George Salazar Calls Out Tony Awards on Twitter — Page 2

Let's just think about the 2019 Tony Awards for a second here: Best Musical went to a show with an incredibly diverse cast written and directed by women. Best Play went to an ethnically diverse cast (no, not black and white, but Irish, British, American, etc.) with a British playwright and director. Best Revival of a Play went to a play that centered around a group of gay men. Best Revival of a Musical went to a non-traditionally cast and diverse staging of what has typically been a mostly white-cast show. The Tonys for the first time recognized a performer who uses a wheelchair, they included performances from Ain't Too Proud and Choir Boy, featuring mostly POC, and also included another performance whose climax was too women (including one POC) kissing. But the only reason they had four past Tony hosts, all of whom are well-known and included two past Tony winners, perform a parody of a song from a non-Best Musical nominee was because they were white.

Look, here's the bottom line: Racism is a MAJOR issue in the theatre and there are countless instances of people not getting roles because of race or not being recognized on awards shows because of race or not getting the same opportunities to audition because of race, etc. And it's still a major issue. But by calling out things like this that are CLEARLY not race-related in any way, all we're doing is distracting from those actual major issues that are happening. George Salazar has every right to be disappointed that he didn't get to perform on the Tonys and that his producers didn't put up the money for it and that his show and his performance weren't recognized more than they were (and yes, his point that they should have at least said what the parody was of is 100% accurate and James Corden has even come out and apologized for not saying it). But going out and blaming this on race is just distracting from the actual fight against racial injustice that we're all trying to win right now.

Updated On: 6/29/20 at 09:21 AM

CT2NYC said: "
"

I wasn’t saying that they were snubbed in the nominations, or that they should have performed.I wasreferring tothe fact that they received no acknowledgmentfor the song parody. Undoubtedly, there were people watching who had no idea what it was based on.Consideringthat they were the only nominated musical not to have some kind of exposure that evening, a simplementionwould have been nice. I consider that a snub."

Not mentioning the show was definitely a mistake, which Corden himself tried to rectify the morning after the Tonys:

https://deadline.com/2019/06/james-corden-george-salazar-joe-iconis-be-more-chill-michael-in-the-bathroom-parody-1202630267/

But why over a year later are we all of a sudden making this about race? That's the point here. Salazar absolutely has a right to be upset they didn't mention the show on the broadcast, but to suddenly claim it was about whitewashing his song? That just seems a) completely untrue and b) completely distracting from real race-related issues going on right now.

Someone should give him Montana Levi Blanco's number!

George Salazar being salty a year later is not the flavoring we need on this dish right now.

Kad said: "So did Salazar also call out the Broadway production of Be More Chill for being directed, written, designed, and choreographed by white men, with the exception of vocal arrangements?

Did he mention the producing team was also overwhelmingly, if not exclusively, white?"

Are you saying that if white writers create a POC character, then it's nothing at all to have a white person do the numbers, or lines instead? You're down with a white man singing a parody of "Bess You is My Woman Now" or "Ol' Man River" on a Tony's broadcast that didn't bother to feature a number from the cast of a then-current revival that inspired the parody?

Updated On: 6/29/20 at 12:07 PM

Kad said: "joevitus said: "Kad said: "So did Salazar also call out the Broadway production of Be More Chill for being directed, written, designed, and choreographed by white men, with the exception of vocal arrangements?

Did he mention the producing team was also overwhelmingly, if not exclusively, white?"

Are you saying that if white writers create a POC character, then it's nothing at all to have a white person do the numbers, or lines instead? You're down with an all-white Porgy and Bess?"

If you got that from my post, then, simply put, you are a moron.

"

Nice evasion, but you seem to be saying Salazar has no right to complain that white guys did his song because the production team of BMC was white. My response was the logical inference, not the moronic one. You trying to defend it? Straight up moronic.

