Show canceled after racist comment by audience member

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In order for an entire show to be cancelled there must be some risk to the cast members. It may be also possible the cast showed solidarity with the cast member experiencing a racist incident.

In order for an entire show to be cancelled there must be some risk to the cast members. It may be also possible the cast showed solidarity with the cast member experiencing a racist incident.

Only that nights show was cancelled. They resume tonight.

The possibility of staged incident to gain sympathy ticket sales crossed my mind but if I posted that sans evidence I would be conspiracy theory mongering and we don’t want that do we?

The bouncy rhythms of a long-running Broadway musical revue returned to the stage in Northport on Wednesday night with actors and audience in a joyful but defiant mood.

That Sunday night incident stunned the cast and the community but also served as an opportunity for a village that is about 92% white and 2% Black to make a statement against racism.

Based on the crowd lined up outside the Main Street theater before the curtain call, the community used the opportunity.

A local advocacy group urged Northport's community to sell out the performance as a show of solidarity with the performers, and all proceeds from Wednesday night's show will go to a charitable cause chosen by the cast.

Outside the theater Wednesday night, signs of unity with the cast and crew, including "We Support You," greeted the customers. Several people waiting in line for tickets wore T-shirts with "We Stand Together" written across the front.

The slur that led to the outpouring remained under investigation, Northport police said but they provided no updates.

While not commonplace in Northport, with its quaint cluster of restaurants, bars and gift shops downtown, there have been other recent incidents of hatred and bigotry.

In August, a swastika was found etched onto a playground slide at Ocean Avenue Elementary School. The graffiti was discovered by a school district parent. The school district filed a police report on the vandalism, which appeared to be an isolated incident, authorities said.

Recently, a swastika was visible during a protest outside the Northport home of Northwell Health's CEO.

The swastika at the elementary school spurred advocates into action. The Northport chapter of Not In Our Town (NOIT), a national organization working to stop bigotry and hate crimes, has organized book drives, fundraisers, lectures and more events since then.

"We were not happy with the response from the town," Meghan Saporita, an attorney and a founding member of the Northport chapter, said Tuesday when she announced an effort to urge the community to sell out Wednesday night's performance.

By about 6 p.m., 271 seats for the 8 p.m. performance had been sold in a theater that seats 400, O’Neill said.

Saporita, who planned to attend the show, said her group met with village Mayor Damon McMullen on Monday to "light a fire under local leaders, officials in this town to take steps to create a culture that says ‘these acts are not welcomed here.’ "

On Monday, McMullen and trustees Tom Kehoe, Ian Milligan and Dave Weber issued a joint statement condemning use of the racist slur as well as the other recent hate-fueled incidents