Actor and singer Ben Platt forcefully denounced antisemitic protesters who held demonstrations outside the performance of his new Broadway play, "Parade."
Platt called the scene caused by the protesters "definitely very ugly and scary" in a social media post after Tuesday evening's show. He claimed the antisemitic group was "spreading evil."
Parade’s producers also weighed in on the protest, remarking on the "vileness" of the demonstrators' and their cause.
WITH ANTISEMITISM ON THE RISE, AMERICAN JEWISH GROUPS AIM TO TAKE A STAND AGAINST THREATS
The play, starring Platt in the main role, is based on the story of Leo Frank, a Jewish American man who was falsely accused of murder and was lynched in Georgia in the 1910s.
His lynching on false charges would inspire the formation of the Anti-Defamation League.
Though the demonstrators outside the play’s first preview performance on Tuesday evening expressed their belief that Frank wasn’t so innocent.
In a video shared by journalist Jake Wasserman to Twitter Tuesday, members of a neo-Nazi group, "the National Socialist Movement," could be seen approaching audience members waiting in line to see the play and telling them they had paid money to see a play about a "pedophile."
During the clip, a masked man told theatergoers, "You’re paying $300 to go f---ing worship a pedophile."
Another protester could be heard shouting in the background, "Romanticizing pedophiles! Wow! Leo Frank!"
Platt caught wind of the demonstrators after the performance on social media. Horrified by the scene, he posted a video to Instagram denouncing it.
"I got off stage and was looking at social media and naturally, the news of the fact that there were some protesters at our show had spread a lot and that's kind of the stamp on the evening in terms of the public perception of the evening," he said.
The actor called the group "really disgusting" and accused them of spreading "antisemitic rhetoric."
He also expressed disappointment that the group tarnished the opening night experience for him, saying, "I felt that I just wanted the button on the evening, at least for me personally, to be to celebrate what a beautiful experience it is and what gorgeous work all my wonderful colleagues did tonight, not the really ugly actions of a few people who are spreading evil."
Parade’s producers weighed in on the spectacle as well in a statement given to theater-centric news outlet "Playbill."
"If there is any remaining doubt out there about the urgency of telling this story in this moment in history, the vileness on display tonight should put it to rest. We stand by the valiant Broadway cast that brings this vital story to life each night," they said.
