Kennedy Center Cancels Acclaimed Kids Musical Over ‘Sparkly Boys,’ Creators Hint

The Kennedy Center has canceled its tour of a well-received children’s musical over “sparkly boys,” the creators suggested on Thursday.

“Finn,” a coming-of-age story about a shark, had a holiday season run at the Washington, D.C., venue and was nominated Monday for a Helen Hayes award for best new play or musical.

But accolades weren’t enough to keep the tour afloat under the new center leadership of President Donald Trump, whose takeover has targeted productions he deemed “very wokey.”

A center spokesperson insisted to Deadline that the cancellation was “a purely financial decision” but those associated with the play weren’t buying it.

“Finn” earned “rave reviews” and was a financial success, creators Michael Kooman, Christopher Dimond and Chris Nee said.

“We didn’t ask for this joy bomb of a show to be a part of the resistance, but here we are,” they wrote on Instagram.

“At its heart it has a universal message of love and acceptance,” they continued. “The fact that that extends to sparkly boys seems to be controversial.”

HuffPost has reached out to the Kennedy Center for comment.

Actors Equity Association also expressed its outrage. “It is disturbing to see the new leadership of this institution move so swiftly to suppress viewpoints they do not agree with,” the union said in a statement on Instagram. “And it is beyond appalling that the art they find so dangerous is a joyful children’s musical encouraging young people to be true to themselves and follow their dreams.”

On Thursday, Issa Rae canceled a show at the center in protest of Trump’s overhaul.

Trump fired more than a dozen board members and replaced them with his choices while announcing that he was elected chair of the board.