Zachary Noah Piser exits previously announced Tiananmen musical

https://www.instagram.com/p/CwYTAypvRT2/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==
 

I can’t post photos but here

I’m pretty sure Piser’s instagram has been hacked…

BorisTomashevsky said: "That’s a pretty specific post to put up after hacking someone. Aren’t hackers usually trying to spam followers with cryptocurrency scams or p0rn links?"

Yes, this feels like more of a "photo dump" across multiple posts to distract from the news that he's leaving a show.

Wow...how strange. Rehearsals start in ten days...unfortunately, this happens a lot with these midsized-Equity regional theatres. They get some fancy Broadway actor for the lead, but then that person gets a better-paying gig and drops out before rehearsals begin. This is why most theatres wait until rehearsals have begun to announce their cast...

Updated On: 8/25/23 at 06:06 PM

Has he "changed sides"?  

Updated On: 8/26/23 at 09:12 PM

Updated On: 8/28/23 at 09:14 PM

Looks like Zachary is continuing on with this China tour until September 10th, so if we do find out about what happened and why he exited the show it won’t be until after then.

Call_me_jorge said: "Looks like Zachary is continuing on with this China tour until September 10th, so if we do find out about what happened and why he exited the show it won’t be until after then."

To be fair, being in China and having work lined up in China is already enough to distance oneself from something like a Tiananmen musical. 

When I did theatre work over there pre pandemic, we were given a list of topics to NOT DISCUSS (which included Taiwan, the Dalai Lama, Hong Kong... where there were mass protests while I was there) and if we were asked them to change the topic. However, everyone wanted to ask us about Trump.

That being said, hearing he's going back out to China and backing out of a Tiananmen musical does not surprise me. Especially since he was IN CHINA when his participation was announced.

This isn't going to sound crazy... but truly, I'm glad he's okay after being put in a dangerous situation like that. They WILL pull you aside.

https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/Zachary-Noah-Piser-Departs-TIANANMEN-Musical-at-Phoenix-Theatre-Company-20230830

"No further information or explanation was given for his withdrawal, but Piser's manager, Dave Brenner, told CNN "there was a creative difference."

However, Wu’er Kaixi, a student leader in the Tiananmen protests who has worked on the musical as a conceiver and creative consultant, believes there is a different reason

“I believe…the reason for his withdrawal is not ‘creative difference,’ rather, simply fear," he told CNN. "He was given pressure by Chinese authorities. After 30 some years of censoring any information about Tiananmen, the Chinese government today is still extremely afraid of mentioning the atrocity they conducted."

Read the original story on CNN.

It is notable to mention that Piser's departure from the musical comes while he is on a tour of China as part of a concert from Nederlander Worldwide Entertainment. As previously reported, the concert also features Broadway stars Jenn Colella (Come From Away), Keri René Fuller (Six), and Joseph Morales (Hamilton).

The tour began at the Shanghai Grand Theatre for six shows August 23rd-27th, and it will continue on to the Beijing Tianqiao Performing Arts Center August 29th-30th, the Nanjing Lichi Theater September 2nd, the Chengdu City Concert Hall September 6th-7th, and finally ending its tour at the Shanxi Opera House in Xi’an September 9th-10th."

Something very odd is going on here

BoringBoredBoard40 said: "Something very odd is going on here"

Not following closely and know nothing about Piser but i have to agree that its strange hed go to China just weeks before he was meant to open a show about Chinese atrocities? Im frankly surprised any Bway actors are fine getting paid to traipse around (at the invitation? under the auspices?) of a brutal dictatorial regime. For shame.

Per a press release:

Respected Broadway Actors Kennedy Kanagawa and Ellie Wang to Lead New Tiananmen Musical Debuting at

The Phoenix Theatre Company on Wednesday, October 4th, 2023 

Kanagawa and Wang Join the all Asian American and Pacific Islander Cast to Tell the Story of the 1989 Tiananmen Square Protest with Contemporary Flourishes; The Announcement Follows Zach Piser's Withdrawal