Zachary Noah Piser Aborts US musical about Tiananmen protests During China Tour
But the actor suddenly backed out of the show last Friday without offering any reasons.
Piser was on tour performing hit Broadway songs in the Chinese metropolis of Shanghai when he made the announcement.
In China, the Tiananmen Square pro-democracy protests, which swept Beijing and dozens of other Chinese cities in 1989 – and ended in a bloody military crackdown that cost the lives of hundreds, if not thousands, of protesters – remain a major political taboo.
Piser did not respond to a request for comment.
His manager Dave Brenner told CNN “There was a creative difference” that caused the actor to back out of the Tiananmen Musical.
Wu’er Kaixi, a student leader in the Tiananmen protests who has worked on the musical as a conceiver and creative consultant, expressed “regret” for Piser’s withdrawal.
“I believe…the reason for his withdrawal is not ‘creative difference,’ rather, simply fear. He was given pressure by Chinese authorities,” he told CNN.
“After 30 some years of censoring any information about Tiananmen, the Chinese government today is still extremely afraid of mentioning the atrocity they conducted.”
Featuring original rock songs as an homage to the protest anthems played on Tiananmen Square in 1989, the musical weaves a love story against the backdrop of the student-led demonstrations.
