www.broadwayworld.com: "We are grateful to everyone at Hell's Kitchen for adjusting their cues to prevent sound bleed into our theatre, which was affecting backstage, onstage, and into the audience. On Broadway, these historic buildings were built long before the existence of modern amplification and sit side by side, playhouses sharing walls with musical houses. These kinds of sound accommodations from one show to another are not unusual and are always deeply appreciated. We're proud to share Shubert Alley with Hell's Kitchen and wish our neighbors continued success,"
2 comments:
I think that, although Patti LuPone probably didn’t consciously consider race when she complained about the noise coming from Hell’s Kitchen, there is still racial context to calling a predominately Black-led show “loud” and refusing to sign their playbill. Even though this may not have been her intention, I don’t think it was outlandish or in poor taste for Hell’s Kitchen performer Kecia Lewis to make a video calling attention to LuPone’s microaggressive comment. Especially in an industry that is built around sensitivity and empathy, it is important to acknowledge and accept blame for the effect of your words even if that effect was unintentional. I think it’s good that we live in a time when young performers feel comfortable and confident enough to voice their grievances, even if that means speaking out against a famous, seasoned performer like LuPone. The internet has made it a lot easier for this to happen—the reason Lewis’s message was able to spread so quickly was because it went viral on TikTok and Instagram.
I think that Patti LuPone is a big name, but she should not have approached the situation she was dealing with in the way that she did. The theaters are very old, and the sound bleed was very much a problem in the theater where THE ROOMMATE is currently playing. I think this situation could be been handled a lot better. I first became aware of this problem when one of the cast members, Kecia Lewis, came on TikTok and posted a video, for LuPone. She represented herself in this video and made sure that she was not speaking on behalf of the whole production of Hell's Kitchen. She expressed that LuPone was being a bully and that her actions were racially microaggressive. This probably could have been handled in a much better way, but after the video was posted, LuPone sent flowers after the sound issue had been addressed. The producers of THE ROOMMATE also posted a statement on social media regarding the issue and its solution.
Post a Comment