Charlie D’Amelio and Broadway: Disaster or Gain?

Charlie D'Amelio and Broadway: Disaster or Gain?

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When I buy Broadway tickets, I always look at the actors before I go. Usually, I don’t know many of the names of those who perform except for a few big Broadway stars – like when I saw Ben Platt in the show (my friend won a contest and I saw him for $40) or when I saw Jordan Fisher in Hadestown (my favorite Broadway musical to this day). However, I don’t go to Broadway for the celebrities, but to see a show with a hard-working and enthusiastic cast. So you can imagine my annoyance and slight shock when I heard that TikTok star Charli D’Amelio was joining the cast of & Juliet on Broadway.

For those of you who have not heard of this musical, Juliet is a continuation of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet except that Juliet does not die at the end; Instead, she wakes up and continues living her life. The show makes use of Juliette making her own decisions while using popular songs like Kelly Clarkson’s “Since U Been Gone” and NSYNC’s “I Want It That Way.” Charli D’Amelio will not be joining as Juliet, but will be in the company as a dancer. So what is the problem with this, and is there a problem at all? I fear for the show considering other times Broadway has deemed a person’s level of fame more important than whether they have enough talent for the role. Just before the coronavirus hit, the Broadway musical Mean Girls decided to cast Renee Rapp in the role of Regina George (a great choice, as her career soared and excelled in the role) alongside Vine and YouTube star Cameron Dallas as Aaron Rodgers (less than that). Great choice). It is certain that the producers chose Cameron without knowing whether he could sing or act, because once it became clear that he lacked any musical talent, they took away the parts of the songs in which he had to sing. They actually took lines from him because Dallas trying to sing the notes was more dangerous than just not singing the lines. It was infuriating not only for those who went to see a great performance, but also for people like me who understand how much work some of the band members put into this show. Watching someone have the honor of playing a role on Broadway, principal or ensemble, because of fame rather than talent is dream-crushing.

Back to Charli D’Amelio and the question I was asking myself and I’m sure many other people were asking themselves as well: Did she really get this role, or was it her TikTok fame that got her to Broadway in the first place? Even though I just made some rants about Broadway celebrities, I have to say, I think she deserved her role in some part. I’m not going to lie, I think her fame actually had something to do with her getting this role. However, she has been practicing and taking dance lessons for years, and if you saw her on Season 31 of Dancing with the Stars, you would see that she really is someone who knows her stuff. She has the dancing talent to be on Broadway. To be on Broadway, you not only need to be incredibly talented, you also need to work hard and persevere, it’s not just an everyday high school theater program. There are people who dream of being on Broadway and work for years to perfect their talents. Then there are people like Cameron Dallas who become famous for their looks and can make it to Broadway because they have enough fame to do so. I don’t think Charlie belongs to this category. Her excellence can’t be ignored, not even her 100 million TikTok followers who will buy tickets to Juliet & Concert to see her, but I also have to admit that I enjoy watching her dance. She has danced for most of her life, has trained for a long time and has been passionate about it since she was a child. Watching her on Dancing with the Stars, even though it wasn’t entirely fair that she won because of the dancing background she already had, it was very clear that she was doing something she loved. Her fame came not only from her looks, but from her ability to connect with people through her dances during the Coronavirus.

I’m not ashamed to say it, I’m actually very excited to see Charlie perform on Broadway. I encourage her to find her way and show the public that she is more than just a TikTok star, and no one wants another Cameron Dallas situation. I can’t wait to see how she makes this character her own.

Ashlerose Savy is a student in the College of Arts and Sciences. Can be accessed at [email protected].

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