- 5/30/2025
From controversial casting decisions to producer scandals, Broadway in the 2010s was filled with drama both on and off stage. Join us as we explore the biggest controversies that rocked the Great White Way, including casting controversies, investor fraud, and problematic plot lines that had everyone talking!
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00:00I present the handbook for the recently evicted Broadway show.
00:04Welcome to Ms. Mojo, and today we're going to serve the steamiest cup of Broadway tea,
00:09going through the drama, controversies, and scandals of the 2010s.
00:13Warning, there will be some spoilers.
00:16Everyone who knows his name knows the story of Scott Rudin.
00:21The Scottsboro Boys, Blackface.
00:24It was perhaps inevitable that a musical based on the infamous Scottsboro Boys trial
00:28would attract controversy.
00:39This posthumous Cander and Ebb musical, premiering in 2010,
00:43drew criticism and even protests for its minstrel show framing.
00:46The minstrel show was meant by the creators to illustrate the evils of racism.
00:50Instead of white male actors, the performers in this show were all played by African Americans.
00:58Still, many felt that the minstrel form was inherently racist and shouldn't have been done,
01:11regardless of the context.
01:13The musical was nominated for a whopping 12 Tonys, but one none.
01:18Was this a misfire?
01:19Or like the duo Chicago, simply ahead of its time?
01:22Only time will tell.
01:24You can take your B&O, and you can take your Santa Fe,
01:30and you can take your old rock alibi, and throw them all the way.
01:35Spider-Man Turn Off the Dark, fiasco.
01:38This rare superhero musical had a score by Bono and direction by Lion King legend Julie Taymor,
01:43but the show's technical stunts led to many accidents and injuries.
01:48Plague by five serious accidents, six delayed openings,
01:51and some of the worst reviews in Broadway history,
01:54has seemed as if the death knell had sounded for the show.
01:57By the time it premiered in 2011,
01:59it set the record for both the longest preview run
02:02and being the most expensive Broadway musical in history.
02:05If you tried to do a 30 million in this day and age,
02:09in this time, Spider-Man,
02:11you couldn't do any of the flying.
02:13You just couldn't do it that way.
02:14So as soon as you decide to give people the level that they're expecting,
02:20you have to be willing to pay the price.
02:22The musical's reviews were mixed at best,
02:25scathingly negative at worst.
02:27Despite easily making millions throughout its run,
02:29the show eventually closed at a loss due to its high budget.
02:32Of course, it attracted all the paradists to the yard.
02:35You know your musical is infamous when even Sesame Street joins in on the fun.
02:39I am Spider-Monster!
02:42Watch me fly to the sky!
02:50That's not flying!
02:52You just fell on me!
02:53This is only our 17th opening night, sir!
02:55Rebecca the Musical, Investor Fraud.
02:58The curse of the European musical to Broadway transfer strikes again.
03:02How could a show six years in the making,
03:04on which so many people depended on for their livelihoods,
03:08come crashing down in just a single day?
03:11Written by Sylvester Levi and Michael Kunze of Elizabeth fame,
03:15this lushly haunting Austrian musical was initially conceived in English.
03:19Instead, its original 2005 production was a big hit in Vienna,
03:23garnering several international productions.
03:25Director Ben Sprecher attempted to stage a full English production,
03:28first in the West End and then on Broadway,
03:31only to become a victim of fraud.
03:33Mark Houghton appears to be a totally legitimate guy.
03:36He seemed to have had a real resume.
03:39There was nothing to suggest that he ever had a problem.
03:42That's right.
03:43Four of the show's investors never existed in the first place.
03:46Eventually, conman Mark Houghton was charged with fraud.
03:50Sprecher lost the rights.
03:51This guy was a wolf in sheep's cloak in the door.
03:54He was really a very dangerous guy.
03:56By the time we realized that's what he was doing, he was gone.
04:01The musical opened off West End instead,
04:03but its more Spartan production did not wow critics much.
04:06This show is haunted more than Manderley.
04:08And even though the production collapsed with the fiery embers of Manderley,
04:12the legacy behind the scenes will continue to live on.
04:16In a story filled with twists and turns that would have made Daphne du Maurier
04:22and Alfred Hitchcock themselves shake their heads in disbelief.
04:29Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812, casting controversy.
