Seyi Omooba

Rise and shine, BroadwayWorld! It is March 7, 2024 and it's time to catch up on all of the theatrical happenings you may have missed in the last 24 hours.

There is at last a conclusion to an ongoing court battle between Seyi Omooba and Michael Garrett Associates Ltd/ Leicester Theatre Trust Ltd. The former lost a case against the latter in 2021, when she took legal action against Curve after being dismissed from a production of The Color Purple for posts on social media that were deemed homophobic.

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Curve Leicester has announced that Seyi Omooba is being ordered by the Employment Tribune to repay the costs incurred after legal action was taken against the Curve.

Today's top stories: Seyi Omooba's claims of religious discrimination by Leicester Curve were rejected by an employment tribunal,  Andrew Lloyd Webber talks Cinderella, his campaign to get theatres open safely, and more, plus Celia Rose Gooding and Lauren Patten reuinte in a conversation from TDF.

Leicester Curve has released an official statement, revealing that Seyi Omooba's claims of religious discrimination were rejected by an employment tribunal. Omooba took legal action against Curve after being dismissed from a production of The Color Purple for posts on social media that were deemed homophobic.

Since 2019, the fast-rising director Tinuke Craig has fielded various iterations of her first-ever musical, The Color Purple, which was acclaimed in performance at Leicester's Curve Theatre and the Birmingham Hippodrome. That same show is returning this month for a streamed concert version starring T'Shan Williams as Celie.

Legal action by Omooba was previously set to begin last April, but was postponed due to the global health crisis. Now the tribunal against Curve in Leicester has begun on the grounds of religious discrimination and breach of contract.

This summer, we're sadly not going to be seeing all the outdoor theatre that we've loved in past years - whether at venues like Regent's Park and Shakespeare's Globe or dedicated festivals and other open-air arts gatherings. So, until we can welcome all these wonderful events back again, BroadwayWorld reviewers are paying tribute to them with some of our favourite memories!

Legal action was previously set to begin in April, but according to The Stage,  the tribunal against Curve in Leicester has been postponed due to the global health crisis. Chris Stafford told The Stage: a?oeThe hearing, which was due to commence on April 30, has been vacated following a direction made by the president of the employment tribunals in light of the current Covid-19 pandemic. The hearing will now be listed for a future date when the employment tribunals are back to being fully operational.a??

BroadwayWorld had previously reported that actress Oluwaseyi (Seyi) Omooba was removed from Leicester Curve and Birmingham Hippodrome's revival of musical The Color Purple after West End Hamilton actor Aaron Lee Lambert shared a screenshot of her 2014 Facebook post. The post quickly went viral, resulting in a social media outcry with many calling the actress homophobic.

As BroadwayWorld reported in September, actress Oluwaseyi (Seyi) Omooba was removed from Leicester Curve and Birmingham Hippodrome's revival of musical The Color Purple after West End Hamilton actor Aaron Lee Lambert shared a screenshot of her 2014 Facebook post. The post quickly went viral, resulting in a social media outcry with many calling the actress homophobic.

On Facebook this week, producer Scott Sanders shared the below letter from the Pulitzer Prize winning writer of The Color Purple, Alice Walker...

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As we previously reported, actress Oluwaseyi (Seyi) Omooba was removed from Leicester Curve and Birmingham Hippodrome's revival of musical The Color Purple after Hamilton actor Aaron Lee Lambert shared a screenshot of her 2014 Facebook post. Now, the Daily Mail reports that Omooba claims she is a victim of religious discrimination.

It was recently announced that T'Shan Williams will play the role of Celie at the upcoming Curve, Leicester and Birmingham Hippodrome production of The Color Purple.

Debbie Kurup's extensive musical theatre experience ranges from Chicago, West Side Story and Sister Act to originating roles in Girl from the North Country and The Bodyguard. She's currently playing taxi dancer Helene in Cy Coleman, Neil Simon and Dorothy Fields' Sweet Charity - the farewell production of Donmar Warehouse Artistic Director Josie Rourke, opening early next month.

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As BroadwayWorld previously reported, Seyi Omooba was recently dropped from the cast of Leicester Curve and Birmingham Hippodrome's revival of musical The Color Purple after homophobic comments were found on her Facebook page.

Now, Theatrical Rights Worldwide has released a statement of support on their behalf and that of the authors of the show...