Seyi Omooba is suing Curve Theatre

I think we're actually pretty much agreeing with each other. I was only responding to your description of the Pride incident as 'silly' and taking issue with your comparing LGBT people to Brexiters as a persecuted minority. I wasn't suggesting this would have been grounds to fire her. I agree that you can't legislate to shield people from offensive opinions. Do I think her ducking out of the Pride performance means she should never be allowed to work on stage again? No, of course not. Was it insensitive and liable to cause issues with her colleagues in an industry which is renowned for its progressive and liberal views? Yes, probably. Would we even be discussing this if the controversy around 'The Color Purple' had not erupted? Highly unlikely.

And I agree with you that expressing these views doesn't automatically mean she should never work as a performer again. But realistically, that's what has ended up being the result. In an over subscribed industry, where reputation and image plays a huge part, she has due to her naivete, made herself unemployable. As her former agents presumably realised. Laurence Fox has effectively done the same thing. And I'm sure you're right - she undoubtedly views herself as some sort of martyr because of these events. And it's all very sad that a lot of money has been spent, and a lot of distress caused, which could have easily been avoided.

Yup...not in disagreement with you at all.

The initial situation seems to have happened very quickly over just a couple of days and tt sounds to me like she probably got a call to audition for Nettie and as she had already played the part in the concert version her audition was just the song she had performed previously. I don't see a need for her to have read the entire script BEFORE she'd even auditioned and frankly the suggestion she should've is a little bit silly to me. She was then instead immediately offered the lead and jumped at the chance and it was announced and the controversy hit. I think the initial scenario was a completely innocent series of mistakes on behalf of all involved.

That being said, everything since that has transpired has been a highly manipulated sh*tstorm.

Can I ask you a question...

If you were involved in this court case (or any court case) and went to court to give evidence, what would you be asked to do just prior to giving your testimony?

You’re not required to swear on the bible when you go to court anyway. Haven’t had to for years. You can if you want to, that’s all.

That isn't true - swearing or affirming are offered as equal options at the same time, you are asked your preference, not to just say if you don't want to use a Bible/reference God.

Religious freedom is not absolute, it is a qualified human right the same as freedom of expression and many others That is the law, so no, it doesn't have any kind of preferential treatment - it is a balancing exercise. Nor should it have greater preference than other such rights. And I say that as someone who holds some level of religious belief.

Also, chastising someone and having dialogue with them are not mutually exclusive - one can condemn someone for something and still choose to have a conversation with them. There is no requirement to condone or tolerate, all that is required in dialogue is for both sides to listen. Personal views do not have to be set aside or held in to do that.

If she would not stand in a Pride photo what makes you think she would take the role? If she was familiar with the piece she would not have taken the role that is pretty obvious.

She is 26, the film was released 10 years before she was even born so why would she be acquainted with the controversy surrounding it when it was released 35 years ago? 

There are 15 year olds on this planet who do not know who Madonna is, I know this because one of them is my nephew.

Vanessa Vanjie did not know who Meryl Streep is and he is 29...

The musical is not really that well known and has only played in London once in a tiny Off West End theatre for a few months and didn't even transfer to the West End. It then went to Broadway and had slightly more success, but I don't believe she lived in New York during that time.

People are acting like she is Niki Minaj's baby sister or something. She is a brain washed fundamental Christian whose Father runs a ministry, do you really think she spends much of her time seeking cultural education or enlightenment even of her own race? 

Her first theatre role was in 2016, 2 years AFTER she made her Facebook comment. She went to theatre school and was no doubt surrounded by gay people and gay teachers and has since appeared along gay actors in different productions and been in a production with gay characters. Other than refusing to do a Pride photo shoot there doesn't seem to be any problems other than her comments online that offended her cast mates. She never said anything to any of them personally, so I do not see her as a major threat to the gay community. She is obviously totally oblivious to the fact that her comments are offensive to gay people, because no one probably ever said a word to her about it until this sh*tshow. Religious nutters are not very good at understanding hypocrisy or contradiction, if they were they'd have thrown their bibles away after their first read through.

