Firstly, you claimed in your original article that one of our cast members is a “Syrian refugee.” Apart from showing that you were not attentive during the show, in which the cast member talked about their Lebanese nationality on several occasions, your inaccurate assumption that the only Arab cast member must be a “refugee” is offensive and racist. I am pleased you have updated your article to indicate Hassan’s correct nationality, but dismayed you have not pointed out this amendment at the bottom of the article, as is standard journalistic practice.

Your use of the word “refugee” remains in the article. I strongly recommend changing this. Publishing inaccurate unsubstantiated information about the legal residential status of someone online is not only extremely insulting but also can have detrimental consequences for both writer and subject. I also highly recommend you issue an apology to the cast member in question, which I would be happy to pass on.

Secondly, you also inaccurately attributed an act to the wrong performer (Diego Salles), which I see has also been corrected. Again, I am grateful for the correction, but would suggest making clear at the bottom of the article what has been amended.

Thirdly, your review of Akynos’ numbers is highly selective and misrepresents her performance. Your apparent frustration that she did not perform after getting dressed in a Josephine Baker-inspired costume is, of course, your opinion that you are justified to have. But you fail to mention that before her “lecture” and costume change, she performed a choreographed dance number. In addition, I would suggest if you had attentively listened to exactly what she said, you may have realised that the purpose of her not performing was to incite exactly the emotion you felt — frustration from a white man who expects a Black woman to perform for him whenever he wants. Again, you are entitled to your opinion, but I would suggest reflecting on this point and adding full information about her act.

Fourthly, your description of the cast that “they can all claim to be ‘queer’ in an activist sense of the word” is extremely misrepesentative and, frankly, bizarre. Most of the cast and crew of the “Lila Lied” are queer in a quite literal, lived sense: whether as activists or ordinary citizens. I would suggest this sentence is meaningless and highly misleading and should be removed.

Finally, your concentration on the songs is understandable given your operetta background, but I would suggest your refusal to engage with or mention many of the other parts of the show — several choreographed dances, original videography and original music — is highly misleading to a reader. I recommend you consider adding a paragraph outlining that the show did not, at any point, claim to be a purely musical show or an operetta or feature only singing.

I am looking forward to your corrections, list of amendments at the bottom of the article and apology for your offensive remark. If you need any more information regarding the 40+ years of collective experience and multiple qualifications and awards held by our cast and crew please don’t hesitate to get in touch.

Overall, I am disappointed by the lack of fact-checking and subsequent poor quality of this article.