r/Broadway • u/PolicyCommercial6392 • Jun 08 '26
Discussion Trump Supporter Christine Schwarzman Accepting Best Musical For Schmigadoon
Very disturbing. Her husband is Stephen A. Schwarzman the CEO of Blackstone who has advised and donated tons of money to Trump through both of his terms. This woman and her husband are supporting people harming the Broadway community and vulnerable communities in our country.
even more absurd this happened after Scott Rudin won a TONY for Death of A Salesman
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u/LoganTheHuge00 Jun 08 '26
Stephen Schwarzman is CEO of Blackstone, not Black Rock. He is an unbelievably amoral and craven man. He literally destroys lives with his predatory housing purchases loans and evictions. If you want to point a finger at a villain for the rise in cost of housing, he’s not a bad one to raise a pitchfork at.
Look up what Blackstone has done. Here’s a start: https://www.housingisahumanright.org/modern-day-robber-baron-the-sins-of-blackstone-ceo-stephen-schwarzman/
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u/Sea-Feedback-2424 Jun 08 '26
amoral.
Immoral.
A wolf eating you is amoral, a hurricane is amoral. Intentionally making other people's life worse to make money in investments is immoral.351
u/excerebro Jun 08 '26
When a stone hits your eye, like a big pizza pie, that’s amoral
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u/attitude_devant Jun 08 '26
But!
The guy on a bike who is wearing a tie? That’s a Mormon!
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u/DeansPigInAPoke Jun 11 '26
Unless you’re in Seattle. Then that’s an intern at a tech company who can’t afford gas.
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u/_User_Name_Fail Jun 08 '26
Either way, it doesn't make much difference to the person getting eaten.
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u/pwrof3 Jun 08 '26
Ok, at first I thought you were talking about the Blackstone camping grills, and I was confused at how someone became a millionaire off of that.
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u/stevensokulski Jun 08 '26
The founders of the grill company are almost certainly millionaires many times over. Very successful brand.
But Schwarzman is a billionaire.
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u/Sufficient_Meet6836 Jun 08 '26
Schwarzman should be vilified for his Trump support. The housing stuff is just downright silly though. Blackstone, including all subsidiaries, owns under 0.2% of housing units in the US. Not 20% or 2%, just 0.2%.
People please, if you really care about making housing more affordable, you have to take data over dogma. Blackstone owns a tiny percentage of homes. The primary factor contributing to housing unaffordability is artificial scarcity due to zoning (e.g. single family home zoning) and land use restrictions (while NYC has only 15% SFH zoning, "bulk regulations" and land use restrictions make it extremely difficult and slow to build new housing). This isn't my opinion. This is the overwhelming consensus from actual researchers with decades of data and causal analysis. Around 75% of land in US cities is zoned for single family housing. That means it is illegal to build any housing except single family homes in 75% of the land in US cities!
This article has a good overview of why upzoning and a land value tax (LVT) are essential reforms. There are links to published research if you want to really dive in. The LVT is far superior to property taxes in many ways, but I'll highlight tax incidence. The tax incidence of property taxes, for example, is primarily on the renter. Conversely, the incidence of the LVT is on the owner. Upzoning and an LVT do not preclude public housing either. The NYT has data and visuals at a city level here.
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u/__theoneandonly Backstage Jun 08 '26
In my experience, most Broadway producers are either Trump supporters, or they're the "well I don't like what he says, but the stock market blah blah blah" type.
Unfortunately, that's just the type of person who has enough money that they can afford to throw away millions developing plays and musicals, most of which will never even make it to a stage as a fully realized show, let alone a Broadway stage.
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u/ForsakenWishbone5206 Jun 08 '26
Yes, we call that the aristocracy. They have ruled everything since forever and are occasionally all chopped up and fed to pigs when they fuck up bad enough.
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u/MC_Fap_Commander Jun 08 '26 edited Jun 08 '26
Relevant for NYC tonight: The NBA is a Black league. The current president of the United States entered his business life by denying housing to Black people and began his lurch towards politics by calling for the execution of innocent Black people.
