LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: The award ceremonies have lately turned into a podium for voicing one’s dissent against the established norms and orders. Such a tradition was followed once again at the 76 Annual Tony Awards which celebrates and awards performances in theatre. ‘Parade', a Broadway musical starring Ben Platt and Micaela Diamond follows a young Jewish couple struggling to make a life in the old red hills of Georgia. Given its robust run on Broadway, ‘Parade’s’ director Michael Arden was awarded the ‘Best Director of Musical’ at the recently concluded Tony Awards.
Taking the stage at United Palace in New York’s Washington Heights, Arden thanked all the people who made ‘Parade’ possible. But before he could end his speech, Arden took the conversation to a larger ground and addressed themes of antisemitism, white supremacy, homophobia, transphobia, and any other intolerance. While he was speaking, there was a brief moment when the sound went off live air and as it returned, the cheers of the crowd were bigger than ever. Arden continued his speech and asked the audience to keep raising their voices against any intolerance. However his words, “Growing up, I was called the f-word more times than I can remember, and now I’m a f***** with a Tony!” were censored by the channel. Netizens cheered and appreciated Arden’s daring words after they learned of them but weren’t impressed with the antics of CBS.
‘That is what CBS decided we were not allowed to hear’
It’s a tricky situation for the broadcaster to decide whether to allow a certain statement on air or not, and given that a program is live, the task becomes enormous. When Arden was delivering the speech, CBS decided to bleep it. This act was taken as intolerant behavior on the part of the people watching the show and went against everything that Arden was advocating. The netizens used the power of Twitter to make their voices heard again. One user wrote, “I hear that Michael Arden said that growing up he was called the F word more times than he could count, but now "I'm a f**got with a Tony!" That is what CBS, in its infinite wisdom, decided we were not allowed to hear.”
Another wrote, “Ridiculous censoring of a message that needs to be heard on repeat.” A user had a pertinent question for the broadcaster. “Who was CBS protecting? The people who insulted Arden in the first place?” while another user was stunned. “THAT'S what was bleeped???? Give me a f**king break.” A user reminded the broadcaster that their act was committed during the ongoing Pride month. “CBS cutting the sound when Michael Arden called himself a "f**got with a tony"....during PRIDE MONTH....” CBS will continue to receive a lot of backlash for its act of censoring Arden’s words but given the broadcasting policies, their decision may just save themselves from the wrath of communities that Arden mentioned in his speech.
What is Michael Arden’s 'Parade' about?
As per the official synopsis on paradebroadway.com, ‘Parade’ tells the story of Leo and Lucille Frank, a newlywed Jewish couple struggling to make a life in the old red hills of Georgia. When Leo is accused of an unspeakable crime, it propels them into an unimaginable test of faith, humanity, justice, and devotion. Riveting and gloriously hopeful, 'Parade’ reminds us that to love, we must truly see one another.
