Adam Lambert recently addressed laughter that broke out during a performance of ‘Cabaret’ after a line with an antisemitic message.
Lambert was performing ‘If You Could See Her’ while playing the role of Emcee in the Broadway production. The song includes the line, “If you could see her through my eyes / She wouldn’t look Jewish at all.” The line critiques antisemitism, and some audience members laughed at the line.
Without breaking character, Lambert responded, saying, “No. This is not comedy. Pay attention.”
His response received praise, including from podcaster David Rigano. He shared his own take on the performance on Instagram and praised Lambert.
“This afternoon at ‘Cabaret,’ as you were finishing the song ‘If You Could See Her’ and you held the gorilla’s face in your hands to say ‘She wouldn’t look Jewish at all,’ you were cut off by people in the audience laughing at the joke. Not nervous laughter, not shocked laughter, but people who found the surprise that it was a Jewish gorilla legitimately funny,” he wrote. “As I was shaking my head that we live in a world that didn’t get the point of the joke, you turned to them and – without dropping character, without dropping the accent – said, ‘No. This is not comedy. Pay attention.’
He continued, “Especially the week of this inauguration, I really appreciated that. And from the applause you got for it, I feel like the rest of the audience appreciated it, as well.”
Lambert responded by highlighting the importance of the show, hoping the audience would think about the harm of marginalizing groups and how it can be used for political gain. “I really consider it a privilege to be working with such a gifted cast and creative team on a show that has so much to say about what is happening right now,” he commented under the post. “It’s been relevant since it premiered in the late 60′s and I hope audiences walk away thinking and feeling empathy towards how marginalized groups can be scaptegoated as political strategy.”
“That’s my hope and motivation every show; to pull you into an irresistible community and then make you miss us as we are stolen from you. Maybe just maybe we can change some minds,” the singer added.
Lambert is finishing his time in the show, and a country music star will replace him. Meanwhile, Queen + Adam Lambert currently has no scheduled shows.
