Most offensive production you've seen/heard about?

[Nettik]

Posted: 6/19/14 at 10:37am

There's an amateur production of Avenue Q opening this weekend that has a white actress playing Christmas Eve because rumor has it they couldn't find an Asian actress to play the role.

Also last year I saw a production of a straight play of Peter Pan where all of the Indians were in full-on redface. It was... uncomfortable.

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 6/19/14 at 10:41am

There was this Dreamgirls done in blackface.

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 6/19/14 at 10:44am

I heard Lindsay Lohan did a David Mamet play.

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 6/19/14 at 10:46am

There was a show with Sutton Foster and there was this white lady talking bloken engrish.

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 6/19/14 at 10:53am

But there was also this show where Eden Espinosa lived in a garbage can or something and would poke her head out of it and scream at the audience for 2 hours.

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 6/19/14 at 10:54am

That's offensive to the Grouch community. Just reinforcing stereotypes.

[James885]

Posted: 6/19/14 at 11:31am

Jordan, that post almost made me spray coffee on my computer.

[Addison D.]

Posted: 6/19/14 at 12:12pm

I saw the first half of 'Starlight Express' once.

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 6/19/14 at 12:17pm

Side Show. They couldn't find conjoined twins to play Violet and Daisy? Outrageous.

[tazber]

Posted: 6/19/14 at 12:21pm

I saw a production of The Little Mermaid where they just put the actors in heelies.

The Aquatic American community pitched a fit.

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 6/19/14 at 12:27pm

I remember that, taz! They all staged a march in protest. Of course, they all died in the street two blocks in, but supplied Top Chef with enough ingredients for their restaurant wars. Angry ceviche is actually really tasty.

Posted: 6/19/14 at 2:25pm

The last production of Avenue Q I saw had a white man in drag playing Christmas Eve. In the context of the show it made perfect sense to me.

[FishermanBob]

Posted: 6/19/14 at 6:03pm

When I saw Lombardi a few years ago, they talked a lot about how great his teams were at running, passing and scoring but hardly anything about them as defenders and preventing the other team from scoring so yes, I would have to say that was the most offensive production I've seen.

[Jane2]

Posted: 6/19/14 at 6:07pm

Next to Normal

[Jon]

Posted: 6/19/14 at 7:41pm

I heard about this musical where the girl's mother is supposed to be really fat, and they had a skinny guy in a fat suit play the part!

[HorseTears]

Posted: 6/19/14 at 7:47pm

The Pinkett-Smith kids.

Updated On: 6/19/14 at 07:47 PM

[StageManager2]

Posted: 6/20/14 at 12:27am

Not necessarily an offensive production, but along the same lines as the Avenue Q casting in OP's post: I once saw a community theater production of A Chorus Line, and the part of Connie Wong was played by a white actress. That would've been fine if they couldn't find an Asian actress, but one of the dancers who was cut at the very beginning was Asian. Her nondescript character is the first to sing ("I really need this job / Please, God I need this job / I've got to get this job!") and the Asian chick had a pretty good voice, judging by that bit, and she was petite. I kept wondering why she wasn't cast as Connie. It was weird.