“Prop 8: The Musical” on the Great White Way

Variety is reporting that as part of a fundraiser for multiple same-sex marriage organizations, “Hairspray” composer Marc Shaiman’s satirical “Prop 8: The Musical” will be staged live.  The event called “Defying Inequality” will be performed on a dark night on the set of “Wicked” at the Gershwin.  The star-studded Internet video was released in response to the Scott Eckern episode in which Marc Shaiman was a central figure. 

I’m sorry, but this is just bad writing.  I think I’ve been pretty fair on these pages about giving liberal writers their due when they are talented and create great work.  I’m glad Mr. Shaiman had years and years of royalties from the Broadway run of “Hairspray” (not to mention the modestly successful movie version) because I really think he’s jumping the old hammerhead with this thing.  At this point, Mr. Shaiman seems to be wrapping himself in a rainbow flag and beating the Prop 8 drum like Pete Best on a bad night at the Cavern Club.  (more…)

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Tags: broadway, marc shaiman, prop 8, scott eckern, Theatre
Posted Jan 27th 2009 at 9:10 am in Celebrity News, Entertainment, Politics | 31850108 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/sright/2009/01/27/prop-8-the-musical-on-the-great-white-way/%22Prop+8%3A+The+Musical%22+on+the+Great+White+Way2009-01-27+17%3A10%3A20Stage+Right

Prop 8: I’m Spartacus! No, I’m Scott Eckern!

That’s what I felt like yelling during last November’s horrifying public shaming of a theatre executive in California.  Scott Eckern, the Artistic Director of Sacramento Music Theatre, was forced to resign after the public revelation that he donated $1,000 to the Prop. 8 campaign.  I felt like calling all of my friends in the theatre industry and saying “I’M SCOTT ECKERN!”  I felt like responding to all of the e-mails I received from my colleagues urging me to join the drive to remove him from his post by saying:  “I’M SCOTT ECKERN!”  “If you take him, you should take me! ” Like all those slaves standing in solidarity with Spartacus.  I was also an executive in the industry with similar views.  There but for the grace of God….

But I didn’t stand up and shout.  I didn’t because I am a coward.  I didn’t because I have children and a mortgage and I might need the next job that comes along so I keep my mouth shut.

But make no mistake, there are many of us working in the theatre industry and the spectacle that was Scott Eckern’s ouster was terrifying and enraging to us.  Many readers of Big Hollywood suggest that as long as we are effective in our jobs and we “put butts in seats” then we should have the courage to speak out and fight for our beliefs even if we are a minority in a hostile environment….  I hope this morality tale speaks to you…

I was fortunate enough to witness this witch-hunt from inside the Facebook bubble that helped create it.  You see, one of my friends, actress Susan Egan, circulated an open letter to all of her friends.  And then her friends circulated it to their friends and well, by now you know what happened.  Her letter has been reported many times and she seems proud of her involvement in this episode.  She actually wrote her initial letter and then, within 24 hours wrote a follow-up.  The full text of Susan Egan’s original letter can be found here.   Her follow-up letter is harder to come by, but it contains much more revealing information.  In the spirit of “full context” I include the entire second letter here:  (my comments follow below)

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Tags: broadway, proposition 8, same sex marriage, scott eckern, susan egan
Posted Jan 9th 2009 at 9:14 am in Media Criticism, Politics | 1192561 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/sright/2009/01/09/im-spartacus-no-im-scott-eckern/Prop+8%3A+I%27m+Spartacus%21++No%2C+I%27m+Scott+Eckern%212009-01-09+17%3A14%3A52Stage+Right