‘It’s a crisis’: Dismay deepens over cancellation of Brisbane play

In retrospect, the fate of Queensland Theatre’s production of a controversial play satirising American politics was telegraphed from the start.

During an on-stage Q&A last week, director Lee Lewis alluded to the play’s possible cancellation because of the attempted Trump assassination.

“When I woke up and read the news, I thought, ‘if he doesn’t survive, we have to cancel the play because it would be in very bad taste’,” she said.

The cast of Queensland Theatre’s cancelled production, POTUS.Credit: Morgan Roberts

The play, titled POTUS, or Behind Every Great Dumbass Are Seven Women Trying to Keep Him Alive, is a White House-set comedy by US playwright Selina Fillinger.

It was drawing respectable box-office turnover for Queensland Theatre when its opening night was suddenly postponed.

The entire run was subsequently cancelled, prompting a flurry of online commentary.

“It’s intriguing as [to] why the whole season had to go, and not just do a reduced season, or call in an understudy,” one Facebook user said.

Former Queensland Theatre executive director Sue Donnelly commented on Instagram: “It makes no sense to cancel a whole season, particularly if a show was apparently selling well, had an excellent and diverse all-female cast and was very relevant given forthcoming American elections.”

On Friday, the company responded to inquiries from this masthead that the cancellation might be related to the real-life events lampooned in the play.

“[It was] nothing to do with the current political state of affairs in the United States or the recent assassination attempt against the former US president,” it said.

Since then, it has emerged that a member of the cast was injured on set.

A Queensland Theatre spokesperson told this masthead the decision was based on factors including “one actor unable to perform due to injury … one actor unable to perform for personal reasons … [and the fact that] choreographers/movement directors were not available last minute to work at length with new cast members to the timeframe”.

“After considerable deliberation, [the board] unanimously determined that there were too many uncertainties to fulfil their duty of care and for the company to deliver a successful and safe season.”

POTUS director Lee Lewis is also the former artistic director of Queensland Theatre.

The spokesperson confirmed QT would pay all contracts in full.

An authority on Brisbane’s cultural sector, speaking anonymously, said it was extraordinary that the QT board preferred to lose six figures in revenue than take the usual steps to get a troubled show on stage.

“Actors can always be replaced … Aside from COVID, I can’t think of any other major theatre production in 30 years, anywhere in Australia, that has been cancelled on the eve of its opening,” they said. “It’s a crisis.”

The play’s director, Lee Lewis, was QT’s artistic director until March and is yet to be replaced.

Lewis declined to comment.

The boards of major arts organisations are in the spotlight as Queensland Ballet’s new artistic director, Leanne Benjamin, also departed last week after just five months in the role.

POTUS ticket holders have been contacted and offered refunds.