The Tony-nominated Broadway show Mothers & Sons shocked many over the weekend when its Twitter feed suddenly became incredibly anti-gay. It was a particular surprise as the Tyne Daly starring show, written by the acclaimed Terrence McNally, is very gay-friendly.
However while many Twitter followers assumed the feed had been hacked by juvenile homophobes, it was actually part of a rather smart marketing campaign where the people running the feed gathered real anti-gay tweets that were being spread at that moment and presented them as their own. At the end of the hour they let their users know exactly what they’d been up to.
The tweets and some of the responses have been collected over at Storify, and you can look at some of them below.
The production has also released a short trailer, featuring the wonderful Daly, which you see above. Mothers and Sons, ‘portrays a woman who pays an unexpected visit to the New York apartment of her late son’s partner, who is now married to another man and has a young son. Challenged to face how society has changed around her, generations collide as she revisits the past and begins to see the life her son might have led.’
*No homo
— Mothers and Sons (@MothersSonsBway) May 21, 2014
Should homosexual 'Pride marches' be banned? Do we want perverts parading their private business in public places dressed like weirdos?
— Mothers and Sons (@MothersSonsBway) May 21, 2014
With summer fast approaching in America please be grateful you don't live in #FudgePacker state! HaHaHaHaHaHa
— Mothers and Sons (@MothersSonsBway) May 21, 2014
I cant believe gay marriage has been legalized in Pennsylvania, whoevers making these decisions must be a fag
— Mothers and Sons (@MothersSonsBway) May 21, 2014
Most ppl have a natural revulsion toward homosexual behavior, & rightly so. Michael Sam's politically correct sin shouldn't be celebrated.
— Mothers and Sons (@MothersSonsBway) May 21, 2014
i have nothing against gay people but flaunting your sexuality in everyone's face and using it as an excuse is ridiculous man, pipe down
— Mothers and Sons (@MothersSonsBway) May 21, 2014
A message from Mothers and Sons: pic.twitter.com/CXYISwsZsP
— Mothers and Sons (@MothersSonsBway) May 21, 2014
And some of the responses:
Oh man. The broadway show @MothersSonsBway has been taken over by some assholes. That's a shame, the show works for #marriagequality too
— Nathan Tovornik (@Ntovorni) May 21, 2014
Yeah, @MothersSonsBway twitter has definitely been hacked. :/ #rude
— Tara (@taradise) May 21, 2014
@MothersSonsBway I think you may have been hacked…
— Amanda Valtin (@AVthreads) May 21, 2014
the Tony Award for best marketing/social media campaign goes to @MothersSonsBway
— Tyler Siems (@tyler_siems) May 21, 2014
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