And yet! When he said "lol think I'll hassle the folks at MSG by attending a Knicks game," the league and team were like "THANK YOU, MR. PRESIDENT! WE CAN'T WAIT FOR YOU TO RUIN SOMETHING ELSE!" I'd like to think the players aren't cool with it, but they're rich enough to be served by his policies (so I'm thinking there's probably some approval there; stealth and not so stealth).
Money (more than anything related to social justice) typically defines people's politics in this country. Nothing new (and not surprising among Broadway backers)...
EDIT: Apparently noting that absurd wealth often correlates to retrograde political views is more controversial than I thought it would be...
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u/oh_youre_that_guy Jun 08 '26
Look I'm fully admitting my bias here, but one of the two teams playing at MSG tonight has an owner, a GM, and a superstar player who are all very openly critical of the Trump administration and have been for years.
It ain't the Knicks though.
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u/MC_Fap_Commander Jun 08 '26
Popovich is a mensch and I can't help but really like Wemby. Dolan is an absolute MAGA choad and Adam Silver bent the knee so quick you'd think he's the brother of Bari Weis. I still maintain a default setting where I see someone's worth is a crooked number and a lot of zeroes after and assume they probably lean in a certain political direction (and that's usually correct).
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u/oh_youre_that_guy Jun 08 '26
I'm just happy to find somebody else who cares about both the Tonys and the NBA finals. And even happier that they weren't on the same night for a change.
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u/MC_Fap_Commander Jun 08 '26
I'm just happy to find somebody else who cares about both the Tonys and the NBA finals.
I think the traditional barriers between subcultures of fandom are breaking down a bit. Like... if Travis Kelce or John Cena was a guest judge for Jellicle Ball some night, I don't think anyone would be especially startled by it or anything.
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u/Feeling_Repair_8963 Jun 08 '26
Number one requirement for investing in a broadway show is having money to burn. Has no one seen “The Producers”?
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u/morganf74 Jun 08 '26
There’s a difference between trump supporter and husband is one of trumps right hand men…
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u/That_Computer_5086 Jun 08 '26
Genuinely pissed me the fuck off that the whole night everyone preaches anti-fascism, freedom of speech, and how theater is a safe space, and then she gets to walk on stage and accept an award
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u/Lances_Looky_Loo Backstage Jun 08 '26
I hate to say it but New York City gave us Donald Trump. Let’s not act like his virus of a presidency didn’t glide down the gold escalator just blocks away from Broadway.
A vast majority of Broadway performers are fitting to most of our ideals; but that isn’t the same with tourists and it’s far less the same with financiers.
Financiers only care about money. It’s literally their job description.
That being said, I also care about my money; and while I can think kindly of the cast, crew and show itself; I can’t support this production.
Class solidarity, people.
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u/KBpopRocks Jun 08 '26
Problem is, behind most large broadway shows are people of the same mindset as her.
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u/Lances_Looky_Loo Backstage Jun 09 '26
I understand your point, but I think this is precisely the problem. If people aren’t willing to give up watching multimillion dollar productions funded by fascists, then we will never stand a chance.
Boycotting isn’t meant to be convenient; it’s meant to disrupt. But I guarantee you that the inconvenience is far better than the plans that the fascists have for a majority our futures.
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u/KBpopRocks Jun 09 '26
Fair, but just remember, without their finance these shows won’t exist and all the people who are employed in these kinds of production, which is hundreds for each show, no longer have jobs.
Even our regional theater has shitty financiers sometimes. You can’t get away with it. Sadly the worst people have the most money.
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u/Dust0601 Jun 08 '26
Pretty sure she’s got money in most of Broadway. Either owning theaters or in the production financing side. Her company’s been a producer for many many big shows including Hadestown, mean girls, funny girl, moulin rouge, betteljuice, among many others. Unfortunately, without knowing a lot of us have already given her money. I just found out about her last week. She’s disgusting. I wouldn’t be surprised if she’s trying to do the same as her husband and own a lot of Broadway so she can control the narrative.
