Actor dropped from play after pro-Palestine stance in rare reversal for Iran

Amajor Tehran theater production has dropped a prominent actor after his support for Palestine triggered fierce backlash, exposing a rare reversal where a stance strongly backed by the Islamic Republic appears to have become a liability with the public. Navid Mohammadzadeh, one of Iran’s most prominent film and theater actors, was removed Monday from the cast of the theater-orchestral production “Arash,” according to a statement from the production team. The producers cited “multiple controversies,” unspecified personal problems and, unusually, “the lack of audience interest in him” as reasons for the decision, saying a replacement would be announced soon. The wording...