of Vilkomen with little jokes that punctuate his introduction of all of the KitKat girls and the KitKat boys. But Adam seemed to have a very different script. When Orville did it, he had a different script again. The version that Rob Madge is currently doing in the West End. I'm hearing brand new jokes that I had never heard before. And then the same thing was true when Billy Porter did it. I commented on two different references to the London Underground. One was Mind the Gap. The other was See it, say it, sorted. And I don't know what in the Sarah Jessica Parker had happened to Billy Porter during his time in London that he became so enamoured with the London public transport system as to put two anachronistic references into Cabaret, but that was a thing. I can only assume that he's not doing those particular jokes on Broadway because everyone would be very confused. All of this to say the MC's ad lib. And this is not something that Billy Porter has gone into the show and forced upon everyone. Also worth saying before I forget to that any of the choices Billy Porter is making are collaborative choices. Because when you criticize a performance, you're not actually criticizing an individual because the actor is the individual, the performance is not the act. The performance, like everything else in theatre, is a collaboration between actor, scene partner, director, resident director, associate director, co director, assistant director, choreographer, dance captain, dialect coach, fight director. All sorts of people bring together a performance. And so it's an inherently collaborative act. Same thing as when people criticize Jamie Lloyd shows for having no set and no costumes. They lay all of that blame at his feet. Ignorant of the fact that he has a setting costume designer who he works with regularly on all of these shows. Her name is Sutra Gilmore and it's an erasure of her work to say, well, there's never sets and there's never costumes. Because guess what? Nicole Scherzinger wasn't nude and there was an enormous screen. Rachel Zegler is standing on steps in clothes. Oh, I'm too tired for this today. Who let critical discourse happen in August? We've spoken a little bit about the accent already. I'm not going to suggest that every other MC I've seen has had a perfect German accent, but Billy's has felt the furthest from correct and he has his own reasoning behind that. Marisha Wallace alongside him, also an American performer who I thought was fantastic, as Sally Bowles also didn't have the most watertight British accent. But she similarly has a whole backstory and explanation as to who her Sally is and where she has come from. And the kind of manufactured quality of her accent feels like a Persona that she has crafted for her own self preservation. And there are lines within the material to support that. That's probably the difference here between her Sally backstory that she's come up with and Billy's for the mc. There is so little in the material to support any kind of MC interpretation because the MC has such little dialogue. But Sally has these long scenes, and we get to learn a lot about her, and sometimes we don't learn things about her, which is also telling. There's a moment when Cliff asks her something and she says, you must never ask me any questions. And it seems mysterious and sort of furtive. And so the implication of a Sally with a fake British accent is interesting. Interesting. And that's not to suggest that Marisha has done a good thing by studying the text and is allowed to make those choices and Billy isn't. It just means that she has the resources, the material, and Billy doesn't. Billy is kind of adrift with the MC and having to pull inspiration from other places. And ultimately, what Billy has chosen to do is something more at his own fingertips than really disappear into the role. And I think that's also where a lot of the criticism is coming from, because his predecessor, Orville Peck, really did disappear into this characterization and became sort of unrecognisable in comparison with his public performance. Another of the biggest points of criticism of Billy Porter's performance as the MC is his vocal performance. And particularly in I Don't Care Much, as well as in a couple of other songs, there has been some commentary around his vocals sounding more like rap. And the MC has never been a bel canto role. When Adam Lambert went into it, when Orville went into it, both as recording artists, as singers, Adam Lambert in particular as one of the great voices of a generation, it became a role that sat sounded fantastic. But there have been plenty of actors beforehand. Alan Cumming has never been praised as an extraordinary singer. He's a very capable singer, but that was never the highlight of his performance. I would say similarly for Joel Gray, honestly. And also Eddie Redmayne, who originated this revival and endured a little bit of criticism for sounding not unlike Kermit the Frog. But all of a sudden, people are very opinionated about how the MC ought to be sung. And when it comes to pattersongs like money that go like if you happen to be rich and if you are rapping them then I think that's essentially that is the line between like Gilbert and Sullivan style. I am the very model of a modern major general and contemporary rap is blurrier than you might think. And really it's about cultural context. And when I say cultural context, I mean skin color. Morning. One sausage McMuffin with egg, please.

[D]

Okay, your total is.

[B]

Wait, let's negotiate. How's about you throw in hash browns for a dollar?

[D]

Well, yes sir, that price is already a dollar.

[B]

Take it or leave it. T take it, I guess.

[D]

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[B]