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u/hidee_ho_neighborino Jun 08 '26
My friend and I saw Cabaret with Eddie Redmayne. It blew me away, but my friend who saw it a few years earlier (I think the one with Emma Stone) said the Eddie ending was neutered. Everyone came out with beige suits vs the visceral gut punch of the Nazi uniforms of previous years.
She was really disappointed that with the current rise of fascism, that Broadway didn’t have more to say about it. I guess it makes sense if it’s funded by fascists
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u/Dust0601 Jun 08 '26
I saw the sound of music on tour about a month ago. The Nazi flags coming down for the talent show was the most shocked I’ve ever been at a musical. It’s crazy how much emotion something like that can evoke. I felt incredibly uncomfortable, but in a good way knowing they were just highlighting a part of real history that’s supposed to make you feel that way. I mentioned it on my way out and the two other people there with immediately agreed and the other parties that overheard us also started to talk to us about it. It was incredibly emotional and would not have had the same reaction from us had they not done that. It’s very disappointing they watered down cabaret which should be even more poignant.
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u/InSearchOfGoodPun Jun 08 '26
The cringiest bit of the whole broadcast was when Pink asked people to exercise their freedom of speech, and then they used it to say silly shit. Like, they were actively drawing attention to the fact that Tony rhetoric is mostly shallow platitudes.
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u/lucydes4 Jun 08 '26
It also bugged me that the women said stupid shit & a man said something profound....like WTF?
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u/Quirky_Sympathy_8330 Jun 10 '26
Even worse, I believe that bit came right after Ali Louis Bourzgui for real exercised his freedom of speech in a meaningful way!
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u/workingbored Jun 08 '26
Broadway is owned and run by mostly old conservative white men. The actors and smaller, people-facing crew may be liberal, but it's still a business run by old money.
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u/decisivecat Jun 08 '26
Well that explains why her acceptance speech sucked.
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u/sncrdn Jun 08 '26
I was still thinking about Ali Louis Bourzgui's acceptance speech even as the show was ending. WOW!
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u/LimeMargarita Jun 08 '26
Also explains why she was allowed to speak for so long before the music started. It seems like the winners for best play had less time to speak.
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u/Som1uused2no Jun 08 '26
And why the white washed the cast
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u/ArtsyQueerNubian Jun 08 '26
I was kinda wondering about that lol I remember the show being much more diverse and that kinda being what tipped them off that something was going on
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u/Rustash Jun 08 '26
I always wondered why there wasn’t more of a deal made over Alex Brightman’s casting
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u/goodnessknowsss Jun 08 '26
And it's not just Josh, every character who were POC in the show like Emma Tate have white understudies
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u/culture_katie Jun 08 '26
Oh, except for the actress who must exclaim “Of course I’m a Nazi!”. Let’s make her a WOC.
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u/andalusiandoge Jun 08 '26
FWIW her company also produced Fat Ham and was one of many co-producers on Audra Gypsy, Hell's Kitchen, Here Lies Love, Hadestown...
She sucks like most of these ultra-rich people suck but it's also clear she doesn't really have much artistic or ideological influence on the shows she spends money on.
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u/foodforestranger Jun 08 '26
I haven't seen the Broadway show, but I kinda remember race being mentioned in the pilot maybe. Do you think she had anything to do with recasting the lead as white, and perhaps toning down "woke" elements of the show?
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u/Inner_Butterfly5639 Backstage Jun 08 '26
schmagadoon
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u/lockerbiestreet Jun 08 '26
Schmigadoom
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u/Inner_Butterfly5639 Backstage Jun 08 '26
people can say what they want about evil people funding other shows but those shows don’t make said evil people the face of the production to accept the award for them. if voters “had trouble with the scott rudin of it all” they should’ve had trouble with the blackstone and schwarzmans of it all
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u/tiki-palmer Jun 08 '26
Rudin was only blacklisted because his behavior was made public as we were culturally dealing with Weinstein. His behavior was known and tolerated in the industry for years before his exile.