Broadway61004 said: "Let's just think about the 2019 Tony Awards for a second here: Best Musical went to a show with an incredibly diverse cast written and directed by women. Best Play went to an ethnically diverse cast (no, not black and white, but Irish, British, American, etc.) with a British playwright and director. Best Revival of a Play went to a play that centered around a group of gay men. Best Revival of a Musical went to a non-traditionally cast and diverse staging of what has typically been a mostly white-cast show. The Tonys for the first time recognized a wheelchair-bound performer, they included performances from Ain't Too Proud and Choir Boy, featuring mostly POC, and also included another performance whose climax was too women (including one POC) kissing. But the only reason they had four past Tony hosts, all of whom are well-known and included two past Tony winners, perform a parody of a song from a non-Best Musical nominee was because they were white.

Look, here's the bottom line: Racism is a MAJOR issue in the theatre and there are countless instances of people not getting roles because of race or not being recognized on awards shows because of race or not getting the same opportunities to audition because of race, etc. And it's still a major issue. But by calling out things like this that are CLEARLY not race-related in any way, all we're doing is distracting from those actual major issues that are happening. George Salazar has every right to be disappointed that he didn't get to perform on the Tonys and that his producers didn't put up the money for it and that his show and his performance weren't recognized more than they were (and yes, his point that they should have at least said what the parody was of is 100% accurate and James Corden has even come out and apologized for not saying it). But going out and blaming this on race is just distracting from the actual fight against racial injustice that we're all trying to win right now."

Yes to this post! However, let's PLEASE not refer to people who use wheelchairs as "wheelchair-bound."

CT2NYC said: "I know that people were upset about it last year, but was the issue of race brought up at all before yesterday? I get that it was a disappointing situation, but is “blatant whitewash treatment”really applicable in this case? It was a parody about hosting the Tonys, performed by 4 previous hosts, all of whom happened to be white. Sour grapes are understandable, but making it about race a year later seems like a stretch."

All of this. Sometimes you know it's going to be stupid before you click on the thread.

This is why I spend more time listening to activists, academics, and journalists than self-important entertainment people.

Kad said: "So did Salazar also call out the Broadway production of Be More Chill for being directed, written, designed, and choreographed by white men, with the exception of vocal arrangements?

Did he mention the producing team was also overwhelmingly, if not exclusively, white?"

Yup. George mentions about all the streams of the songs. Is he financially benefiting from those streams? Does he have any ownership of the songs? What kind of contract did he have? When Be More Chill is performed at middle schools across the nation based on the viral success of his performance, is he getting a percentage of that? Or are all the white men who created the show?

George is pointing a finger at the Tonys while ignoring the systemic racism (and sexism) of his friends and colleagues.

joevitus said: "Kad said: "joevitus said: "Kad said: "So did Salazar also call out the Broadway production of Be More Chill for being directed, written, designed, and choreographed by white men, with the exception of vocal arrangements?

Did he mention the producing team was also overwhelmingly, if not exclusively, white?"

Are you saying that if white writers create a POC character, then it's nothing at all to have a white person do the numbers, or lines instead? You're down with an all-white Porgy and Bess?"

If you got that from my post, then, simply put, you are a moron.

"

Nice evasion, but you seem to be saying Salazar has no right to complain that white guys did his song because the production team of BMC was white. My response was the logical inference, not the moronic one. You trying to defend it? Straight up moronic."

It’s logical only if you wanted to attempt a lame-ass “gotcha!” by creating a whole argument I never said. Which you did, shocking nobody.


Salazar’s exhumation of the Tonys’ clumsy and ill-conceived attempt to build a little viral moment and cash in on BMC’s online fandom was done by trying to link it to the greater issue of systemic racism in theater. But in this instance, it absolutely rings hollow, as BMC was yet another show that confined its diversity to what appeared onstage. Salazar only seems interested in calling out injustice here as it pertained to his lack of appearance on the Tony awards, but not in the production itself which directly benefited him.


