Karen Olivo, the Tony-nominated star of Broadway musical Moulin Rouge !, will not return to production if the industry reopens, in protest of what she says is the industry silence on harassment and abuse in the workplace against film and theater producer Scott Rudin.
“Social justice is more important than being the sparkling diamond,” she refers to one of her great Moulin Rouge! numbers in a streaming Instagram video today. Building a better industry for my students is more important than putting money in my pocket. Building a better industry – I’m shouting now – building a better industry is more important than putting money in my pocket.
Watch the Instagram video below.
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To all who do not hear me, the silence about Scott Rudin – unacceptable. Unacceptable. This is the easy one, yes. This is a monster. It does not have to matter … What does your integrity say you should do? Are you going to protect your pocketbook and let people go to the emergency room so you can go to your next concert? ‘
Olivo’s announcement comes two days after three theater unions – SAG-AFTRA, Actors ‘Equity Association and American Federation of Musicians Local 802 – condemned harassment in the workplace and called on’ every corporate board of directors to be deeply concerned about credible reports of years of repeated violent and aggressive harassing behavior by individuals who hold high positions within a company or have a production and management power over subordinates. ‘
Although the unions did not name Rudin, the statement followed last week’s Hollywood Reporter story in which accusations were made by four former employees of Rudin about what they believe was the producer’s erratic and sometimes violent behavior. The employees described a toxic workplace environment in which the famous temperamental producer repeatedly, verbally and in at least one case, complained of physical, abused and fired assistants. The article tells that Rudin threw objects such as a potato, a teacup, a staple and a laptop during his temper tantrums, and in one case allegedly broke a computer monitor on the hand of an assistant, which had to make a trip to the emergency room.
In her announcement today, Olivo, who won a Tony Award for her performance in the 2009 Broadway revival of west side story, addressed her colleagues and peers: ‘What is your integrity that you need to do? Are you going to protect your pocketbook and let people go to the emergency room so you can go to your next concert? ‘
Olivo is one of the biggest stars in the musical theater, who performed in the Tony Award In the heights and Chicago production of Hamilton. Until her announcement, she was expected to star in Satine in Moulin Rouge, for which she is currently nominated for a Tony. (Rudin is not a Moulin Rouge producer!).
“I could easily go back to a show and make a lot of money,” Olivo said, “but I still could not really control what I spent in the world.” The actress said she posted her statement on Instagram because “I do not want anyone to turn to why I did not return to ‘Moulin Rouge’.” You heard it from me. ‘
Olivo said in her video that she partially expressed “to my students who still dream about art because they do not know about the nonsense that is here … I want a theater industry that matches my integrity. Come on “Why are we not going to make it? Of course it is not here. Let’s go make it.”
Rudin did not comment on the allegations. The deadline reaches the Moulin Rouge! production for comment.
Moulin Rouge !, like all Broadway productions, it is currently suspended due to the shutdown of the Covid-19 pandemic. The show is one of the biggest hits of the Broadway 2019-2020 season and has been nominated for 14 Tony Awards, including Best Musical, Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical (Olivo) and Best Performance by ‘ a lead actor in a musical (Aaron) Tveit, the only nominee in the category). Nominations were announced last fall, but a ceremony date has not yet been set pending Broadway’s performance.
Following the statement by Olivo today, Hailey Kilgore, who received a nomination for the 2018 Tony Award for her role in Once on this island and will be seen next in the forthcoming biography of Aretha Franklin Respect, posted to four-part tweet by saying in part: ‘… I can not help but think of artists, stage staff, crew members who have YEARS and PERFORMANCES to me, who remained silent while they showed up, GIVE OUTSTANDING and deafened the audience 8XS A WEEK not. It breaks my heart to see that priority, money and fame are priority … If we are not united … What are we? “
The Broadway industry preaches inclusivity, loving environments and equal opportunities. In some cases, TV / FILM condemns world. There are places where the heat absolutely exists. But they are too few.
– HK (@HaileyKilgore) 14 April 2021