Arts community rocked by Queensland Theatre cancellation due to mystery illness
By Nick Dent
In Brisbane’s latest arts bombshell, Queensland Theatre has cancelled the entire three-week run of a show, citing cast illness.
POTUS, or Behind Every Great Dumbass Are Seven Women Trying to Keep Him Alive, is a comedy by US playwright Selina Fillinger centred on the staff of a fictional US president.
POTUS cast members in rehearsal: Paula Arundell, Jodie Le Vesconte, Amy Ingram, Christen O’Leary, and Emily Burton, Emily Liu.Credit: Stephen Henry
The production’s opening night was postponed a few days ago due to reported cast illness, but on Friday, the show was cancelled in its entirety.
“Last night the difficult decision was taken by the Board of Queensland Theatre to cancel our season of POTUS… due to health issues impacting some of our wonderful cast,” the company announced on social media and in an email to ticket holders.
“The entire company are heartbroken for you, our audience and supporters, as we always want to deliver the outstanding theatre experiences you love and deserve. However, the wellbeing of our cast, creatives and crew is our top priority,” the statement said.
When this masthead reached out to Queensland Theatre, a spokesperson said specific details about cast members and health issues were not available due to “privacy and safety measures”.
“The timing of these health issues and the timeframe surrounding rehearsals for this production unfortunately made it difficult to recast to the standards held by Queensland Theatre,” the spokesperson said.
The play, a White House farce with an all-female cast, has off-stage characters resembling former US president Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton and Hunter Biden.
The plot involves a sex scandal, drugs, a presidential faux pas, and an assassination attempt.
“In response to inquiry from Brisbane Times, the decision to cancel had nothing to do with the current political state of affairs in the United States or the recent assassination attempt against the former US president,” the Queensland Theatre spokesperson said.
The play, which was nominated for three Tony Awards, has separate productions scheduled for Seattle and Cleveland in the US later in the year.
The Queensland Theatre cancellation adds to the company’s woes in a year that has also seen the resignation of artistic director Lee Lewis.
Lewis is the director of the cancelled production of POTUS.
The news comes during a difficult week for the arts in Queensland, with Queensland Ballet artistic director Leanne Benjamin resigning after just five months in the role.
Queensland Theatre’s next production, Dear Brother, opens on September 7.