04:34Many fans were disappointed when this cult favorite lost to the immensely popular
04:37Dear Evan Hansen for Best Musical at the Tony Awards,
04:41and even greater controversy concerned the musical's cast.
04:44May your travels be swift as a sight comes through the grass.
04:47Love, love.
04:50May your sorrows be counted and never his pennies.
04:52Drop some wine and vodka that stays my glass.
04:55After Josh Groban left the show,
04:57Ocariete O'Maldowan took over as Pierre,
04:59with great praise from the critics.
05:01This is the last thing that I thought I'd be doing,
05:03which is what makes it so exciting.
05:04Yeah.
05:05Because it's just, yeah, it's just off a little bit.
05:07Everyone's like, what?
05:08I didn't really see that happening.
05:10So that's exciting for me because then it's a really great new experience for everybody.
05:15But the show's producers, wanting a big name for the role,
05:18chose Mandy Patinkin to replace O'Maldowan.
05:21Fans were indignant at O'Maldowan being replaced by a white actor.
05:25Part of the audience is part of the show.
05:27I have not been in anything like this.
05:30I have not been in this yet.
05:31I will let you know.
05:33The backlash online was so great that Patinkin withdrew from the show two days later,
05:37expressing his support for O'Maldowan.
05:39The show never fully recovered from this controversy, closing a month later.
05:44Thank you to every member of the company cast on stage and crew backstage past and present.
05:50This has been six years.
05:53Dear Evan Hansen,
05:55Plot and Tony nomination controversies.
05:57This Tony award-winning musical is all over the map.
06:00Written by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul,
06:02It opened to massive popularity and mostly positive reviews regarding the show's handling of mental illness.
06:17As time went on, however, criticism of the show's plot grew more fervent.
06:22Evan Hansen's lies to a grieving family about his fake friendship with their dead son struck many as horrifically exploitative.
06:29Words fail, words fail.
06:36There's nothing I can say.
06:39Others also felt he wasn't punished enough for his lies by the end.
06:42The film adaptation only exacerbated these critiques.
06:45Beyond that, the musical was compared unfavorably with Natasha Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812,
06:50and come from away of the same year.
06:52Evan Hansen is a divisive figure indeed.
06:55When the dark is crashing through,
06:57When you need a friend to carry you,
07:00When you're broken on the ground,
07:03You will be found.
07:06Slave Play,
07:07Racial Stereotype Controversy.
07:09This play's many controversies are no surprise.
07:12Written by Jeremy O. Harris,
07:14Slave Play tackles heavy themes of racism,
07:16interracial relationships,
07:18sexuality,
07:19and trauma.
07:19I wanted to invite us to truly imagine all of the ways slavery still lives with us.
07:26The play follows interracial couples as they try to improve intimacies by engaging in slave master roleplay.
07:31While many critics praised the play for its incisive indictment of white supremacy,
07:35others were not as convinced.
07:37I think at the beginning you sort of think like,
07:39Oh my God,
07:40What the hell?
07:40But then you really have to think about other people's traumas are very different.
07:44There were many protests and even an online petition urging the play to be shut down.
07:48These critics have claimed the play disrespects the history of American slavery and its crimes,
07:53even accusing it of being anti-black.
07:56The play's performances for black-only audience members,
07:59known as, quote,
08:00Blackout,
08:01also drew criticism in London.
08:02The play earned 12 Tony nominations,
08:05but the discourse still continues.
08:07My play, London,
08:08is a really intense play about race,
08:12trauma,
08:13colonization,
08:13etc.
08:14And because of that,
08:16when you are a black person or a brown person in that audience,
08:19it can feel complex to sit next to a white person.
08:23Now that complexity was a part of the play.
08:25I wanted that.
08:26Jagged Little Pill,
08:27removing non-binary characterization.
08:30This jukebox musical stirred quite the drama.
08:33A stage adaptation of Alanis Morissette's album by the same name,
08:36the musical's plot concerns substance use,
08:39LGBTQIA plus themes,
08:40and even sexual assault.
08:42It was the change to one of its characters,
08:44Joe,
08:44that sparked the most controversy.
08:46I want to thank my trans and non-binary friends and colleagues
08:49who have engaged with me in difficult conversations
08:52and have joined me in dialogue about my character, Joe.