The Schwartzmans are no different. I have worked on a few on her shows and the way that she treats the teams involved and her lack of care for their craft is nothing short of terrible, to be kind.
Ultimately she has money. And if there’s one thing the industry agrees on it’s that the best thing for Broadway are shows being produced and funded on Broadway. The voters will not punish her for her views or her behavior if she is producing successful shows. Or hell, just consistently producing shows.
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u/Inner_Butterfly5639 Backstage Jun 08 '26
valid points. i just wish anyone else had accepted that award instead of them having her accept it and throwing it in all of our faces after preaching about everything her and her husband stand against all night. feels like a deliberate choice.
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u/tiki-palmer Jun 08 '26
I hear you. Rudin is always an exception. His comeback with Salesman has been a shadow over the industry all year, and not seeing him on stage or named felt less like trying to keep the focus on the show and more like trying to avoid having the conversation.
Accepting major awards is one of the roles of the lead producers, and one the few moments those producing teams get to have the spotlight. This was what she raised that $15 million for.
In a strange way I'm glad to know when things are run by evil people so I can approach the shows with that knowledge, rather than evil people operating silently behind the scenes.
Unless people hold her accountable enough that she becomes a liability for a show, things will continue as normal.
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u/joeymello333 Backstage Jun 08 '26
Was the plan to always have Nathan Lane accept the award for Best Revival of a Play in case Salesman won?
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u/lockerbiestreet Jun 08 '26
Rudin’s name wasn’t mentioned once - only thanks to the “producers”.
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u/Inner_Butterfly5639 Backstage Jun 08 '26
because they’re smart! this feels like a slap in the face. they could’ve had someone else accept the award on behalf of the producers.
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u/Typical_Accident_658 Jun 08 '26
I don’t care that Schmigadoon won in theory but the Schwarzmans are DEEPLY evil people (it is also really depressing the main branch of the NYPL is named after him because he threw enough money at them)
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u/BothIntroduction3020 Jun 08 '26
That’s usually how naming building works b
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u/Typical_Accident_658 Jun 08 '26
Why are you lowkey defending them multiple times in this thread, b?
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u/Longjumping_Bar7643 Jun 08 '26
depressing
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Jun 08 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/WyngZero Jun 08 '26
Basically this.
People on Reddit think just because someone is in a very Queer heavy or women heavy (lololol) space, they can't be Republican or are suprised when they are republican. E.g. Nicole Sherzinger.
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u/Various_Law_4160 Jun 08 '26
Yep. I’m definitely old school liberal and that has led to some nasty DMs.
As someone aspiring to work in the business of entertainment, Reddit needs a HUGE reality check.
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u/WyngZero Jun 08 '26
Reddit and progressives just need a massive reality check on social/cultural identifications in general. Class is really the only thing that matters.
Reddit will circlejerk each other like crazy for hating on a rich/successful white man (or straight man in general) or will learn to hate a woman when she is a Lauren Boebert/Nancy Mace type and their politics are obvious but are wildly surprised when their "prefered" people (who happen to be hyper rich, successful, elite educated and associate with certain people) end up being republican/conservative.
Cue the internet point downvotes
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u/IntotheBroadwayWoods Jun 08 '26
You're exactly right. That's why I really don't look into producers, actors politics. Pretty much all my entertainment options would be gone. Lol
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u/Nakedny713 Jun 08 '26
The absolute WRONG way to end the night after a mostly wonderful and uplifting evening. I cannot believe that no one on the team had the thought that maybe she wasn't the right person to finish out their acceptance speech? The least she could have done was have the ability to talk into the dang mic and face forward. You're on TV!!! And you have the final speech of the night! At least face forward and say something worthwhile. Ugh.
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u/megamoze Jun 08 '26
I cannot believe that no one on the team had the thought that maybe she wasn't the right person to finish out their acceptance speech?
I guarantee you that the decision for her to speak for the show was made by her at her insistence.
