'West Side Story' Opening Night Draws Crowd Of Protesters

MIDTOWN MANHATTAN, NY — About 100 protesters descended on the Broadway Theater on West 53rd Street for the much-hyped opening night of the Broadway return of "West Side Story" to demand the show fire one of its lead actors over accusations of sexual misconduct.

The protest, led by dancer Alexandra Waterbury, has been going on for weeks outside the theater as the show ran previews, the New York Times reported. Protesters are demanding the removal of actor Amar Ramasar, who was cast in the re-imagined musical as Bernardo — the leader of the Sharks gang and a one of the main roles in the production.

Ramasar was fired by the City Ballet after being accused of sending and receiving photos of women without their consent, the Times reported. Photos of Waterbury were sent to Ramasar by her ex-boyfriend Chase Finlay, also a former City Ballet Dance, according to the report. Ramasar also sent photos of his girlfriend, dancer Alexa Maxwell, to other men including Finlay, according to the report. Maxwell has come out in support of Ramasar.

The show's producers said in a statement that they are not considering firing Ramasar for his role in the photo-sharing scandal.

"There is zero consideration being given to his potentially being terminated from this workplace," a spokesperson for the production said in a statement released last week.

Lead producer Scott Rudin doubled down on the statement when the production was featured in a recent episode of 60 minutes. Rudin admitted that Ramasar's actions were "stupid," but wondered: "Am I supposed to replace him in the show? I’m not going to do that."

Waterbury thanked the protesters who demonstrated in front of the theater on Thursday in a post to her Instagram page. Another protest is planned for next week, according to the post.

"100 protesters made our message clear. We made our voices heard. This is the New York City I want to live in. Unified for justice. Stronger together," Waterbury wrote in the post.