Principal of Kastner Intermediate School May Moua stopped seventh and eighth-grade students from attending the school show
A woke California school has removed more than 250 first-graders out of the musical Oliver! mid-song and banned other students from seeing the show amid claims it was 'inappropriate'.
Principal May Moua, from Kastner Intermediate School, Fresno, stopped seventh and eighth-grade students from attending the school show a day later because of concerns about 'violence, alcohol use and thievery'.
Teachers abruptly yanked hundreds of children from the River Bluff Elementary School in the Central Unified School District and the Fugman Elementary School in the Clovis Unified district, out of the audience.
First-grade pupils are aged six to seven, with many raising questions as to why the school allowed them to attend in the first place. But the older pupils, aged 12 to 14, were the audience the performers had in mind for the child-friendly show.
Members of the Children's Musical Theaterworks, the producing organization, were not informed of the sudden cancellation by Moua's school.
Adults at the Fresno Veterans Memorial Auditorium were the ones reportedly causing a problem at the show, with children complaining: 'Why do we have to leave'
Despite the show being performed on Broadway and in community theatres for decades, teachers took offense to some of the scenes – including Nancy being slapped by her boyfriend Bill Sykes.
They also claimed that a child being locked in a coffin, people drinking gin and the Artful Dodger singing about 'picking pockets' had too many 'dark themes' for the children.
Based on the classic 19th-century novel by Charles Dickens, the movie adaptation won the best picture Oscar in 1968 and was the last G-rated movie to do so.
But the children's version of the show has been toned down, with less language, despite showing Sykes slapping Nancy as well as her murder.
Sykes own death by hanging has also been removed from the theatre show, and on Broadway, simply being replaced with a gunshot.
Judy Stene, executive director of the show based on the classic Broadway musical, said that they had toned down some of the language for the school showings.
She said: 'We've done this for 22 years. We've never had an issue before.
'The teachers know the title in advance. It's upsetting from the vantage point of the reputation of our theater company.'
They also claimed that a child being locked in a coffin, people drinking gin and the Artful Dodger singing about 'picking pockets' had too many 'dark themes' for the children
Adults at the Fresno Veterans Memorial Auditorium were the ones reportedly causing a problem at the show, with children complaining: 'Why do we have to leave'.
The mass exodus began shortly after Fagin's song of 'Reviewing the Situation', which came shortly after the drinking song 'Oom Pah Pah'.
One adult in the audience reportedly sent a message to a CMT staff member saying: 'After seeing a kid locked in a coffin, learning about pickpocketing, seeing characters drink gin, and seeing a man slap his wife to the ground, we needed to leave before they saw the ending with a murder.'
Clovis Unified spokesperson Kelly Avantstold the Munro Review: 'Our elementary teachers at the show with their young students made a determination to leave after assessing that the themes of violence, alcohol use, and thievery were not appropriate for their young students.
Sykes own death by hanging has also been removed from the theatre show, and on Broadway, simply being replaced with a gunshot
Members of the Children's Musical Theaterworks, the producing organization, were not informed of the sudden cancellation by Moua's school
'This was a decision made in the moment by teachers who are highly sensitive to what is age appropriate to their students. This decision is consistent with how we assess classroom content for age-appropriateness.
'The decision at Kastner was made jointly by the principal and area superintendent for the reasons I've already shared. In addition, the typical parent permission slips used to grant permission for class instruction of a PG nature hadn't been completed for this trip.
'I want to reiterate that we plan to continue our long and supportive relationship with CMT in the future.'
However, Central Unified administrators denied that there was a 'district wide' directive on the show.
A spokesman added: 'We allow our school sites to decide whether or not to participate in performing arts showcases.'
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