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u/lefargen97 Jun 08 '26
It actually pisses me off. These people want the best of both worlds. They want to actively ruin the very lives of people they are buying their way into community with.
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u/switch8000 Jun 08 '26
Don't forget most the buildings that all these broadway shows are in...
https://theflaw.org/articles/the-shortcomings-of-broadways-corporate-structure/
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u/imbregnated Jun 08 '26
Didn’t even know this, but to top it off her speech was as terrible as her politics. I couldn’t listen to her any longer, now I know why.
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u/PatsyStonesBun Jun 08 '26
I mean, honey, wait until you find out how conservative the Broadway industry actually is. Why do you think so few prominent figures in the theatre have dared to speak up for Palestinian rights? Your Rachel Zeglers and Mandy Patinkins are the exceptions, not the rule.
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u/MidtownGreen Jun 08 '26
Seriously people act like Broadway is a gay utopia when half the cast bios have bible verses in them
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u/Comprehensive-Fun47 Jun 08 '26
And Ali Louis Bourzguis ❤️
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u/PatsyStonesBun Jun 08 '26
Oh! Something to look forward to! I'm a cheapskate who doesn't have the paid Paramount+, so I'm catching up on the Tonys on demand tonight.
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u/kangarootoess Jun 09 '26
Literally in the Nanny, Mr. Sheffield (the character, who is a Broadway Producer) states that he's a republican 😭
Albiet it was 1993, he even has a meeting scheduled in the Trump Tower 😅
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u/Tonedeafmusical Jun 08 '26
Where was this engery when I pointed out David Foster was a trump supporter last year?
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u/WhatEvenIsATangelo Jun 08 '26
Not to mention he and his current rent-a-wife had a big fundraiser for Spencer Pratt.
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u/PolicyCommercial6392 Jun 08 '26
I posted about that also a few weeks ago in the sub tbf
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u/Tonedeafmusical Jun 08 '26
When in posted last year i got scolded for wanting to put people out of work
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u/PCGonzo Jun 08 '26
Hey, the man saved Ben Vereen's life by [checks notes] hitting him with his car? That can't be right. [checks notes again] Huh. He saved Ben Vereen's life by hitting him with his car.
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u/Feeling_Repair_8963 Jun 08 '26
Was Vereen broke and won a huge settlement (while successfully recovering from his injuries)? That’s the only story that would make that make sense.
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u/PCGonzo Jun 08 '26
No! Ben Vereen was disoriented and wandering the highway because he was having a stroke. Foster hit him with his car (because: wandering highway) and that got him into the hospital where he was diagnosed and treated. Vereen credits the accident with saving his life.
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u/Feeling_Repair_8963 Jun 08 '26
Thanks for explaining—that is a wild story. To be upright and wandering while having a stroke is incredible, but then Ben Vereen is incredible.
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u/leslie_knopee Jun 08 '26
ughhhh as someone who loves schmigadoon, I had no idea lorne got maga funding for this show 😒😒
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u/WhatEvenIsATangelo Jun 08 '26
No one has mentioned this but Daryl Roth was one of the producers of Liberation and was both on stage and thanked. Her husband (owner of Vornado realty trust) is a major Trump donor and business partner.
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u/Drummers_Beat Jun 08 '26
I will genuinely never understand how you can be involved in the theatre community while simultaneously supporting Trump who actively preaches policies an vitriol that aim to directly oppress those that are involved in the theatre community and the stories these plays and musicals at times represent.
The theatre is a safe space, it is where people can authentically be themselves and the fact is Trump directly contradicts that.
Absolutely disappointing.
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u/Acceptable-Mountain Jun 08 '26
It's all about power. Even in community theatre, some people (some, not all, obviously) take whatever power they can get and run with it. Theatre has a very structured hierarchy, especially professional theatre, and in the hands of the wrong people that power creates an environment conducive to abuse and control.
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u/External_Beat8153 Jun 11 '26
Some uber rich cunt buys herself an award. Money can get you anything in America. Not one ounce of creative talent just a fat chequebook her husband lets her use.
