Karen Olivo not returning to MOULIN ROUGE! — Page 4

Also, the defense that “this happens in every industry” is exactly the assbackward thinking that has us all marching in place. If this happens in YOUR industry too, then I encourage YOU to change that rather than sh*t on people who no longer wish to accept that in THEIR industry.

It’s not just Olivo refusing to return to this work environment. They’re right that many have no choice, but they are not an anomaly; they just happen to be the only person with a high profile enough job that was waiting for them when Broadway returned for any news source or social media platform to take notice or care. Whether they were “going to be fired” is completely irrelevant and, frankly, a gross attempt to diminish someone who is making a completely valid stand here. (Among the many gross things said about Olivo’s character and work ethic as though you have any idea at all or that it has any relevance to the topic, you’re also proving Olivo’s prediction that this would be “spun” correct.)

Updated On: 4/15/21 at 10:41 AM

I respect Olivo's decision. She's in a damned-if-you-do, damned-if-you-don't situation, as this thread illustrates. As someone who has been extremely vocal throughout the pandemic about inequity and abuse within the industry, if they were to just return, they would be accused of paying lip service to social justice. But by actually taking a stand, they're now in a position for people to try and say it's not her place, that she's being self-serving, etc.

There was going to be blowback no matter what she did, so she chose what felt like the right decision. It costs nothing to make an empty statement on Twitter, and it leads to nothing in most cases. What she did is an example of someone living their values. We need more of that in this industry.

Updated On: 4/15/21 at 11:03 AM

Thank you, Boq101, for doing good work with your high school students. I try to do the same with my college students so that they enter the industry with a sense of self-awareness and an unapologetic mindset. It’s hard to shake them out of that people-pleasing way of thinking. Theatre isn’t meant to serve only Broadway message boards; theatre is more than just Broadway.

Thank you, Bettyboy72. I applaud your entire post. This is much bigger than just getting Broadway back. Well, getting Broadway back is also part of the problem: Leadership is clueless and reckless and doesn’t actually care about its members.

Updated On: 4/15/21 at 11:08 AM

Saying that Olivo is retired and has nothing to lose because she doesn't want to work is a misinterpretation and a cover. She never left the industry, and she continued to work consistently after she announced that she was taking a step back from her active theater career in New York. She opened HAMILTON in Chicago and did the show for a year, was in TICK TICK BOOM at Encores and FUN HOME at a regional theater in Wisconsin, did WEST SIDE STORY in Austria and CHESS in DC -- not to mention the pre-Broadway MOULIN ROUGE in Boston. That's a pretty busy schedule for a retired person.

HeyMrMusic said: "Please list the ways white Broadway stars have committed to anti-racism. Please list the ways they have also taken a stand against corruption. Please list the ways white Broadway message board posters are supporting those in the industry who are committed to activism and change.

If you notice, it’s usually the people of color and women who get the ball rolling. And it’s white men who give their opinions about it. (And yes, as others said, this happens a lot of other industries, too. Why is that? Why don’t people want to make a change?)

While Karen has a fallback job (as if that’s a bad thing for an actor!), she is getting a tremendous pay cut for not going back to her job on Broadway, where she is probably paid a healthy star salary. She is still making a sacrifice in ways, even if she doesn’t seem totally passionate about the job she just quit."

Girl, please. Calm down and take a seat.

HeyMrMusic said: "

Anyway, phew, this thread is exhausting. Nice job piling on the woman of color making a stand. If Aaron Tveit did this, you’d all be praising him."

This has nothing to do with her being a woman of color. Most of the people here seem to support her decision regardless of whether or not they agree with it. It's not for anyone here to question her motivation; i take her at her word. Let's not start the 'what if' scenarios by calling out her cast members.

Listen. All here for this kind of speaking up and speaking out. I hope this sparks a wave of other actors speaking up about this and doing similar actions. That being said... I can't deny that it is odd to boycott Rudin through show that he isn't even producing.

raddersons said: "Listen. All here for this kind of speaking up and speaking out. I hope this sparks a wave of other actors speaking up about this and doing similar actions. That being said... I can't deny that it is odd to boycott Rudin through show that he isn't even producing."

It’s not just about Rudin though? They even said that in the Instagram video. This is just the tipping point; that something so easy to call out as “wrong” seems to be such a problem for some really high profile people with so much less to lose. Broadway has needed a reckoning long before we had a tangible monster to call out. He’s part of a larger systemic issue Karen is calling out, and has been calling out.

HeyMrMusic said: "unclevictor said: "Girl, please. Calm down and take a seat."

I hope one day, you’ll find some way to use your powers for good. It’s a miracle I haven’t hit the block button yet. Please prove us all wrong."

if I only had powers...

you’re exhausting, and some of these posts are exhausting! Again, like I said earlier, good for Karen for speaking up! Let’s all just take a breath for a moment

raddersons, phrasing Olivo's decision as a reductive "boycotting Rudin" is pretty telling that you are clearly out of the loop.

"But sadly the show won’t be harmed by her leaving. But it’s not her fault. Who can have chemistry with a brick wall."

Hahaha. SouthernCakes has slammed Aaron dozens of times saying he HATES his acting yet sees everything he is in. Hmm. He is a wanna be actor that never made it to Broadway (unlike Aaron) and apparently Aaron is perhaps around his same age or something because he has been slamming his career since he joined this website. As Jack says on Will and Grace regarding Matt Damon "He has my career!"

It's professional jealousy, nothing more, and it's absolutely delicious.