Tony-winning Hell’s Kitchen star Kecia Lewis has demanded an apology from Broadway legend Patti LuPone after she called the musical “too loud” and requested several of the production’s sound cues be adjusted.
In a lengthy video posted to Instagram on Sunday (November 3), Lewis, who currently stars in the Broadway musical loosely based on Alicia Keys’s life, addressed LuPone’s “offensive” and “bullying behavior.”
Clarifying that the open letter was her feelings – not the rest of the show’s cast, crew or producer – Lewis began by saying LuPone “contacted our theater owner about changing a couple of our sound cues” because she “found them to be too loud.”
LuPone, 75, currently stars in the Broadway play The Roommate alongside Mia Farrow at the Shubert Theatre, which shares a wall with the Booth Theatre where Hell’s Kitchen is playing.
“After our sound design was adjusted, [you] sent flowers to our sound and stage management team thanking them,” Lewis continued.
Lewis then shared a fan-filmed clip of LuPone refusing to sign a Hell’s Kitchen playbill because the show is “too loud,” Lewis said: “These actions, in my opinion, are bullying; they’re offensive; they’re racially microaggressive; they’re rude; they’re rooted in privilege, and these actions also lack a sense of community and leadership for someone as yourself who has been in the business as long as you have.
“I want to explain what a microaggression is,” Lewis added. “These are subtle, unintentional comments or actions that convey stereotypes, biases or negative assumptions about someone based on their race. Microaggressions can seem harmless or minor, but can accumulate and cause significant stress or discomfort for the recipient. Examples include calling a Black show loud in a way that dismisses it.”
She continued: “In our industry, language holds power and shapes perception, often in ways that we may not immediately realize. Referring to a predominantly Black Broadway show as loud can unintentionally reinforce harmful stereotypes, and it also feels dismissive of the artistry and the voices that are being celebrated on stage. Comments like these can be seen as racial microaggressions, which have a real impact on both artists and audiences.”
Lewis went on to call out LuPone for sending “thank you” flowers, saying that while the gesture “may appear courteous, it was dismissive and out of touch, especially following a formal complaint that you made that resulted in the changes that impacted our entire production, primarily the people who have to go out on stage and perform.”
“Performative gestures are also bullying,” she explained, “and what I mean by that is by sending thank you flowers after impacting the production can be perceived as disingenuous, particularly if it sidesteps meaningful dialog or resolution.”
“I’d like to offer a couple of thoughtful questions for veterans such as yourself and including myself,” she concluded. “How can I ensure that my feedback or my concerns are communicated in a way that is constructive and also, most importantly, respectful? How can I use my platform and experience to support diverse show teams promoting the idea that every production brings unique value to Broadway?”
LuPone’s representative told The Independent the actor had no comment on Lewis’s video message; however, they said it is her overall policy not to sign playbills of other productions.
Lewis earned her first Tony Award in June for her role as Miss Liza Jane in Hell’s Kitchen, which is loosely based on Keys’s upbringing in New York City.
