Alexandra Billings, Cameron Mackintosh. Via Shutterstock.
Actress Alexandra Billings applauded acclaimed theater producer Cameron Mackintosh for his comments regarding the casting of transgender actors as cisgender characters on stage.
Mackintosh, the dynamo producer behind hit hits such as Les Misérables, Mary Poppins and Phantom of the Opera called the potential cast of a transgender woman like Mary Poppins a “gimmick cast,” and said it would ” trying to force something that isn t natural “in an interview with British media outlet The Telegraph.
Billings, never one to hold back, took to Instagram to issue a stern rebuttal.
“Sir Cameron,” Billings wrote, “I play Madame Morrible on Wicked on Broadway. I’m trans and started my transition in 1980 when it was illegal to do so. I am now a very small part of a very powerful moment, every time I set foot in the land of Oz. It is not lost on me. Especially at 59 and having now survived this, my second viral plague. The first, took almost every member of the Trans family I had in the 1980s. AIDS has stifled our survival for generations to come. And it still resonates today.
“I’m an actor,” Billings continued. “I am Mame and I am Madame Rose. I’m Miss Hannigan and I’m Annie Oakley and I’m Fantine… although if that ever happens I’ll sing it in the key of Elaine Stritch, and everyone has to be okay with that… But I follow these stories because that I am part of human tissue and no one has the right to take that away from me. Not the police who arrested me, not the company who avoided me,… and not you, who tagged me. I am an actor, Mr. Mackintosh, not a gadget.
“And just to be clear; Billings continued, “You don’t have to make room for me.” I take my own space and it was given to me by a power much greater and more powerful than you. Suggesting that there need to be more roles and more plays for transgender artists doesn’t make you a revolutionary. It makes you human. It’s just common sense. We will create this space with or without your consent.
“And please try to remember,” Billings added, “trans people have been in theater for as long as there has been theater. We’ve been playing these musical roles in theater for centuries. The only difference is now we’re becoming visible. And it’s scary. It’s upsetting. It’s about you and your fear and the fear of many others, but it’s not about the trans community And while I understand that, my job on the planet is not to hold your hand during your years of societal conditioning. I’m busy. I have lines to learn.
“Instead of proclaiming all the things that cannot be done,” Billing concluded, “how about filling the music of the universe with things that can be done. What is possible is always divinely blessed. us. Honor us. And I hope you will find your own story in something new you never knew existed.
After the backlash, Mackintosh took to Twitter to clarify his comments.
“A reporter recently asked me if I would consider making the character of Mary Poppins (not the actor playing the role) a transgender woman,” Mackintosh said. “Unfortunately, my response was misinterpreted to suggest that I am opposed to the idea of choosing a transgender performer to play the role. This is absolutely not true! I just wanted to say that as a producer I would not neglect the PL author. Through original intention for the character. To be clear, the fact that a person is trans does not affect their suitability to play a part in any of my shows, including Mary Poppins, as long as they can play the part as it is. writing. I am very sorry for any distress caused by my distorted remarks. “
“Trans actors,” Mackintosh concluded, “are invited to submit an audition for any of my productions, what matters is what always matters: talent and storytelling. I have long been and I will continue to be a supporter of diversity and casting for my projects around the world.
Alexandra Billings has become one of the world’s foremost transgender actresses on stage and on screen. In 2020, she became the very first openly transgender actress to land on Broadway when she took on the role of Madame Morrible in Wicked. She continued with a recurring role on the ABC sitcom The Conners, where her role proved so popular that producers extended it beyond her original two-episode series.
