'Miss Saigon' Cast Takes A Knee To Honor NFL Protests

The worlds of sports and performing arts have intersected in an act of peaceful protest. The cast of Broadway musical Miss Saigon all took a knee during curtain call Sept. 25 in honor of protests made mainly by NFL players during the national anthem on game days.

Miss Saigon is set in the 1970s and tells the story of a forbidden love between an Asian woman and American soldier in midst of the Vietnam War. A spokesman for the play told Huffington Post that the decision to protest during curtain call was a shared decision.

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"The ‘Miss Saigon’ actors taking a knee in unison during the curtain call two weeks ago was a decision the cast made together that evening as a gesture of solidarity with all Americans who believe in equality and the right to peaceful protest," the spokesman said.

Miss Saigon's composer, Claude-Michel Schönberg, also did work on the critically acclaimed musical Les Misérables, and both musicals have political bents to their plotlines. The clip of the cast taking a knee was posted on YouTube and has over 4,000 views. Though the act of protest has sparked controversy, the crowd seemed to support the decision of the actors.

Protests have received widespread condemnation in recent weeks. President Donald Trump is among those who have castigated ongoing protests, particularly by NFL athletes who kneel during the national anthem in protest of police brutality.