Broadway star Laura Osnes has been replaced by Christy Altomare in the upcoming Disney Princess: The Concert tour.
The announcement comes just days after reports surfaced that she had been ‘fired’ from a production for allegedly refusing to get a COVID-19 vaccine, which she promptly denied in an Instagram post, stating that she had to ‘withdraw’ after learning ‘protocols had changed’ and that she would ‘need proof of vaccination to participate.’
A representative with the production told Deadline that the tour ‘will follow Disney Concerts’ COVID-19 safety policy, requiring cast and touring crew to be fully vaccinated, and will adhere to all local health protocols at each tour stop in an effort to maintain a safe concert experience for our patrons, local crews, and the entire touring company.’
Cast change: Laura Osnes has been has been replaced by Christy Altomare in the upcoming Disney Princess – The Concert tour, slated to begin on November 1 (Osnes pictured L and Christy R)
The 85-city tour, set to begin this fall, includes Broadway stars Susan Egan (Beauty And The Beast), Courtney Reed (Aladdin), Aisha Jackson (Frozen), Arielle Jacobs (Aladdin), Anneliese van der Pol (Beauty And The Beast), Syndee Winters (The Lion King), as well as Adam J. Levy (Waitress) and music director and collaborator Benjamin Rauhala.
Announced back in May, Osnes was set to star in the first leg of the touring production that’s scheduled to begin in Macon, Georgia on November 1.
Altomare, who starred in the Broadway production of Anastasia, had already been slated to join the tour next year, but she will now join the cast early now that Osnes has confirmed she will not get a coronavirus vaccination.
Her take: Osnes took to Instagram Monday to clarify she ‘withdrew’ – and was not ‘fired’ – from the one-night production of Crazy For You in East Hampton, New York because she hasn’t had the COVID-19 vaccine
In her lengthy Instagram post on Monday, the two-time Tony Award nominee announced she had accepted an invitation to be part of the August 29, one-night only, Crazy For You benefit concert at the Guild Hal in East Hampton, New York.
But, according to the actress and singer, she decided to drop out of the production, rather than get a COVID-19 vaccine, after being informed she would need to show proof of vaccination a month ago.
‘I was disappointed but responded that I would have to withdraw, as I have not yet gotten the vaccine,’ she explained.
The Minnesota native, 35, went on to deny reports that one of the cast members ‘pressed’ her on the matter before she withdrew.
Dispute: Osnes said maintained Guild Hall representatives never gave her a ‘negative test option’ as reported in the Page Six report
She also maintained that a negative test option, as reported in a Page Six report, was ‘never extended to me.’
‘I would have tested in a heartbeat,’ Osnes said before adding that its ‘something I have been doing for months, and will continue to do, in order to keep working safely.’
Osnes says she and her husband made the decision not to get vaccinated ‘with input from our physician.’ She then pushed back against the ‘shame and demonization’ she has faced since the story went public, stating that individuals have a right to medical privacy and to make their own decisions ‘whether or not to get any injection.’
Push back: Osnes said she decided not to get vaccinated and pushed back against the ‘shame and demonization’
Explanation: The performer posted three pages of explanation to Instagram, justifying her stance on the vaccine and said ‘every soul is entitled to live according to their convictions’
‘Every soul is entitled to live according to their convictions and work without being publicly ostracized,’ Osnes concluded in her Instagram post.
‘My conviction does not discount my care and commitment to safety during this unprecedented time.’
Page Six previously reported that the actress and singer, who starred in the title role of the Broadway adaptation of Cinderella from 2013 to 2014, had been removed from the production after she revealed she had not received the jab and did not trust any of the COVID-19 vaccines.
Insiders told the publication that Osnes made the revelation after the issue was raised by her co-star Tony Yazbeck, who expressed his worry because he has two children at home.
She was then reportedly let go from the Crazy For You cast and replaced by Sierra Boggess, who previously portrayed Ariel in a Broadway production of The Little Mermaid.
Osnes has described herself as a Christian conservative in past interviews.
Her career in theater began with the lead role of Sandy in the Broadway production of Grease (2007-2008). Her Broadway resume also includes South Pacific (2008), Bonnie and Clyde (2011), Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella (2013-2014), and Bandstand (2017).
‘Never extended’: Osnes added that while Guild Hall representatives were quoted as saying a recent negative test were required, the ‘negative test option was never extended to me’