Protestors Gather at 'West Side Story' Opening Night - Find Out Why

The opening night of Ivo Van Hove‘s revival of West Side Story on Broadway on Thursday night (February 20) was not without controversy.

Approximately 100 protestors gathered outside the Broadway theater to demand the removal of cast member Amar Ramasar, who portrays Sharks gang leader Bernardo, and was involved in a #MeToo scandal.

They yelled chants like “Hey, hey, ho, ho, Ramasar has got to go” and “Keep predators off the stage.”

He was involved in a scandal when he was a dancer with the New York City Ballet, when he was accused of sending sexually explicit photos of his girlfriend to another dancer. He was fired in 2018, then reinstated in the company.

“There is zero consideration being given to his potentially being terminated from this workplace,” producers said in a statement last week.

His girlfriend, Alexa Maxwell, also shared her support for the star and said she had forgiven him for sending the photos. However, Alexandra Waterbury, a former student who sued her ex Chase Finlay for sharing photos of her with Amar and others, was at the protest.

“I was furious. It was last Friday and I showed up here and just screamed the entire time. If people aren’t coming specifically because of [Ramasar’s] casting, maybe they will change, because clearly they’re only concerned with money,” she said.

Many stars attended the opening night of West Side Story. Find out who else was there…