Whenever I buy Broadway tickets, I always look at the cast before I go. Normally, I wouldn’t know many of the names of those performing with the exception of a few big Broadway stars — like when I saw Ben Platt in Parade (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). Still, I don’t go to Broadway for the celebrities, but to watch a show with a hardworking and passionate cast. So you can imagine my slight discomfort and 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 doesn’t die in the end; instead, she wakes up and continues living her life. The show capitalizes on Juliet making her own decisions while using popular songs like “Since U Been Gone” by Kelly Clarkson and “I Want It That Way” by NSYNC. Charli D’Amelio won’t be joining as Juliet, but will be in the ensemble as a dancer. So what’s the problem with this, and is there even a problem? I fear for the show considering other times Broadway has considered a person’s fame level to be more important than whether they have enough talent for the role. Right before COVID hit, the musical Mean Girls on Broadway decided to cast Reneé Rapp as Regina George (a fantastic choice, as it skyrocketed her career and she excelled in this role) alongside Vine and YouTube star, Cameron Dallas as Aaron Rodgers (a less fantastic choice). The producers must have cast Cameron without knowing whether he could sing or act, because once it became clear that he was short of any musical talent, they took away parts in songs where he had to sing. They actually took lines away from him because having Dallas try to sing the notes was riskier than just not having the lines be sung. It was infuriating not only for those who went to see a great performance, but for people like me who understand how much work some of these ensemble members have put into being in this show. To watch someone have the honor of playing a role on Broadway, main or ensemble, because of fame rather than talent is dream-crushing.
Back to Charli D’Amelio and the question I’ve been asking myself and I’m sure many other people have been asking themselves as well: Did she truly earn this role, or was it primarily her TikTok fame that got her onto Broadway? Although I did just go on a bit of a rant about celebrities on Broadway, I have to say, I think in some part she has earned her role. I won’t lie, I do think her already being famous has something to do with her getting the role. However, she has been practicing and taking dance lessons for years, and if you saw her on Dancing with the Stars’ season 31, 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 need to not only be incredibly talented, but also hard-working and persevering, it is not just your everyday high school theater program. There are people out there who dream about being on Broadway and work for years to perfect their talents. Then, there are those like Cameron Dallas who become famous for their looks and can get onto Broadway because they have enough fame to do so. I don’t believe Charli belongs in this category. Her privilege cannot be ignored, neither can her 100 million followers on Tik Tok who will be buying tickets to & Juliet to see her, but I also have to admit, I enjoy watching her dance. She has danced for much of her lifetime, practicing for a long time while having passion for it since she was a kid. Watching her on Dancing with the Stars, although it wasn’t exactly fair that she won because of how much dancing background she already had, it was very evident that she was doing something she loved. Her fame didn’t come just from looks, but from her ability to connect with people through her dances during COVID.
I’m not ashamed to say it, I’m actually pretty excited to see how Charli does on Broadway. I’m rooting for her to find her way and to show the audience that she is more than just a Tik Tok star, and no one wants another Cameron Dallas situation. I can’t wait to see how she makes this character her own.
Ashleyrose Saffie is a junior in the College of Arts & Sciences. She can be reached at [email protected].