There are a LOT of legitimate reasons to slam the Wing and the Tonys- everything from the lack of diversity in its nominees and hosts onward. But in this instance? It’s conveniently self-serving.

Updated On: 6/29/20 at 02:42 PM

MayAudraBlessYou2 said: "Broadway61004 said: "Let's just think about the 2019 Tony Awards for a second here: Best Musical went to a show with an incredibly diverse cast written and directed by women. Best Play went to an ethnically diverse cast (no, not black and white, but Irish, British, American, etc.) with a British playwright and director. Best Revival of a Play went to a play that centered around a group of gay men. Best Revival of a Musical went to a non-traditionally cast and diverse staging of what has typically been a mostly white-cast show. The Tonys for the first time recognized a wheelchair-bound performer, they included performances from Ain't Too Proud and Choir Boy, featuring mostly POC, and also included another performance whose climax was too women (including one POC) kissing. But the only reason they had four past Tony hosts, all of whom are well-known and included two past Tony winners, perform a parody of a song from a non-Best Musical nominee was because they were white.

Look, here's the bottom line: Racism is a MAJOR issue in the theatre and there are countless instances of people not getting roles because of race or not being recognized on awards shows because of race or not getting the same opportunities to audition because of race, etc. And it's still a major issue. But by calling out things like this that are CLEARLY not race-related in any way, all we're doing is distracting from those actual major issues that are happening. George Salazar has every right to be disappointed that he didn't get to perform on the Tonys and that his producers didn't put up the money for it and that his show and his performance weren't recognized more than they were (and yes, his point that they should have at least said what the parody was of is 100% accurate and James Corden has even come out and apologized for not saying it). But going out and blaming this on race is just distracting from the actual fight against racial injustice that we're all trying to win right now."

Yes to this post! However, let's PLEASE not refer to people who use wheelchairs as "wheelchair-bound.""

Absolutely, my apologies! I was typing in a hurry this morning and was trying to say someone who uses a wheelchair, but you are 100% correct in that I should have used a different phrase there. I've fixed the above post now!

joevitus said: "CT2NYC said: "Also, just to be clear, George Salazar's character fromBe More Chill,Michael Mell, is not written as a person of any particular color, and a white actor portrayed him in the London production. Did he have a problem with that?"

Has he said he did? I think the point was, on a show where he as a person of color who originated a role could have performed a number from said role, instead three white guys used the song as a punch line."

It was a rhetorical question. No, he didn't have a problem with it. That's the point, but I'm not surprised that you didn't get it. Similar to the issue with the white creatives that Kad brought up, if he was so personally offended by the "blatant whitewash treatment" on the Tonys, why didn't he express indignation over the London casting? He didn't because it wasn't whitewashing, and if the character in an actual production of the show can't be whitewashed, the how can a parody song at the Tonys be? As Kad said, his outrage is "conveniently self-serving." That's the "logical conclusion" that a reasonable person would come to.

Kad said: "There are a LOT of legitimate reasons to slam the Wing and the Tonys- everything from the lack of diversity in its nominees and hosts onward."

That's a good point; I'm thinking specifically about the 'hosts' point, although both are true. Honestly I think it's the most constructive thing I got out of Mr Salazar's comments, even if it's 'better' than what he actually intended to say. As to whether or not he's a nice person or is nursing sour grapes etc, I'm not sure if I much care.

I'm finding that when it comes to these individual stories about highly specific circumstances, there are usually a hundred nuances which could move the needle slightly between 'not an example of racism' and 'is an example of racism'. It reminds me of an article I once read about the disproportionate number of men in executive positions compared to women (I can't find it now). Someone was quoted along the general lines of "If you look at any individual instance, there's always a good justification to be found for choosing a specific, well-qualified man for a role over the other men and women who applied. It's only when you step back and look at the overall pattern, that you realise there might be a problem here."