Actor Geno Segers will no longer join Broadway’s Hadestown just days after being announced as the show’s next Hades. The decision came after older online comments and videos linked to Segers resurfaced.
Why did Geno Segers leave Hadestown?
Earlier this week, Hadestown producers announced Segers would join the musical’s new principal cast beginning September 1 at Broadway’s Walter Kerr Theatre.
However, on Sunday, the production announced that Segers would no longer be joining the show.
The producers said in a statement, “The producers of Hadestown and Geno Segers have mutually agreed that Mr. Segers will no longer join the Broadway production. Additional casting will be announced shortly,” as per Deadline.
Producers did not give a reason for his exit, but his casting had faced backlash after old social media posts resurfaced in which he allegedly made anti-trans comments, as per EW.
According to OnStage blog, Segers posted videos titled “TRANS FAIRNESS?”, “NO MORE TRANS?” and “HE… I MEAN SHE BROKE THE RECORD,” in which he spoke against trans women competing in women’s sports and mocked the practice of sharing pronouns.
As per Parade, the posts included comments critics described as anti-transgender, including his views on pronoun usage and transgender athletes competing in women’s sports.
Segers has since made his Instagram account private and removed videos from his YouTube channel.
Also Read: Who is Jordan Salinas? 5 things to know about the ‘hero’ bystander who confronted Idaho shooter Chad Williams
Who is Geno Segers?
Segers’ stage credits include “On the Town” and playing Mufasa in Disney’s Australian production of “The Lion King”. He is also known to TV audiences for roles in “Banshee,” “Pair of Kings” and “Yellowstone”. His other TV credits include “Teen Wolf,” “Longmire,” “Castle” and “Perfect Harmony”
Also Read: ‘Already a failure’: Netizens torch Mullin over immigration remarks, call out ‘gaslighting’
What is Hadestown about?
“Hadestown” is a Tony Award-winning musical written by Anais Mitchell that blends the Greek myths of Orpheus and Eurydice with the story of Hades and Persephone, as per Variety. The show explores love, hope and sacrifice through folk and jazz music, as per Parade.
The new principal cast, set to begin September 1 at Broadway’s Walter Kerr Theatre, includes Kayko as Orpheus, Jasmin Savoy Brown as Eurydice, Norbert Leo Butz as Hermes, and Amber Iman as Persephone. A replacement for Hades has not yet been announced.
Amber Iman, who was set to play Persephone opposite Segers, addressed his exit in an Instagram Stories post on Sunday. “I wasn’t posting, But I was not quiet,” Iman said, hinting that she had raised concerns behind the scenes. “Sometimes you gotta get off social media and demand answers. Cuz I’ll be damned if my ‘husband’ is a clown and we’re not at the circus. ONWARD.”