Jerry Springer opera tour goes on despite prosecution threat

[Monkey see Monkey Do]

Theatres across Britain have united in defiance against a threat of prosecution from an evangelical Christian group to save the national tour of the controversial musical Jerry Springer the Opera.

Christian Voice, which organised street vigils on the evening of the BBC broadcast of the opera in January, successfully petitioned to have Arts Council funding of the regional tour axed after damning the show as "blasphemous".

It sent letters to theatres up and down the country which said: "We are at this moment preparing charges of the criminal offence of blasphemy for service upon those responsible for broadcasting the show on BBC2, and those responsible for staging it at the Cambridge Theatre. Should any regional theatre stage Jerry Springer the Opera this autumn, we shall be looking to prosecute them as well."

(...)

Richard Thomas, the show's composer and co-writer, said: "I am overjoyed Jerry Springer the Opera is going on tour in spite of such extreme protest. I am also buying a flak jacket. And sticking close to the shadows." The show's producer, Jon Thoday, said: "I'm delighted that a small minority have not prevented the public from seeing this brilliant show. Freedom of speech and artistic freedom have prevailed." The musical has been seen by 425,000 theatregoers and had 2.4 million viewers when it was broadcast on BBC2 on January 8, a record figure for a televised musical or opera.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/arts/news/story/0,11711,1573834,00.html

Summoning Fred Phelps, Stephen Green says in a press release: "This tour can only bring the judgment of Almighty God on the United Kingdom."
http://www.christianvoice.org.uk/Press/press007.html

for tour dates see:
http://www.jerryspringertheopera.com/

and the DVD will be out on the 14th November.

It's a good job Christian Voice haven't seen Stewart Lee's (co-writer & director) current stand-up show. In it he talks about how the show nearly bankrupted him and how the death threats from supposed Christians saw him going to live with his mother and turning heavily to drink. The climax is a lengthy monologue about a drunken encounter with Jesus that gets very graphic to the point of absurdity. Far worse than anything in Jerry Springer (with the possible exception of the "raped by an angel" line), but that that's his intent.

Another one to look out for, Samuel West is directing a revival of "The Romans of Britain" at the Sheffield early next year which has got MediawatchUK in a tizzy:
http://www.arts.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2005/09/18/nroman18.xml&sSheet=/news/2005/09/18/ixhome.html

[CBGLuthier]

1. In memory of John William Gott

John WIlliam Gott was the last man sent to prison in England for the crime of blasphemy.

He compared Jesus Christ to a circus clown.

He got nine mnths hard labor.

Just to show how bullshit the blasphemy laws are, and yes, I know Britain is a christian nation and unlike the US in its structure, but muslims tried to use the law to sue over "The Satanic Verses".

They lost because the law only applies to the Church of England.

Actually, unless the play specifically blasphemes against the tenets and beliefs of the C of E they have no case.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/3753408.stm

[Monkey see Monkey Do]

2. The blasphemy laws are stupid

For example, I don't particularly want to see Nigel Wingrove's short "Visions of Ecstasy" but having it banned by the BBFC under fear of prosecution is utterly ridiculous. I

[non sociopath skin]

3. Good. Personally, I have no real interest in seeing the show ...

... that's a personal preference thing: I didn't care for "The Sound of Music" either ... but I'm delighted that the producers aren't allowing themselves to be intimidated by this shower of far-right politicians masquerading as religious crusaders.

I hope that this one will run and run ...

The Skin

[ikri]

4. Christian Voice are a great PR company

I'd have never watched Jerry Springer the Opera when it was on TV if it wasn't for the PR that these idiots generated for it. I'm sure a lot of other people can say the same thing.

All their protests did was ensure a ratings bonanza for the BBC when it aired.

Now they're going to guarantee huge audiences for the show as it tours the country.

[muriel_volestrangler]

5. St Paul play provokes pre-emptive complaints

A new play by Howard Brenton, author of the notorious work The Romans in Britain, has prompted 200 letters of complaint even before it is unveiled at the National Theatre later this month.

The play, Paul, which charts the life of the Jewish man who received a divine revelation on the road to Damascus, is described as "irreverent" and "provocative" by the theatre. Nicholas Hytner, the National's director, said the letters were not offensive, but their authors "are all praying for me, and they are telling me I will go to hell unless I take the play off. I don't mind, because I don't believe in hell.

"They are all kind of the same letter, all handwritten or typed. They all assume that the play is about Paul's being homosexual and misogynist; they assume it's going to be a prurient hatchet job." In fact, Hytner said, the play is not concerned with the sexuality of St Paul.

"It's true it won't be satisfying to a certain kind of devout Christian, but it will be interesting and amusing for most of the people of faith whom I know. It's a play about the nature of faith. Not a devout play, a sceptical play. It is not programmed in order to be controversial or shocking."

http://www.guardian.co.uk/arts/news/story/0,11711,1570366,00.html

These people obviously have faith that the play will be blasphemous. They don't need no stinkin' evidence. Or maybe they've been granted a vision.

[Mr Creosote]

6. What makes me laugh is

they always wheel out some holier-than-thou punter who has seen the thing, come through the experience unscathed, yet who has decided that no-one else should have the opportunity. John Betts was the name this time.
We watched about a minute of it on the television. Not my sort of thing at all. Drivel I thought based on that extremely limited exposure.