Sam Gold’s newest incarnation of Tennessee Williams’s “The Glass Menagerie” features the same classic story about a young man’s memories of his disabled sister Laura and the rest of their family. However, Gold cast Madison Ferris, an actress with muscular dystrophy and in a wheelchair, to play Laura. He’s raised considerable controversy with this, and the community has been quick to recall the last Broadway actress in a chair, Ali Stroker.

In 2015, only two years prior, Ali Stroker was the first person in a wheelchair to ever appear in a Broadway show. Though there have been characters in chairs before, she was the first paralyzed individual to take the stage. Her case, and the rest of the performers in her show, highlighted the serious lack of diversity in this industry and opened dialogue about diversity. The steps they took for Ali and her cast are being mirrored now at the Belasco Theater, where “The Glass Menagerie” is staged.

Ali was involved in the Deaf West production of “Spring Awakening,” a musical about teenagers coming of age in 19th century Germany. It cast Deaf and hearing actors in order to sing and sign the music. The Brooks Atkinson Theater had to be renovated backstage just to allow Ali to move around. She was given her own dressing room on the first floor, and ramps were added to allow her easier access to other areas of the building. She was given her own “chair-ography” in every dance number and the cast always adapted to include her in movement activities. In “Glass Menagerie,” Gold has staged the show to highlight Madison’s disability and purposefully make the audience uncomfortable. She climbs the stairs painstakingly (though safely) and at one point pulls herself across the stage with her arms. Some have called this exploitation, but Gold’s intention is exactly the opposite— to bring Madison and people like her into the limelight and highlight the one in five Americans living with a disability.

The live-action/CGI adaptation of Beauty and the Beast hit theaters this weekend, just in time for spring break. The remount of an old classic follows Belle, a bookish girl from a quiet French village, as she warms to a prince who was cursed to be a beast until he could learn to love another. There’s also Gaston, the village brute, who intends to marry Belle whether she likes it or not, and his (newly gay) sidekick LeFou; Belle’s genteel father Maurice; and a myriad of dancing housewares. Watching it feels like watching the original animated film, but with a fresh coat of paint and a nice tune up.

Directed by Bill Condon, the film makes a few necessary updates that give the story the feminist boost it needs to stay relevant. Belle is the inventor now, while her father is a painter and clock worker. She fashions a washing machine using a barrel and donkey, so she has more time to read, and teaches another little girl in the process. Most importantly, the Beast has had a formal education, so he and Belle bond over books they love instead of her teaching him to read. There’s also the addition of gay characters (LeFou and a villager) but in a subtle, nuanced manner. The revamp allows a dated story new life.

It’s also visually stunning— very rarely do the computerized seams show. Lumiere, Cogsworth, and Mrs. Potts have an impressive amount of detail and realism, and the Beast has remarkable humanity behind his digital enhancements. The set is gorgeous and impeccably dressed. However, I wouldn’t recommend it for children under five; the wolf scenes and the final battle were loud and frightening, and might disturb little princes and princesses.

Beauty and the Beast keeps with the beautiful live-action trend, and revitalizes the story to match Emma Watson’s true empowerment potential.

Here’s the final installment of our podcast project, where myself, Nate, Nicole and McClain interview the director of “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum,” Kip Taisey!

On the February 27th episode of the New York Times podcast “The Daily,” they profiled a predominately Republican community that was directly affected by the very legislation they voted for. The formerly blue state of Illinois voted overwhelmingly for Trump in a surprising turn of events. One town in particular, West Frankfort, was upset after Obama’s legislation led to a dip in their coal-mining industry. Living in this town was a man named Juan Carlos Hernandez-Pacheco, who had been in America since 1997 after moving from Mexico. He was a pillar of the town, and everyone frequented his restaurant “La Fiesta.” His friends and neighbors described times he donated hundreds of meals to firefighters and trauma relief workers after a local business burned down. He knew everyone’s name and was loved by many in the town.

One morning, he was approached by immigration officers who were looking for someone else in town. Emboldened by new power under President Trump’s administration, the ICE officials were able to ask for Mr. Hernandez-Pacheco’s papers without cause. He didn’t have them— he’d been living in the U.S. undocumented, but was paying his taxes and living altogether like a citizen. His wife and children are all American citizens. Nevertheless, he was arrested and now faces the possibility of deportation.

Many within the town have expressed their outrage over Carlos’s arrest. They think he is an integral aspect of the town and doesn’t believe the government has the right to take him from his home and his family. They wrote letters to their representatives, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and their mayor. However, when asked about other scenarios in towns similar to theirs, they remained firm: no exceptions, no mercy.

Carlos was released after 20 days of detainment and is in the process of gaining lawful permanent residence.