I would suggest some of you check out the Theroux Westborough Church programme and see what these people are actually like. The children are all as sweet as candy and giggling while informing him that he is going to hell. It is what they do, they blurt out stupid sh*t like robots and anyone who actually takes offence to it...well...

She will lose the court case and her career and in 10 years time when she finally decides to breakaway from her nut job father will probably end up as a stripper at String-fellows and so can all go visit and point and laugh at her.

In the meantime later this year Rupert Murdoch is starting a far right Fox News style channel in the UK. I think people attentions would be better served on stopping that from happening instead of persecuting a brain washed 26 year old woman of colour online for a comment she made 6 years ago.

As I said earlier I don't think anything she has done since she was booted is even remotely sane in any way, so why is anyone thinking she was sane BEFORE it happened? It's crazy town with these people and nothing a normal person would do or even comprehend.

There is no way a fundamental Christian is looking on Wiki or the internet to do research on anything, just not gonna happen. God and his word is ALL they care about. That's it, there is nothing else. You or I may do that, but they aren't gonna it's that simple.

As I said, watch the Theroux documentary. They just throw this sh*t out there and are totally oblivious to the fact it may offend others. They don't care, it is just meaningless robotic babble spurted out to fill the air.

I'm sorry but she is being persecuted in this thread, there is some very nasty stuff said about her. I can understand why people are upset, but being just as awful or worse as retaliation just make us no better than them.

Personally I am not saying anymore on the subject now, I have made my points. I think the whole original sin here is all probably a massive series of misunderstandings on both side that lead to what it is now. I think we should actually wait until we get all the info from the trial evidence before any more criticism is thrown at her, it is all a pile of conflicting accusations that aren't helping anybody at this point.

I think intoanewlife you are mistaking the behaviour of an extreme cult for the behaviour of church members.

The Westboro Baptist Church isn’t really a church - it’s an extended family. Even then there are children who have left it as adults, which just goes to show that it is possible to change even after the most extreme brainwashing.

And of course she uses the internet - she uses Twitter and Facebook!

Not sure why you are so intent on finding excuses for her that you are going further and further down a rabbit hole to absolve her of all responsibility for her actions.

The Tony Award actress being the powerhouse and marvellous Cynthia Erivo, who won the Tony for playing Celie. She is also a Christian and had no such issue playing that role.

But that isn’t Seyi. It’s some fundies, sure, but not her. She’s an ambitious career woman who has spent years pursuing a career as an actress, and who clearly cares/cared deeply about achieving success in a pretty secular and non-Christian career. At the very minimum she obviously researched information on how to apply to drama schools and how to prepare for auditions, presumably online.

You’re acting like she’s one of the Kimmy Schmidt mole women who was just rescued from a cult bunker. She’s not an escapee from Waco, she’s an ordinary British woman who’s spent years focusing on a secular career, was allowed/encouraged to study and work outside her faith, spent years studying and working with people who are not only not Christians but likely people whose very existence went against what she’d been taught, who voluntarily worked on stage productions that promote ‘non Christian ideals’, and clearly had strong interests and ambitions which have nothing to do with Christianity.


I watched the Louis Theroux docu and it’s both sad and interesting, but those people - the ones who have “nothing else” except robotically parroting the Bible - they’re about as likely to apply to (or be allowed to apply to) drama schools in London as they are change their names to Hail Satan.

I have just re-watched the films, after reading the book and obviously seen the musical. It isn’t a feel good story (well not until the end,) it is a feel everything story because of the strong themes and is an uncomfortable watch/read especially the first half. As I said earlier it is one of the greatest stories ever told, by a great author Alice Walker.

Re-watching the film it occurred to me, the story has strong themes such as rape, incest, paedophilia, domestic abuse and forced separation. If I was a Christian I would find these themes more abhorrent and a better reason to withdraw from the production.

Former Catholic School pupil here and I am deeply traumatized. I actually hate nuns.