The way Ricky PotTs has been changed is depressing and blatantly ablist.
To start this, I want to clarify i am disabled. I am a wheelchair user and multiple amputations and a hand deformity. While my disability situation isnt the same as Rickys, I can't think that many people have a similar scenario considering his condition is described as "rare".
I was introduced to RTC with the Seattle 2018 production. While I related to constance the most, I loved Ricky. He felt like such great representation, especially his relationship with Ocean. She constantly calls him and only him, "sweetie", or "sweet littls Ricky potts", "kid", she literally sings "Angry birds, candy crush, hes a real sweet kid but his brains are mush. She seeks a person who can't talk and uses crutches and assumes he's mentally disabled, that he has the intelligence of a 5 year old. Even in this new space where hw is proving he is intelligent, from his very first lines of saying good bye to his crutches. But she doesnt see that, she sees a disabled (r-word). I related to him in this way, as the only disability i have is physical and ive been talked to like a child or had people talk to others about me, for me. It was so nice to see a character like that be represented so well.
Then i watched the "Wilmington Drama League" production on YouTube. It was performed this year, and I immediately realized a few things. First the music and some lines were different, but Ricky was butchered. I hward he was changed but had no Idea how and frankly wish i didnt. Thankfully this production tried to keep his disability by giving him crutches, but his backstory is hes mute out of trauma? Theres no shame or anything wrong with being mute from trauma. But removing his desability felt so disrespectful. They removed his monologs about his crutches, porno, and even the one before his song about chance. His song removed his "listen up space babies" speech! It wasn't about him being a prophet of peace, he never conceded or mentioned the bachelor man Bible.
This isn't the character I related to. Hes a husk of his former self. It's blantaly ablist to remove his disability and didnt add anything to the play, why was this decision made? And I dont want any of the reasons to be "he was offensive to disabled people." If you are disabled and feel that way, I understand and will let you havd your own opinion. But if you abled bodied and think its offensive, in the words of Karnak, "you are part of ths problem."
EDIT: the more I think the less it makes sense. If he was muted due to trauma, why can he can in the afterlife? After characters like Misha or Constance talk, clearly trauma carries over. Plus, if he can suddenly talk why does he show how his physical abilities? Did trauma make his legs not work?? Its infuriating.