Will WEST SIDE STORY Producer Barry Diller Back Up His #metoo Comments?

Back in 2018, one of the first media moguls to come out and support the #metoo movement was Barry Diller. In an interview with the New York Times, the IAC and Expedia chairman went a step further to proclaim that “all men are guilty”.

“I hope in the future for some form of reconciliation. Because I think all men are guilty. I’m not talking about rape and pillage. I’m not talking about Harveyesque. I’m talking about all of the spectrum," Diller said. "From an aggressive flirt. Or even just a flirty-flirt that has one sour note in it. Or what I think every man was guilty of, some form of omission in attitude, in his views."

At the same time, Mr. Diller encouraged that nuance be applied to allegations and that one punishment doesn’t fit all crimes when it comes to #metoo related issues. To an extent, I agreed with this principle. I do feel that punishment should vary depending on the allegation but at the same time, every allegation must be investigated thoroughly. But I appreciated Mr. Diller’s call to action and perceived support for the #metoo movement.

Now it’s time for Mr. Diller to walk the walk and back up what he said in 2018 with what’s going on with the Amar Ramasar controversy in his Broadway revival of West Side Story.

For those of you who haven’t read the many stories about this, Mr. Ramasar shared nude photos of female ballet dancers at the New York City Ballet without their consent in addition to making sexually explicit comments about them. The NYCB initially fired him, along with the other dancers involved, but he was reinstated through arbitration after his union, American Guild of Musical Artists, defended him.

Barry Diller and fellow ‘West Side Story’ producer Scott Rudin (Getty Images)

This past weekend, a weekly protest outside the Broadway Theatre began with people calling attention to Mr. Ramasar’s actions and demanding his dismissal from the production. That night, I received an email from a performer in the production who voiced their support for the protest and spoke about the fear of speaking out against his casting. That statement gave us a rare glimpse of what it’s like to want to speak out but fearful of what it might do to one’s career.

But Barry Diller doesn’t have to be afraid of what taking action in this issue will do to his career. He’s a power player in the Broadway industry and a big money partner in most of Scott Rudin’s ventures. While I believe he had nothing to do with Mr. Ramasar’s casting in the first place, he certainly does have the authority to do something about it now.

The longer he and the other MEN producing this show keep Mr. Ramasar in the production, they’re only prolonging the slap in the face of the victims of sexual misconduct in professional theatre and telling them that no matter the crimes, their perpetrator’s talent will always rise above. Furthermore, it unleashes a crippling blow to those wanting to report their own assaults and harassment.

The professional theatre community needs a wake-up call that perpetrators of sexual misconduct will not be welcomed back into the houses they used to abuse and harass their victims. Mr. Diller can be the alarm clock if he cares to be.