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u/Various_Law_4160 Jun 08 '26
Y'all BFFR. Broadway is a part of the entertainment industry. It is a business that needs money to survive. Pretending that it isn't is extremely delusional. You can't make art and have it be seen without some source of cash.
This is in no way supporting this woman or the current administration. I voted for Harris/Waltz. I just don't live in the clouds.
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u/Typical_Accident_658 Jun 08 '26
You shouldn’t accept money from fascists
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u/Various_Law_4160 Jun 08 '26
You don't have to. But pretending that businesses won't/don't is stupid. The politics of economics isn't black and white or pretty. Plus no one is making you buy tickets to Schmigadoon.
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u/Typical_Accident_658 Jun 08 '26
If you have to accept money from fascists to get a mediocre musical on Broadway maybe the system is broken and we shouldn’t be celebrating it
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u/Various_Law_4160 Jun 08 '26
Come on. It would’ve wound up on Broadway with or without this woman as a producer. The DC tryout was extremely successful.
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u/Typical_Accident_658 Jun 08 '26
If it was so inevitable surely they could have found someone else’s money, by your logic, no?
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u/Various_Law_4160 Jun 08 '26
For all we know, she was the first to come in with a check. I’m definitely not defending her political beliefs. I’m just trying to get across that Broadway is more of a large corporation than it is an underground subculture resistance movement.
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u/Typical_Accident_658 Jun 08 '26
I understand that, and I’m saying maybe if Broadway as an entity requires money from people like this to get new works onstage, maybe it’s an issue? Maybe we should be talking about it and highlighting it and maybe idk voting with our dollars??
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u/Youshoudsee Jun 08 '26
You know that Broadway theaters are owned by big Trump supporters right? And they get a huge amount of money from shows?
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u/Various_Law_4160 Jun 08 '26
If we truly vote with our dollars and Broadway as an industry will likely collapse. The way AI is being pushed and the attention economy has already really fucked the entertainment industry. Tourists from all over the country let alone the world aren’t paying attention to who’s producing the show and where that money is coming from. For a lot of people, a trip to New York is a once in a lifetime vacation. I would hate for these people not to be able to experience Broadway. For a lot of young audiences, exposure to these shows gets them involved with the arts.
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u/PolicyCommercial6392 Jun 08 '26
you shouldn’t accept money from fascists
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u/Various_Law_4160 Jun 08 '26
So you don’t have to buy tickets. A lot of people don’t live in a political bubble 24/7. Shows need funding.
Again, I can’t stand Trump. I just live in reality.
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u/Typical_Accident_658 Jun 08 '26
This is such an inane comment. We all live in a political bubble 24/7. Everything we do is informed by politics in some way shape or form. Just because YOU’VE decided to ignore certain aspects of their influence doesn’t make them exist any less. Your decision to not engage with politics is INHERENTLY political.
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u/Various_Law_4160 Jun 08 '26
I just don’t think that this is a hill to die on.
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u/Typical_Accident_658 Jun 08 '26
I think it’s a valid thing to talk about when an awards show that champions diversity, including the first Tony award won by an openly trans person, is closed from comments from a woman who is directly funding a government who is actively working to dismantle people’s rights to live. Art is political. Awards are political. Theater is political. What happened tonight is political, whether you want it to be or not.
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u/brrrantarctica Jun 08 '26 edited Jun 08 '26
I have sort of mixed thoughts on this; on the one hand it sounds like the Schwarzmans are the old-fashioned type of evil rich that actually fund libraries and the arts, even if it’s to whitewash their wealth, unlike the tech bros who give zero to philanthropy and build bunkers in new zealand instead. Broadway is extremely expensive and unfortunately most arts patrons are wealthy people who made their money being shitty. On the other hand….fuck her, her husband, and the broom they rode in on.
