Many musical theater fans were furious at the casting for an Off-Broadway revival of the classic show Little Shop Of Horrors.
Euphoria actress Maude Apatow, the daughter of Judd Apatow and Leslie Mann, makes her stage debut as leading lady Audrey.
When the announcement appeared on Playbill’s Instagram account, the comments were filled with scathing remarks claiming she had been hired for nepotism.
Legacy: Judd Apatow (right) and Leslie Mann’s (left) daughter Maude Apatow (center) has provoked the wrath of many musical theater fans with her latest casting
One Instagram user explained the start of the “Nepo baby season,” like another stage legend Patti LuPone quoted: “Broadway is becoming a Disneyland for the rich.”
“Nepo baby strikes again,” one commenter sneered, while another quipped, “I had to double check to make sure this isn’t a meme.”
“Oh good, I was afraid someone who worked for the role might get it,” said one social media commenter wryly.
Another scoffed, “Nice to see nepo babies thriving when so many can’t get jobs,” and yet another remarked, “stunt casting AND nepo baby.”
Incoming: Maude, who has previously starred in the hit series Euphoria, makes her stage debut in an off-Broadway revival of the classic musical Little Shop Of Horrors
‘Why is this the choice?!?’ one Instagram commenter wondered, as a young actress angrily wrote, “Yeah just let me rip my degree.”
“Can she even…you know what, never mind,” quipped one social media user in the comments. ‘Forget I almost asked.’
Maude also had a few defenders, including one who argued that casting a TV personality helped “the entire cast and crew” “keep their jobs for a while longer.” It’s never really just about one person.’
Broadway has a long history of showbiz legacy, from the famous Barrymore acting dynasty, including John, Ethel and Lionel.
“Just suck it up”: While a bevy of Instagram commenters slammed the decision to cast a “Nepo baby,” Maude also had a few defenders
Carol Burnett became a star in a musical called Once Upon A Mattress with music by Mary Rodgers whose father was Richard Rodgers of Rodgers and Hammerstein.
Oscar Hammerstein himself was the son of an impresario who opened a number of opera houses and is today the namesake of New York’s Hammerstein Ballroom.
Since 1965, Liza Minnelli, daughter of Judy Garland and acclaimed director Vincente Minnelli, has been the youngest winner of the Tony Award for Best Actress.
Liza was just 19 when she took home her Tony for Flora, The Red Menace, the first-ever Broadway show composed by Kander and Ebb of Cabaret and Chicago.
Remember when: Ellen Greene, who originated the role of Audrey Off-Broadway in 1982, is pictured in the classic 1986 film adaptation with Rick Moranis
In recent years, Tony-winning lead actor of the musical Dear Evan Hansen, Ben Platt is the son of film producer Marc Platt.
Jonah Hill’s little sister Beanie Feldstein opened Funny Girl last year in a revival of the old Barbra Streisand vehicle, only to receive overwhelming critical acclaim and be replaced by Glee star Lea Michele, who began her career on Broadway.
Maude is one of a huge stream of rising starlets with famous parents, from Johnny Depp’s daughter Lily-Rose Depp to Andie MacDowell’s daughter Margaret Qualley.
Maya Hawke, whose parents are Uma Thurman and Ethan Hawke, and Kaia Gerber, whose mother is Cindy Crawford, have also risen to fame in recent years.
Curtain up: Ellen is pictured at an encore! Production of Little Shop Of Horrors opposite Jake Gyllenhaal as lead actor Seymour
Included are Madonna’s daughter Lourdes Leon, Heidi Klum’s daughter Leni Klum and Elvis Presley’s granddaughter Riley Keough.
Online gossip about “Nepo babies” reached a fever pitch after New York Magazine ran a viral cover story on the phenomenon.
Dakota Johnson, whose parents are Don Johnson and Melanie Griffith and whose grandmother is Hitchcock blonde Tippi Hedren, was one of the faces on the cover.
Jamie Lee Curtis, the daughter of Psycho actress Janet Leigh and Some Like It Hot heartthrob Tony Curtis, then shrilled into the debate.
Showbiz legacy: Judy Garland’s (right) daughter Liza Minnelli (left) is seen backstage in the 1965 musical Flora, The Red Menace, which earned her a Tony
Calling herself the “OG Nepo Baby,” she said, “The current discussion about Nepo babies is only intended to try to belittle, denigrate, and hurt them.”
Little Shop Of Horrors is a 1980s musical, with a book and lyrics by Howard Ashman and lyrics by Alan Menken – a duo who would go on to become major players in the Disney Renaissance, writing the songs for The Little Mermaid and “Beauty and the Beast” wrote.
The show follows a mild-mannered florist named Seymour, who simultaneously pines for the love of his life, Audrey, while dealing with a gigantic talking Venus flytrap in his care that survives by eating humans.
Before learning of the plant’s man-eating tendencies, Seymour names it Audrey II because of his feelings for the leading lady.
Pedigree: Liza, pictured on Flora, The Red Menace’s opening night with her famous director father Vincente Minnelli, became the youngest-ever Best Actress Tony winner for the show
Little Shop Of Horrors first opened off-off-Broadway, then moved to Off-Broadway for a five-year run that began in 1982.
Based on a 1960 film, the musical performance of a popular score is heavily influenced by 1960s music, particularly Motown.
A resounding success, Little Shop Of Horrors became the highest-grossing Off-Broadway show of all time, but Howard Ashman resisted the idea of a Broadway transfer as he felt the project had an off-Broadway home, according to the New York Times.
Connections: In recent years, Tony-winning leading man in the musical Dear Evan Hansen, Ben Platt is the son of film producer Marc Platt
Little Shop Of Horrors reached new heights of fame when it was adapted into a 1986 film directed by Frank Oz, who played Yoda in the Star Wars films.
Ghostbusters actor Rick Moranis led the cast as Seymour, while Audrey was played by Ellen Greene, who originated the role Off-Broadway.
The musical finally made it to Broadway in a 2003 revival that has featured the likes of Billy Porter and Joey Fatone over the course of its run.
Audrey was played by Alice Ripley, who a few years later won a Tony Award for Best Actress for the Pulitzer Prize-winning musical Next To Normal.
Family business: Jonah Hill’s little sister Beanie Feldstein opened up in a revival of Funny Girl (pictured) last year, only to receive backlash and be replaced