Apr 2
Watch: Rock Band Guster Brings Cast of Canceled Trans-Themed 'Finn' to Kennedy Center Stage
Kilian Melloy READ TIME: 2 MIN.
The alternative rock band Guster graced the stage of the Kennedy Center on March 28, and they showed their allyship in the face of censorship by bringing out the cast of the YA musical "Finn."
"Finn" is seen as a transgender allegory, and while its cancellation was explained as a purely financial move, that rationale has not been given credence – especially given the success of the show's run at the Kennedy Center, which commissioned the work in the first place.
"According to a video of the performance, Guster invited out the cast of the musical with trans themes, with singer Ryan Miller explaining, 'I have a friend named Michael who wrote the songs for a musical called "Finn"' in the midst of the band's show with the National Symphony Orchestra,'" Billboard related.
The singer went on to tell the audience, "As the new administration has made abundantly clear, Finn's themes of inclusivity, love, and self-acceptance aren't going to be welcome in this building while they are in control," the music magazine said. "So tonight our band is here to say our stage is your stage. We are your allies, we stand with the LGBTQ community, and we want you to sing with us. Please welcome the cast of 'Finn' and composer Michael Kooman."
"The six singers from the cast received a prolonged, raucous standing ovation before the performance of Guster's 'Hard Times' and then again after," Billboard detailed.
"Finn" tells the story of the titular shark, a youth seeking "to let his inner fish out," Billboard noted in a writeup.
The show was scheduled for a touring production after a sold-out inaugural run at the Kennedy Center last December, but the show was axed after Donald Trump took the center over, replacing its board with loyalists, installing himself as the board's chairperson, and naming Ric Grennell its interim executive director. Trump has promised to eradicate "woke" programming from the center's slate. One act that is reportedly headed to its stage is the so-called "J6 Prison Choir," comprised of insurrectionists sentenced for their roles in the siege at the U.S. Capitol that saw police officers beaten, lawmakers evacuated from the Senate chambers, and millions of dollars worth of damage done by rampaging rioters intent on preventing the certification of President Joe Biden's 2020 electoral victory.
This isn't the first time "Finn" has surfaced to take a chomp at the current administration's unfolding scheme to remake America in MAGA's image. Billboard recalled that "the show was performed by a cast of Broadway stars for a one-night-only livestream at New York's Town Hall earlier this month, with a portion of the proceeds earmarked for The Trevor Project."
Kilian Melloy serves as EDGE Media Network's Associate Arts Editor and Staff Contributor. His professional memberships include the National Lesbian & Gay Journalists Association, the Boston Online Film Critics Association, The Gay and Lesbian Entertainment Critics Association, and the Boston Theater Critics Association's Elliot Norton Awards Committee.
