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An Ohio school district abruptly canceled a high school musical that features an appearance by a Jesus character and a pair of gay dads, citing "vulgarity" in the play.
Former Broadway hit "The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee" was reportedly pulled from production at Cardinal High School after several complaints over its content.
"The Cardinal Local School District has decided that its spring musical production will not be ‘The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee,'" Cardinal Local Schools superintendent Jack Cunningham said in a statement, according Fox 8. "Its dialogue and song lyrics contain vulgarity and are therefore not suitable for our pre-teen and teenage students in an educational setting."
One mom, an assistant director for the musical, said she heard of three complaints, which were brought to Cunningham's attention and relayed to the production team before the show was officially canceled.
"There were concerns about the language in one of the songs," Mandi Matchinga, a mom of a senior at Cardinal High School, told Fox 8. "There was a concern about Jesus appearing in the show and there was a complaint about the fact that two of the parents were gay."
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Entrance to Cardinal High School in Ohio.? (Google Maps)
The musical comedy first hit Broadway in 2005 and went on to win two Tony Awards, including for best book of a musical that same year.
Matchinga said prior to the play's cancellation, changes were made to some of the dialogue in the play to make it more appropriate for kids, and that permission slips were ready to be signed for a special middle school student viewing, Fox 8 reported.
Actress Victoria Clark, left, poses with the award for Best Performance By A Leading Actress In A Musical, for "The Light In The Piazza", actor Norbert Leo Butz, center, poses with the award for Best Performance By A Leading Actor In A Musical, for "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels", and actor Dan Fogler poses with the award for Best Performance By A Featured Actor In A Musical, for "The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee", in the press room at the 59th Annual Tony Awards at Radio City Music Hall June 5, 2005 in New York City. (Evan Agostini/Getty Images)
"Now they’re using the word vulgar instead of family-friendly," Matchinga told the outlet. "What is vulgar? What exactly are the issues you have with this show and can we sit and come to some sort of compromise and agreement?"
The superintendent said the musical had not been approved by the district administration nor the school board. The school board ultimately made the decision to pull the plug on the musical and published a statement this week citing its anti-discrimination policy in response to claims the musical was canceled because of the gay characters, according News 5 Cleveland.
"As is spelled out in more detail in Board Policy 2240, the district believes that the consideration of controversial issues has a legitimate place in the instructional program of our schools," the school board said.
"However, the district wants its student productions to be something that community members of all ages may enjoy without adult supervision. In all aspects of its operations, the district vigorously enforces its prohibition against discriminatory harassment based on race, color, national origin, sex (including sexual orientation and gender identity), disability, age, religion, ancestry, or genetic information. Anyone suggesting otherwise is simply mistaken."
The cancellation has since spurred outrage and disappointment from some on Broadway, including from the original authors of the musical.
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The Reverend Al Sharpton, top right, performs with the cast of the hit musical "The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee" during a performance of a number by the cast at the American Theatre Wing's 59th Annual Tony Awards at Radio City Music Hall in New York, June 5, 2005. (REUTERS/Jeff Christensen MS/TC)
Playwright Rachel Sheinkin reached out to the production team at the school and said the original authors would rewrite sections school leaders find "vulgar" if the school board identifies what exactly they find offensive.
"Specific words are easy to change to match the community’s needs. It sounds like this could be a mask for other issues and that by now you’ve moved on to considering other shows. But know that you and your students have our sympathy and support," Sheinkin wrote in an email, according to Matchinga.
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Actor Jesse Tyler Ferguson, of "Modern Family" fame and who was an original cast member of the "The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee," lamented the cancellation on Instagram.
Jesse Tyler Ferguson attends the 2022 Gotham Awards at Cipriani Wall Street on Nov. 28, 2022 in New York City. (Dia Dipasupil/WireImage)
"I’m heartbroken for you," he told the students.
"Definitely more than one person at this school is gay or lesbian or bisexual. The message that that sends to them that this is not ‘family appropriate’ or ‘family friendly’ is toxic and harmful and kind of abusive."
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Fox News Digital reached out to Superintendent Cunningham for comment on what specifically was deemed "vulgar" in the play, but did not immediately receive a reply.
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