While on tour in Glasgow, James McAvoy’s co-stars in Cyrano de Bergerac were subjected to “daily” racial abuse, the actor claims.
The actor, who was born in the Drumchapel neighborhood of the city, stated that the abuse suffered by female cast members made him “delighted” to leave his hometown.
He told GQ magazine that the experience was “horrendous” and that he regretted bringing the production to Scotland.
In March, the two-week performance at the Theatre Royal in Glasgow was sold out.
Instead of a “homecoming,” according to McAvoy, the performances were ruined by “sexually explicit and violent” harassment his colleagues endured outside the theatre.
“The cast was incredible, it was wonderful,” he remarked. The majority of the ladies of color in the cast were subjected to racial slurs daily while we were there, which made me quite sad.
He continued, “I was just so depressed.” I was utterly stunned, astonished, and, to use a Scottish term, scunnered.
“We were thrilled to arrive in Brooklyn and depart Glasgow. It was dreadful.”
The award-winning production of Edmond Rostand’s Cyrano de Bergerac ran in London before traveling to Glasgow and then New York.
An ethnically varied group conversed in the form of a poetry slam or rap fight to a live beatbox score in Jamie Lloyd’s production.
Regarding the staging in Glasgow, McAvoy stated, “I was performing nightly, and I don’t want us to be here. I brought this cast here, but I do not wish to be present.”
A Theatre Royal representative stated that they were “very concerned” by the incidents that occurred elsewhere in Glasgow’s city center.
She said, “Diversity and inclusion remain a priority for us, and we provided the company with the necessary support at the time.”
It felt more like a concert than a piece of traditional theatre.
Before delivering his first line at the Theatre Royal, James McAvoy must wait for the yelling and cheering to subside. He has not performed in Glasgow for 20 years.
The Jamie Lloyd company’s Cyrano de Bergerac is a stripped-down adaptation of a 19th-century play that has been reimagined numerous times, perhaps most notably by Steve Martin in the film Roxanne. No gimmicks, historical costumes, or artificial noses; the gift of Cyrano is his poetry, not his appearance.
The show’s star is James McAvoy, but the 18-strong ensemble gives it strength and excitement by taking the mic and delivering their lines as if they were in a slam poetry competition.
“I adore words,” declares Cyrano, and by the end of the show, James McAvoy has persuaded the audience that words are everything.
It is sad to contrast this enthusiastic reception with the verbal abuse cast members received in the city.
During their time in Glasgow, female entertainers suffered bigotry daily, according to the actress.
Afua stated, “I am not surprised in the slightest.” We have this misconception that Scotland is somehow immune to racism, but this is not the case.
Most described a lifetime of bigotry in a city that loves to portray itself as hospitable and accepting.
Most people are. However, occurrences such as this serve as a caution against complacency.
James McAvoy is justified in his shame and his condemnation.
