Zachary Noah Piser announced via an Instagram post on Friday that he has withdrawn from The Phoenix Theatre Company's production of Tiananmen: A Brave and Necessary New Musical, just a day after the news was announced that he would be in the cast, alongside Kennedy Kanagawa.
Piser was previously set to play the leading role of Peiwen. When casting news was released, he shared that he had helped develop the piece since 2015.
A spokesperson for Piser told Playbill August 30 that the actor departed the production "due to creative differences."
Additional casting for Tiananmen includes Ellie Wang (Allegiance), Sami Ma, Brandon Chu (The King and I national tour), Kennedy Kanagawa (Into the Woods), Austin Ku (Chinglish national tour), Michael Ching (Gold Mountain), Marc Oka (Flower Drum Song), Sy Chounchaisit (Summer: The Donna Summer Musical national tour), Brandon Gille (The Hunchback of Notre Dame), Kuppi Jessop, Danielle Mendoza, Emma X. O’Loughlin (A Chorus Line Japan tour), Andrea Somera (Assassins), Michelle Chin (Cinderella), Raymond Dimaano (The King and I national tour), and Rommel Pierre O’Choa (My Fair Lady).
Tiananmen, a love story in the midst of the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests, is directed and choreographed by Darren Lee, with music and lyrics by Drew Fornarola and a book by Scott Elmegreen. Wu'er Kaixi, who helped lead the original protests, conceived the musical and serves as creative consultant. Tiananmen is currently set to begin previews October 4, with an official opening October 6.
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This article was updated August 30.