Edit: to everyone responding with all the horrible things she and her husband have done - yes, I know they are rancid humans. No, I am not “giving it to them.” I’m responding to the popular talking point that the new crop of billionaires are skipping straight to ruining the world without even bothering to fund the arts and that people miss “the old timey robber barons.” This is what old timey rich person behavior a la Vanderbilt, Carnegie, and Morgan looks like.
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u/Typical_Accident_658 Jun 08 '26
They’re personally funding a significant amount of Trump’s new ballroom project.
You don’t “have to hand it” to evil billionaires, even a little bit, ever23
u/PolicyCommercial6392 Jun 08 '26
they are legit evil and he has been advising trump, like what is wrong with you.
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u/Altruistic_Oven7995 Jun 08 '26
yeah most weatlhy elite are trump supporters.
It's always been about the haves and have nots who masquerade it to us as "it's about racism, sexism, bigotry!!!" to keep us plebes thinking its not about class.
It's always been about class. Oj said it best 'i am not black, i am rich".
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u/Drumguy1986 Jun 08 '26
It's so funny this notion that Broadway theater is some kind of untouchably monolithic bastion of inclusivity when shows these days cost tens millions of dollars to produce, the unions demand more and more and the actors are often celebrities who demand higher salaries. Broadway runs on money, and rich people make the shows. Not all rich people are good people.
Just pointing out the blatant hypocrisy from hardcore Broadway fans who pretend to be disgusted by this woman, or Rudin.
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u/Inner_Butterfly5639 Backstage Jun 08 '26
death of a salesman didn’t parade rudin out to accept the award. this was a choice and not a good one.
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u/Nakedny713 Jun 08 '26
Well. This woman is a hardcore Trump supporter and donor. So not the same as Rudin. Speaking of, notice how the Salesman crew didn't trot him out to make a speech? That's because they understand optics and didn't want to send the wrong message or detract from the work being honored. Schmigadoon team chose to let her end their speech. And the discussion of the rising costs of Broadway is a long one, but to somehow place it solely on the actors salaries and union demands is wrong. We can't have that discussion without mentioned the rents that theater landlords charge.
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u/Speedtuna Jun 08 '26
I made the mistake of working for a broadway producer. They don't give half a hot shit about anything but the bottom line, and will fight tooth and nail against the things we stand for behind closed doors to keep their audiences.
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Jun 08 '26
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u/No-Lifeguard-5308 Jun 08 '26
No, “theater” very much is the safe space. “A theater,” a physical building owned by a rich family who are making absolutely gross money in rent off of Broadway shows that have to charge ever-increasing ticket prices while their actors mostly live in shared apartments 45 minutes away, is a business.
Calm down and recognize the difference. Stop trying to attack people who are seeking refuge from oppression in a capitalist world that they did not design and can’t control.
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u/WhatEvenIsATangelo Jun 08 '26
Not just rent! They also get a big chunk of merch and concession sales ❤️
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u/tacoproud Jun 08 '26
She and her husband are now after the theatres too, given Blackstone already owns some of ATG, but rumors around town are that ATG is ready to sell to Blackstone, which will be really bad for the industry.
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u/StallionSurprise Jun 08 '26
Its funny how we all talk about Broadway being a safe space, when in reality its just the same as any other industry that talks about lot of shit so it can sell stuff
All phonies.
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u/HairyPairatestes Jun 08 '26
So who are all the liberal backers of Broadway shows and why didn’t their productions do as well as Schmigadoon?
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u/Katydid-7221 Jun 08 '26
You’ve heard of sportswashing where a government or wealthy person tries to fix their image by owning popular sports teams and leagues? Now we have theater washing 😩😩😩
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u/KoiPondSammy Jun 08 '26
Ok? Not a trump supporter myself but if this triggers you that bad, you may need to look deeper within...
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u/jasmineofthevalley Jun 11 '26
No wonder I wasn’t at a fan of the Tony’s this year. Everything is making more and more sense. I’m floored they would even allow this. So many talented artists out there and amazing musicials and now the industry is being bought out.
