Penis Photo Causes Walkouts At Will Ferrell's Broadway Show

[CatWoman]

So far six audience members have stormed out midperformance of the Broadway show “You’re Welcome America. A Final Night with George W Bush,” the comedian Will Ferrell’s lampooning of the 43rd president, according to those keeping count at the Cort Theater. But they haven’t been leaving after a particular Ferrell quip.

They’ve been standing up, instead, after the projection of a supersize photo on the backdrop of the stage. A photo of a penis. Specifically, as Mr. Ferrell (who plays President Bush) leads the audience to believe, the president’s penis. Except that’s not quite right.

“It’s an anonymous but age-appropriate public domain Internet penis,” said Adam McKay, the play’s director. “We went on the Web and got a penis.”

“It’s not the president’s penis, as far as I know, and Will is 41, so we weren’t going to use his,” Mr. McKay added. “What I do know is that the photo gets one of the great shrieks of delight from the audience, and it’s also the one moment that is followed by people walking out.”

The idea of using the image of a nonerect penis originated one day in rehearsals, Mr. McKay said. The script, by Mr. Ferrell, draws partly on Mr. Bush’s past statements, and the two men were remarking on the former president’s comment that he had enjoyed being “a free man” before he entered the White House.

“We were joking that now that he was out of office, he could do whatever he wants,” Mr. McKay said, “and so I said, ‘Let’s have him show his own penis,’ and Ferrell was like, ‘O.K.’ ”

“He is a frat boy, a big party guy, and you could imagine him doing this,” Mr. McKay added, describing Mr. Bush, who is 63. “Though I want to make clear I’m not blaming the president for our very bad taste.”

No surprise, the play has been a major draw for New York liberals. The production, which largely features Mr. Ferrell doing the Bush character he made famous on “Saturday Night Live” on NBC, has been playing to near capacity at the Cort Theater, which has more than 1,000 seats, since it began previews on Inauguration Day. It is scheduled to run through March 15, and will be presented live on HBO next month.

Mr. McKay said he did not have legal concerns about defaming Mr. Bush with the image, or about using someone’s penis in an unauthorized way.

The former president’s spokesman, Robert Saliterman, declined to comment on Friday when asked about the use of the photo.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/07/theater/07final.html?partner=permalink&exprod=permalink

[shadowknows69]

1. Ferrell is God

Can't wait for "Land of the Lost"

[xchrom]

2. ...

:rofl: :applause: :rofl:

[lostnotforgotten]

3. My, My - We Are A Land Of Wimps - Afraid Of The Ex CINC Penis

eom

[WI_DEM]

36. 6 people is hardly a lot of people. My guess is that hundreds stayed.

[rusty charly]

4. It's being filmed for

HBO.

[Mojambo]

5. When the Hell are Americans going to get over this fear of seeing the "naughty" parts? n/t

[Earth Bound Misfit]

6. an anonymous but age-appropriate public domain Internet penis

AABAAPDIP?:shrug:

[POAS]

27. I didn't even know the Internets had a penis!

[Earth Bound Misfit]

32. ROFL...

Nearly choked on the cake I was eating...

[ZombieHorde]

7. You can't blame those people for walking out,

that penis was a real dick.

[CatWoman]

8. as is the guy who is the subject of the show...

[Jennicut]

9. LOL...so people are afraid of a Penis?

What is the world coming to?

[silverojo]

33. Not "afraid"--grossed out is more like it - n/t

[TreasonousBastard]

10. Six people out of thousands walked out...

walking out of stage performances, or even movies, is hardly unusal in New York.

This much publicity for a few people leaving, however, is. And the producers and Mr. Ferrell are deeply grateful for it. So, I assume, is HBO.

[Thickasabrick]

28. LOL....slow news day. They have to have something for the fundies nt

[liskddksil]

11. can't wait to see this on HBO

[EraOfResponsibility]

12. me neither

[Politicalboi]

13. Why didn't he stay on SNL

I'm not a big fan of his movies but he was great as Bush on SNL. Why do it now? And the penis thing wouldn't bother me enough to leave. He had 8 years and plenty of material each week. He blew it.

[backscatter712]

18. His movies...

A lot of actors have used SNL as a springboard to bigger things. Chevy Chase, Steve Martin, Eddie Murphy, Mike Myers, etc. etc. etc. have done the same thing.

It's not like he doesn't come back on SNL once in a while - he did the "Bush" endorsement of John McCain and Sarah Palin just before the election... :rofl:

[Hippo_Tron]

34. His movies have been pretty successful but not everyone likes them

Anchorman is probably the most quoted movie among people my age (early 20's) and I thoroughly enjoyed Blades of Glory. The main problem is that he really does play the same character in every movie. Adam Sandler kind of did the same thing.

[Bobbie Jo]

14. This thread is useless without pictures. nt

[crimsonblue]

15. I think they picked the wrong metaphor

They should have projected a feminine cleaning product onto the screen, because Bush is a fucking douche.

[Adenoid_Hynkel]

16. They have got to release this play on DVD when it wraps up

for those of us who couldn't make it to NYC or get tickets

[Joe Bacon]

17. Gee, I always thought Bush WAS just a big dick!

:rofl:

[Honeycombe8]

19. I wouldn't walk out. But, really, that's so infantile and tasteless that it's not funny.

Maybe groups of frat boys would find that funny. Don't know. But that's what comedians do, when their material isn't funny. They interject something shocking and racy. Cuss words, naughty pics, etc.

Unless they're like George Carlin, and the whole routine is ABOUT the naughty stuff. But that's different. That IS the joke and a commentary on the naughty stuff.

[Paladin]

20. We Just Endured Eight Years....

...during which the President of the United States strutted around the deck of an aircraft carrier, wearing a crotch-enhancing flight suit, and proclaiming that everything was cool in Iraq. Putting a gigantic cock up on a screen is perfectly suitable; it ought to be depicted during the entirety of Farrell's performance....

[Honeycombe8]

21. Bush did his strut performance once. Not for eight years. Again, it's not funny.

It's frat boy slapstick. Farrell's in the big time now. He's gonna have to leave the kiddie show behind, if he wants to cont. to make the big bucks.

[Paladin]

26. We Had A Miserable Frat Boy For A President.

Frat boy slapstick is entirely appropriate, and nobody does it better than Farrell. He can do "Long Day's Journey Into Night" a little further down the line---after he finishes counting the money he gets from HBO for his Dubya presentation.....

[liberalpress]

35. Humor is subjective

for some a penis is funny (not my cup of tea, but different strokes if you know what I mean). I knew a guy who thought "Scrubs" was hilarous (I still don't get it)I, personally think "Meatballs" wqas probably the funniest movie ever made. If you are familiar with Will Farrell you should understand what you're about to get. If you want to walk out .. well, they've already got your money, so have at it.

[sunnybrook]

23. I agree

but we are the minority voice on here... if you have some standard of decency you are for censorship... whatever, that is so incredibly stupid, THEY are the frat boys, not surprising coming out of SNL, given the Palin skits have been the only funny thing on that show in years

[Gabi Hayes]

24. never mind

[Raine]

29. So do I

it's just juvenile. x(

[Cha]

22. Great Free Advertisement

for Will's show!

[opihimoimoi]

25. You're welcome...will farrell...on youtube

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tcvy1MFTF5U&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GiBxDk3dWYA&feature=related

:smiles:

[truth2power]

30. If those people who walked out had been half as offended

by Bush's war crimes....

[Raine]

31. Maybe they were

:shrug: the majority of people in this country were, that's how Obama became President. :-)