Broadway casting directors have recently faced an uptick in criticism from fans over widespread use of “stunt casting.” It’s nothing new in the entertainment industry, but recent choices have led fans and critics to ask: Do these celebrities really deserve to take the spotlight away from professionally trained Broadway performers?
Stunt casting is when producers cast mainstream or famous celebrities in a certain artistic role in order to create publicity and to reach a larger audience. The reason they do this is often to make more money and get more ticket sales. Producers and casting directors figure that it’s becoming increasingly difficult to get people off their devices and into the theater to experience true creativity live. Because of this fairly tragic situation, big stages are persuaded to cast people that will help them improve their sales and stay in business. This often comes at the cost of talented actors and actresses who are trying to make it in the industry without an extensive fanbase behind them.
This act is extremely disappointing to people who actually enjoy watching and appreciating theatrical elements live on the Broadway stage. True theater fans would much rather see their favorite shows with roles portrayed by more qualified singers, dancers or actors than a big celebrity who lacks that same talent. People who can’t respect or appreciate theater should not come to see a show only because their favorite celebrity is in it. Additionally, tourists who come to the shows solely to come see the viral celebrities often don’t always know proper theater etiquette. It’s frustrating when you’re sitting in a seat trying to enjoy the show and you hear people singing along to the songs from behind you, see people recording the shows and hear someone’s loud ringtone in the middle of a scene.
Peyton List is probably the most popular and recent example of this. She was cast as Heather Chandler, in the popular Off-Broadway production “Heathers: The Musical” on Jan. 26. Since her performance, videos of her singing the challenging score have taken over the Internet and grabbed many people’s attention. One of the most popular and challenging songs from the show is “Candystore,” and videos circulating online highlight List’s lack of high-level singing ability, making it evidently clear that she just cannot belt nearly as well as the other actresses who played the role before her. This is because although she is a professional actress and decent vocalist, she has nowhere near the abilities of Broadway professionals, let alone Heather Chandlers before her such as Jodie Steele and McKenzie Kurtz. Her performance lured people in to come see it for themselves even if they had no interest in seeing the actual show. It is safe to say whether her performance was good or bad, it sure boosted the ticket sales immensely.
Unfortunately, this is just one of many examples of stunt casting taking over the industry. Megan Thee Stallion, Meg Donelly and Whitney Leavitt have also taken the stage in popular musicals this past year. Similarly to List, they as well as their casting directories faced major controversy over whether these women were qualified for the role over more experienced and talented actresses. So sure, these celebrities may contribute to keeping Broadway in business, but what they’re actually doing is taking away opportunities from the incredibly talented Broadway stars who theater fans long to see.