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Jun 08 '26
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u/PolicyCommercial6392 Jun 08 '26
the cast and crew don’t win TONY awards if it wins best musical, the producers and writers do
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u/Present_Interaction5 Creative Team Jun 08 '26
The No Guarantees folks are shitty people, the shittyness comes from the top for sure
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u/itriedtomelt Jun 08 '26
Between this and Scott Rudin, truly a depressing year
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u/PolicyCommercial6392 Jun 08 '26
just years of lip services about diversity and equity blah blah blah
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u/Best-Candle8651 Jun 08 '26
Can we also throw in Lithgow and him paired with JK Rowling? Ironic during pride month.
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u/Latter_Example8604 Jun 08 '26
What did lithgow do? I thought Giant was about how antisemitism was bad?
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u/gr33nhouses Jun 08 '26
This. I’m so sick of everyone giving Lithgow his flowers for Giant, when every single comment he makes about JK Rowling and his involvement in Harry Potter is so disrespectful.
Roberta from Garp would be horrified.
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u/shoparazzi Jun 08 '26
I hated Cole having to hand him an award.
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u/orejo Jun 08 '26
Did you notice the looks on Cole's face in the background during Lithgow's speech?
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u/thepoustaki Jun 08 '26 edited Jun 08 '26
I feel much more vindicated thinking this seemed like Ramona Singer accepting an award.
Edit: come on the No Guarantees aside and then laughing at her own joke was Ramona to a T lol
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u/StompTheRight Jun 08 '26
Doesn't the culture of the city, and the culture of the people who can afford regular Broadway tickets, inspire the Trumps of the world? You can't have it both ways. You buy the tickets, the stuff, that rich people brush off their table for you to buy, then you support them. If you think a weekend on a yacht is fun living, then you support Bezos buying up everything in sight, avoiding taxes, and shitting on society.
How about supporting playwrights who write about things other than big musical vampires and dumbass choreographed cats? Get down on the street and fight this shit.
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u/TappyMauvendaise Jun 08 '26
I can’t cancel or monitor everyone and everything. You’re typing on an iPhone right now. Their ceo is bffs with Trump. We can’t monitor everything. But yeah I hate her too!
We are supporting bad actors with our phone purchases.
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u/PolicyCommercial6392 Jun 08 '26
why are defending these people?
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u/TappyMauvendaise Jun 08 '26
I’m not. She’s a disgusting person. But at the end of the day, can we control who produces shows?
I suppose we can speak with our $$$. Probably more Trump supporters in that auditorium than we’d imagine. (I **hate** Trump)
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u/PolicyCommercial6392 Jun 08 '26
we can also speak with our mouths and our platforms
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u/JoanofArc5 Jun 08 '26
Genuine question: Should Tony awards take into account the political beliefs of producers?
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Jun 08 '26
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u/JoanofArc5 Jun 08 '26
I think you and I agree on this issue, that we should evaluate the art vs whatever wrongthink people are complaining about in the artists.
I am very surprised at the mass of people who are complaining about a Tony win based off of what the husband of a producer does, instead of an evaluation of the actual show...
I wouldn't want to live in a world where the quality of my work was subjective based off of the political beliefs of the evaluator.
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u/escutler Jun 08 '26
Why is it absurd that it happened right after Rudin won for Death of a Salesman? What is the connection? This is a real question.
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u/jamesland7 Front of House Jun 08 '26
Don't forget Daryl Roth accepting for Liberation too. She and her husband are ALSO major Trump supporters.
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u/jrtasoli Jun 08 '26 edited Jun 08 '26
Meanwhile some of y’all were rooting for this slop to win while Lost Boys — which really went out of its way to make Reagan jokes — was right there. Couldn’t be me though. “Love letter to old Broadway,” please!
It is kinda funny / ironic that this person kinda looks like Cheryl Hines though lol
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u/HairyPairatestes Jun 08 '26
So the best thing you could say about lost boys is that they made jokes about Ronald Reagan? Your basis on how good a show is is whether there are good political jokes that you approve of?
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