School boards in Ohio and Florida, among other places, have been in the news for canceling their high schools’ musicals, though one in Ohio eventually backtracked. The Post’s resident satirist, Alexandra Petri, found school board notes on other musicals, as she wrote in her May 4 commentary, “Why your school board will object to your high school musical.”
Readers chimed in with their own suggestions for why eager school boards might ban other musicals. Here’s a sampling. (Responses have been edited for length, clarity and brevity.)
sba123: “The Sound of Music” incorrectly portrays the cultural shift in Austria as bad. Implies that is it better to run away than arm up. Maria is not a real mother.
Russell Malahowski: “My Fair Lady” makes fun of wealthy people and implies that they use the poor for their own gains, as if that has ever happened, and is about two gay bachelors. “The Producers” paints Hitler in a bad light when he was just misunderstood and is about two gay Jewish producers. “Mister Roberts” is another play about a bunch of men living together — another gay play!
williaea: “Cinderella.” The state does not have a right to intervene unless it involves transgender treatment.
The Unk: “A Christmas Story” shows Ralphie dressing up like a bunny rabbit, reeking of trans-bestiality. Also, the leg lamp wasn’t clothed down to the ankle. Disallowed.
lenore connellee (to The Unk): However, it glorifies guns. Dad had a gun when he was a kid and by God, his son is getting one too, no matter what the little woman says. Sounds perfect.
Plan 17: In “Angels in America,” the angels were mean enough — but to the wrong people.
Dombey: And “Peter Pan”? A teen in a dress flying around and singing about Never, Never Land and tossing around “fairy dust”? The pirates are made out to be villains. And what’s going on with the Tiger Lily character? I don’t think so.
The_Blind_Life: The slavery in “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat” might conjure thoughts of critical race theory. The dreams must be witchcraft, and that technicolor dreamcoat will make students — *gasp* — gay.
RAWWAR: “Inherit the Wind” was a mighty blow against early 20th-century woke-ism and has a character based on the greatest populist presidential candidate ever (William Jennings Bryan). Need to tone down the fancy-pants lawyer from the North. The jury delivered the most righteous verdict, but the wimp of a judge didn’t hand out a stern enough sentence. With those minor modifications in place, this one would be good to go.
willie_mctell: “Kiss Me Kate” is cynical misogyny.
rmorillo: Another reason for banning “West Side Story”: The song “America” suggests there should be an open-border policy.
Calagax: “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street” shows how great capitalism can be for a skilled barber and his baker friend.
Paul in MN: “Finian’s Rainbow” encourages racial harmony and shows romance between a human girl and a leprechaun. Can’t have that.
mikeylongbeach: “It’s a Wonderful Life”: An imperfect Angel? Keep the title, lose the play.
AnjasPapa: “My Three Angels”: These are convicts! (Though it does show “creative bookkeeping,” so there’s that.)
Joe John: “The Music Man” is good because he is a grifter who tries to steal people’s money on false pretense. That’s capitalism!
Kate June (to Joe John): However, Harold Hill repents at the end, makes sure the townspeople are happy with their purchases and falls in love with the librarian who saw through his con from Day 1.
Highland Scottie (to Joe John): But he gets outwitted by a woman (a single mother, no less). No dice!
Steve Paradis: “Annie Get Your Gun” Would that all musicals show the positive growth achieved through the use of firearms!
LeBoomBoom (to Steve Paradis): But it promotes gender equality.
DenverBloke2 (to LeBoomBoom): Oh, dear! Better make it “Arnie, Get Your Gun!”
JoeT1: “Anything Goes” is toast. Lyrics include “silly gigolos” and “I get no kick from cocaine.”
“Man of La Mancha” depicts the consequences of mental illness and depicts the Inquisition in a negative light.
Sophia: “Damn Yankees” includes devil worship and Lola, that seductress!
Bemused Observer: “Evita” is an encouraging portrayal of what can be accomplished through one-party rule. Unfortunately, the show is spoiled by placing a female in a position of power. This show should have been about her husband and renamed “Juan.”
“La Cage aux Folles” is full of gay people who seem to be having a good time. Normalizes perversion. Plus the foreign title implies it is okay to speak languages other than English. Just, no!
Referee59: In “Fiddler on the Roof,” poor immigrants breaking up their family to immigrate and improve their lives! Just no!
And one final comment to put it in perspective:
ToniAJ: Before you think this is satire, let me tell you a story from here in Florida. I am a member of an orchestra that holds three concerts per year, the last being a classical concert. We received the music to practice, and it included “Danse Bacchanale” from “Samson and Delilah.” After learning the piece, I was shocked to learn they removed it from the program because the venue we are scheduled to play in was a Catholic church. It was deemed “inappropriate.” Mind you, Samson and Delilah appear in the Bible. There are no words to the piece, no dancing, no actors — just the music. Most people don’t even know who wrote it, let alone remember the movie or play. So, yes, certain music will be banned.