Ohio high school musical abruptly halted, deemed ‘vulgar’

Story at a glance

• Cardinal Local Schools in Ohio was preparing to put on its spring musical “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” when it was canceled by the school board.

• There had been complaints raised about language in the show, about the appearance of Jesus and the fact that some of the characters are gay.

• The show’s assistant director said it is too late in the season to try to put on a different musical.

MIDDLEFIELD, Ohio (WJW) — After months of planning, an Ohio school district abruptly canceled its high school musical, claiming it was “vulgar.”

In a statement, the Cardinal Local Schools superintendent Jack Cunningham said, “The Cardinal Local School District has decided that its spring musical production will not be ‘The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.’ Its dialogue and song lyrics contain vulgarity and are therefore not suitable for our pre-teen and teenage students in an educational setting.”

Two of the characters in the musical are gay male parents. The district said anyone suggesting discrimination is “mistaken.”

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“When we found out it was canceled, everybody was just heartbroken. Honestly, it was terrible. Everyone was just crying,” said Riley Matchinga, a senior who was playing a lead role in the musical.