08:55Joe was initially portrayed as non-binary
08:57in the original production in Cambridge.
08:59When the show opened on Broadway,
09:01Joe was referred to as a cisgender woman,
09:03with actress Lauren Patton confirming
09:05that Joe was meant to be cisgender all along.
09:07And now I look back and I see,
09:10yeah, that felt to a lot of people
09:12like I was confirming that this character
09:14had a trans identity that I don't hold
09:17and that wasn't developed.
09:19Following intense backlash,
09:21the production issued an apology,
09:23although Patton would still be playing Joe.
09:25The North American tour, however,
09:27had non-binary actor Jade McLeod play the role.
09:29So it seems non-binary Joe is here to stay.
09:32The cross I bear that you gave to me
09:36Yeah, yeah, yeah, ought to know
09:40Beetlejuice vs. The Music Man
09:43It's rare for two musicals to battle it out like this.
09:46Beetlejuice's premiere on Broadway in 2019
09:48came with the proviso that the show vacate
09:50the Winter Garden Theater in June 2020.
09:53Well, sorry everybody.
09:54Soon a new leading man will have his name on the marquee.
09:58Will he be as sexy as yours truly?
10:00Nah, not possible.
10:01This was done to make way for a revival
10:03of The Music Man, starring Hugh Jackman.
10:06The Music Man's producer, Scott Rudin,
10:08pushed hard to get the Winter Garden Theater.
10:10We got trouble, we got trouble
10:12Riding into the city
10:13Riding into the city
10:14With a capital T
10:15That fries with P
10:16That stares a fool
10:17I said
10:17Oddly enough, Beetlejuice's premature closing
10:20had a salutary effect on its box office,
10:23making it earn $7.6 million in advance sales.
10:27The musical also developed an online following,
10:29especially on Tumblr.
10:31I'm on the bench, but coach
10:32Just put me in the game
10:35All you gotta do is say my name
10:37There was even talk of Beetlejuice
10:38potentially moving to another theater.
10:41Instead, it closed three months early due to the pandemic,
10:44much to fans' consternation.
10:46Stay in your seats
10:47And yeah, I sing like this eight shows a week
10:50So just relax, you'll be fun
10:52You're running out of time
10:53But take a breath
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11:12Scott Rudin
11:14It's time to talk about Scott Rudin
11:16This notorious Broadway producer was known for his hot temper and high-handed ways
11:20With film director Hugh Wilson admitting to having a bad experience with Rudin
11:24The volatile Rudin is accused of throwing a glass bowl, staplers, and even a baked potato
11:29at people who displeased him
11:31It wasn't until the Hollywood Reporter's expose in 2021
11:34that more serious allegations came to light
11:37Rudin was accused of threatening employees and even physically assaulting them
11:41He was also accused of illegally firing protected employees
11:44and generally producing an unsafe working environment
11:47They say the show will not go on until they feel safe both on stage and behind the scenes
11:53He was sued for unpaid pandemic work
11:59On social media, Slave Play writer Jeremy O. Harris described him as
12:03In the wake of these allegations, Rudin finally stepped down as producer from his Broadway productions
12:09What goes around, comes around
12:11When it comes to his roles, those positions will be filled by other members of the Broadway community
12:16He also says he is taking steps to address his behavior
12:20And he says that's something that he claims he should have done years ago
12:24Which other 2010s drama set all of Broadway aflame?
12:28Let us know in the comments down below
12:30I never meant to make it such a mess
12:32I never thought that it would go this far
12:36惟ing Very well
12:43So
12:45On goal
12:45To get back to 3
12:461944
12:46To get back to 4
12:47To get back to 3
12:482014
12:49For more Time
12:49To get back to 4
12:49Tindy
12:50opportunity
12:51To have a Dingen
12:52A
12:52We're here
12:53To get back to 4
12:54To get back to 4
12:54Margarito
12:55To get back to 5
12:56And
12:56To get back to 5
12:57And
12:58As
12:58these authors
13:00Will work
13:00To get back to 5
13:00To get back to 5
13:01The
13:01Bureau
13:02To get back to 5
13:02To get back to 6
13:03To get back to 5
13:03To get back to 5
13:04To get back to 5
13:05And
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13:22
13:49
1:13:04
13:38
24:48
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30:37
1:00
1:40:26
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