Christian voices silence Springer

Times
By Jack Malvern and Dan Sabbagh
A pressure group is forcing regional theatres to cancel Jerry Springer — The Opera



PRESSURE from radical Christians has caused 11 regional theatres to pull out of showing Jerry Springer — The Opera, its producers said yesterday.

A campaign by Christian Voice to prevent the “blasphemous” musical from being shown has forced organisers to postpone a national tour after nearly a third of theatres withdrew. Avalon, the production company, has postponed the 25-week tour, down from 36 weeks, until after the Christmas period.

Jon Thoday, head of Avalon, said that theatres began to withdraw when Maggie’s Centres, a cancer charity, turned down a donation from a charity performance of the musical after it was lobbied by Christian Voice. “There were 11 venues which either got cold feet because of Christian Voice or said that they couldn’t get behind the show,” he said. “But other theatres, including Plymouth, our starting venue, and Ambassador Theatre Group, have been very supportive.”

Regional theatres run by local councils, “such as the De Montfort Hall in Leicester and the Assembly Rooms in Derby”, have been especially susceptible to negative publicity, he said. “One theatre said that the issue has polarised the council. The people who wanted to put it on originally now really want to do it, but the people with concerns are now strongly against it.”

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/newspaper/0,,172-1527202,00.html