Director cancels play after complaint about teen's casting

DUMMERSTON, Vt.—A complaint about the casting of a teenager in a sex-related scene has prompted a community theater group to pull the plug on its rendition of the musical "The Lift."

In the scene, lead character Felix -- played by Brattleboro High School senior Kario Pereira-Bailey -- has a sexual encounter with Helene, a wealthy, older woman. It takes place in the dark and contains no nudity.

Director Bob Kramsky canceled this weekend's Vermont Theatre Co. performances after an audience member who saw it last weekend complained.

"It was a hard choice," Kramsky said Tuesday. "I am very proud of the production and spent a good deal of time on it. It is a big disappointment."

Kramsky, who has taught theater at the high school for 34 years, says he should have cast someone older.

"It was probably a mistake for us to cast a teenager, albeit an 18-year-old, and it would have been wiser to have an actor who was 23 or 25," Kramsky said. "They were not saying the material should not be done. The major issue is that there is a teenager and we would have avoided the whole issue if someone older had played the part."

The musical, by playwright Zeke Hecker, is based on a scene in Thomas Mann's novel, "The Confessions of Felix Krull."

Kramsky said he decided to set the scene in total darkness, with the actor removing only his shirt but making it obvious the two were having sex.

The age of Felix is unclear but he could be as young as 15, Kramsky said.

Hecker was angry when he first heard the news.

"I assumed this was a self-appointed guardian of public morals, but after further talk with Kramsky, I realize he made the right decision," Hecker said.

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Information from: Brattleboro Reformer