Leicester Curve Addresses THE COLOR PURPLE Cast Member's Homophobic Comments
By: Marianka Swain Mar. 18, 2019
Last Friday, on Twitter, Hamilton actor Aaron Lee Lambert shared a screenshot of a Facebook post by Oluwaseyi (Seyi) Omooba - who had just been announced as playing Celie in Leicester Curve and Birmingham Hippodrome's revival of musical The Color Purple.
In the post, which was published in 2014, Omooba discusses her interpretation of Christianity and sexuality, and offered negative views of homosexuality, saying that people can't be "born gay".
Lambert questioned whether she still holds such views, given her casting as the iconic lead of an important LGBTQ work.
@Seyiomooba Do you still stand by this post? Or are you happy to remain a hypocrite? Seeing as you've now been announced to be playing an LGBTQ character, I think you owe your LGBTQ peers an explanation. Immediately. pic.twitter.com/GK2xbzZYgy
- Aaron Lee Lambert (@aleelambert) March 15, 2019
Today, Curve's Twitter account put out the following statement:
On Friday a social media post from 2014 by one of THE COLOR PURPLE cast members was brought to our attention. The views shared in this post do not in any way reflect the views of Curve or Birmingham Hippodrome. (1/2)
- Curve (@CurveLeicester) March 18, 2019
We are continuing to investigate this and a full statement will be issued as a matter of priority. (2/2)
- Curve (@CurveLeicester) March 18, 2019
Omooba, whose recent credits include that National Theatre's Hadestown and Regent's Park Open Air's Little Shop of Horrors, has yet to comment.
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