Yes, we find ourselves once again in a thorny conversation because, and you may not agree with me here, but I'm going to say it anyway. I think a great quantity of the commentary around Billy Porter's performance is unearthing an uncomfortable number of microaggressions or even out and out racism. I have seen an uncomfortable number of individuals who appear to be white making tiktoks where they're just reacting to his vocals and pulling a disgusted face or even impersonating him. And I think the whole thing is deeply uncomfortable, ill conceived and ignorant of the fact that we haven't heard the MC sung this way on Broadway before because we have not heard the MC sung by a black actor on Broadway before to my knowledge. And he's not the first person to bring a different vocal interpretation. People were going nuts in a positive way for Adam Lambert's vocal choices and the opt up that he put into I don't care much. And nobody at that point was saying like, well, it's disingenuous and it's, you know, it's harmful to the material and he doesn't understand what he's singing or where it's coming from. But people are very ready to say that about Billy Porter and it feels microaggressive, to be completely honest with you, because Adam Lambert's vocal choice was stunning and perhaps a little indulgent, but also highlighted the anguish of that song and the despair of it. And so he accessed that emotion in one particular way. And Billy Porter is accessing that emotion in a different way and still a very valid one. I didn't sit there when he was performing that thinking, you know, this is taking me out of it. This is too many riffs. It just felt like his authentic vocalism of pain and of despair and his I don't care much hit very differently to others beforehand because Eddie Redmayne's had this sort of a stoic and detached and furious quality. But Billy sings that song not as an oppressor, but as a victim. There's a big difference in his mc and he doesn't put on a blonde wig. This is a huge difference because Leighton Williams, who I mentioned was also a black actor who played the role in the West End, did put on a blonde, blonde wig. Billy Porter doesn't. Billy, when I saw the show, performed this section with his own natural hair. And like I said, it came from a place more of anguish and of personal despair and devastation. And I thought that was a very powerful sentiment. And this is exactly why the context of the performance matters. And it's not enough to just listen to half a verse on a bad recording. You have to actually go and see the thing if you want to understand what's going into it. And just in general, I find it staggeringly upsetting that people have been so fast to jump on this criticism of Billy Porter and to do it everywhere in the comments section of Marisha Wallace's videos when she's just basking in the joy of returning to Broadway as a leading lady, having been in the ensemble of shows like Something Rotten and then Gone to London and had this triumphant stage career, now going back as a star playing Sally Bowles. People are commenting beneath saying like, we love you, we just hate Billy is an incredibly out of pocket thing to do. It's disrespectful and it's rude because that is still her co star and friend. Honestly, when did we stop knowing how to decently engage with each other on the Internet? And that was rude. To talk about people on the Internet, even if you're not saying this to them, it is still obnoxious, it is still cruel. Imagine being an actor. Imagine being anyone. Imagine being a human being and knowing that you can't open social media platforms on your phone because it's filled. The algorithm is filled with negative commentary about your performance, with people mocking and impersonating you and saying that they hate you, saying that you closed the show and that you are an abomination and a travesty. All of these are quotes from comments that I have scene people saying that Billy has closed the show. The show is closing because of how bad Billy Porter is. The show announced that it was Closing as they announced this casting, the show announced closing prior to Billy stepping one foot on the stage of the August Wilson Theatre or Marisha. And I was glad at the time that they did, because there's been this unfortunate trope of other Broadway shows announcing historic replacements, the first time a black actor would ever play these roles, and then closing shortly afterwards. And so I do think we need to examine the total lack of reservations people have had had in speaking publicly about how much they hate Billy's performance here and the quantity of people and how many people have jumped on this bandwagon and reacted to these audios and joined in and participated. It reminds me very much of the outpouring of criticism directed towards Todrick hall when all of the burlesque stuff was going down a few weeks ago, despite the fact I kept sitting here and telling you that Todrick hall was not accountable for half of the things that you were saying Todrick hall was accountable for. And the two of them are both bold, outspoken personalities who have each said and done things, allowing a certain amount of room, room for criticism. But it doesn't justify, I think, the relentless quantity of hate. Not to sound like a primary school teacher, but could we all try and play a little more nicely in the playground? Anyway, all of this to say in the midst of all of this conversation about Billy Porter's performance, Go and see it for yourself. Or don't if you don't want to, but don't review a thing that you haven't seen yet. Go and see it, if only because Marisha Wallace is giving a fantastic revelatory performance as Sally Bowles, and then come back here and let us all know what you thought in the comments. And maybe Billy is disappointing as the. But there is a way that we can say that and say that honestly, while still being kind, while not being relentless, while not being cruel. And you don't have to like his performance. I didn't particularly like his performance. You are entitled to your own valid opinion because theatre is subjective. Art is subjective. But guess what? That goes both ways, because while you are entitled to the validity of your own opinion, Billy Porter is entitled to the validity of his own artistic interpretation of that role. And for some reason, the MC in Cabaret, we saw this with Eddie Redmayne. We are seeing it now again with Billy Porter is one of those roles that people have such a expectation of and people hold to a needlessly specific standard. Is this performance queer enough? Is this performance Jewish enough? Is this performance resonating with my understanding of who and what the MC is. Guess what? So little of that is enforced by the material. You want to sit there and say Billy Porter doesn't understand this show. Billy Porter has an understanding of the performance he is bringing to this show in conjunction with the creatives of this production. There is every possibility that you don't understand this show beyond the specific interpretation of one actor in one production under one director, one time on one pro shot. And so one of those things can't be true without the other. If you are entitled to say whatever you want about this performance, Billy Porter is also entitled to make the choices that he is making. And that, I think is just about everything that I have to say about that. If you have more thoughts on this that I haven't covered, feel free to share them in the comments section down below. Share, of course, your opinions on Billy's performance in the West End or on Broadway. And if you enjoyed this video, make sure, as always, to like subscribe Follow me on podcast platforms and I hope that everyone is staying safe and that you have a stagey day. For 10 more seconds, I'm Mickey Jo Theatre. Oh my God. Hey, thanks for watching. Have a stagey day. Subscribe Acast powers the world's best podcasts. Here's a show that we recommend foreign.

[C]

I'm James Richardson and I host the Totally Football show four times a week. If you're not familiar with it, perhaps you'd care to give it a listen in the season ahead because we cover all the big stuff Premier League, Champions League, in Depth, European League coverage, Football League and more. We've got insights and analysis from the best reporters in the industry. And we've got quizzes and nostalgia, too. Plus, we're going to be bigger and broader than ever for the season ahead, so check out the Totally Football show wherever you get your podcast. The rest is not as good as the Totally Football Show.

[B]

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