Renowened Broadway producer Sir Cameron Mackintosh recently unloaded a wave of honest comments to a U.K. news site declaring that he opposes transgender casting in classic shows that doesn't requeire them because they are just pure "gimmick casting". He added that such irrational decision would "damage the integrity of the original storylines".
In an interview with The Telegraph, Mackintosh was specifically referring to his musical Mary Poppins and emphasized that the title role cannot be played by a trans woman because the character is not trans in the first place.
"You can't implant something that is not inherently there in the story or character, that's what I think. Just to do that, that becomes gimmick casting. It's trying to force something that isn't natural.
He added that PL Travers' tale "was not about that, that was not the story of that family".
Mackintosh then went on to state that he supports the inclusion of trans characters in new works or other works that would be potentially inclusive but that writers and composers should create diverse roles for performers rather than change established pieces.
While the conversation centered on Mary Poppins, it’s unclear if he was also referring to his other hits such as The Phantom of the Opera, Les Misérables, or Cats.
But Mackintosh also stressed that he supports diversity and inclusion when it comes to BIPOC performers and his "proud" of his track record when it comes to casting them in his shows which also include the West End's Hamilton.
"It's our job to tell the story with the best talent. I'm thrilled with the amount of people I have been able to bring, from all walks of life and all colours of the rainbow, to my shows," he said.
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