I’m a vegetarian - not a vegan. That said, your family friend’s attitude makes for a tiring way to go through life, when every moment brings opportunities for disappointment and righteous indignation. I am all for treating animals with kindness and compassion, but this individual is unable to enjoy great art because she expects the world to reflect her particular worldview. The world would be a better place with less meat consumption for many reasons - dietary, environmental, etc. - but this individual’s attitude will do little to change anyone’s mind. It will only cause her frustration and cause others to view her as a caricature of an animal rights activist.
I get not wanting to use animal products to help your body and the planet, but it seem ludicrous to hate a show because everyone isn't vegan. I haven't seen The Ferryman, but that's probably the strongest point she has to not enjoying a show, the rest don't seem to effect the content at all. Like I hate cheese too (not vegan btw, I just don't like it), but I'm not going to hate a show because they mention it, like... how do you enjoy anything outside of what you know? Nothing against vegans themselves, but that way of thinking easily puts people into bubbles and to not think from the get go.
Genuinely curious — in The Ferryman, did she have any objections to the young baby being onstage as well, or just the animals? Because one can make pretty much the same argument for a baby being onstage as I can imagine they could for live animals (inability to consent, not understanding what's happening, exploitation, bright lights causing irritation, etc).
Not saying your friend is wrong/right for disliking the live animals onstage, but I do think it'd be a very interesting discussion if she's indignant about animals being onstage and not human babies (seriously – I'd completely non-sarcastically love to hear her reasoning if that is the case).
In all seriousness, did your friend not have a problem with the scenes of the animals stuck under the planes for 28+ hours in CFA? That seems to be a bigger concern then mentions of “cheese”.
Also, how did she respond to the horse race scene in MFL? Horse racing is also rather cruel to animals.
Someone called one of my jokes cheesy at a party and I flew into a Veganistic rage. And why doesn't Frankie and Johnny understand, they don't need to use eggs to achieve the sound effect of a pan sizzling. Bacon works just as well.
Did your friend realize that they didn't actually kill the goose? Lol
Out of all the things in the world to get outraged about, seeing a goose and a bunny on a stage where they aren't even harmed for maybe a total of 4-5 minutes is absurd.
Vanilla Ice Cream from She Loves Me would be a nightmare for her. Let alone Food, Glorious, Food from Oliver! Les Poissons from The Little Mermaid. The number of potential triggers is endless.
Oh dear god. Your friend sounds like a miserable person. How does she get through a day with that delicate sensibility?
If we're not having fun, then why are we doing it?
These are DISCUSSION boards, not mutual admiration boards. Discussion only occurs when we are willing to hear what others are thinking, regardless of whether it is alignment to our own thoughts.
adam.peterson44 said: "Tell your friend to avoid Sweeney Todd/A Little Priest.
"
Eating people probably doesn’t bother them, especially if they are the scum of the earth I.e. a straight white male.
"You can't overrate Bernadette Peters. She is such a genius. There's a moment in "Too Many Mornings" and Bernadette doing 'I wore green the last time' - It's a voice that is just already given up - it is so sorrowful. Tragic. You can see from that moment the show is going to be headed into such dark territory and it hinges on this tiny throwaway moment of the voice." - Ben Brantley (2022)
"Bernadette's whole, stunning performance [as Rose in Gypsy] galvanized the actors capable of letting loose with her. Bernadette's Rose did take its rightful place, but too late, and unseen by too many who should have seen it" Arthur Laurents (2009)
"Sondheim's own favorite star performances? [Bernadette] Peters in ''Sunday in the Park,'' Lansbury in ''Sweeney Todd'' and ''obviously, Ethel was thrilling in 'Gypsy.'' Nytimes, 2000
Actually, I saw a vegan version of 'Sweeney Todd' that really worked. It was called 'Sweeney Todd - The Demon Florist of Fleet Street' where instead of slitting his victims throats he sent them the most God-awful floral arrangements imaginable ("God, That's Bad!" causing them to drop dead in shock so Mrs. Lovett could bury their bodies in Sweeney's garden ("A Little Mulch" as extra fertilizer to keep the flower shop going.
Lol I've been vegan and a theatre reviewer both for decades. She sounds like she's new. She needs to lighten up, and save her outrage to protest if/when any entertainment causes real harm to an animal. Yeah it sucks that some were still used in shows recently like OOTI and Ferryman, but you ask the production about their care, make sure it's up to code, and express your disappointment and disapproval and hope fewer and fewer shows will follow that path. And then move on. But that's for actual animal use. Getting upset by people mentioning other foods is over the top.