That musical is Jerry Springer: the Opera, whose showing on British television a few years ago caused an almighty hoo-ha, and that hoo-ha gave birth to one of our favourite blogs, MediaWatchWatch, in which its founder and chief writer, Monitor, chronicles attacks on freedom of expression, especially when it comes from religious quarters.
Now, students from St Andrews University are to put on the musical, and of course the usual angry Christians are coming out with the words quoted in the intro above.
As you might expect, Stephen Green’s grubby little outfit Christian Voice – the sort of Christians who give Christianity a bad name – are up there with the chief protestors, according to Scotland on Sunday.
Jerry Springer: The Opera, written by Stewart Lee and Richard Thomas, debuted in the West End in 2003, and satirises the American chat-show format. The play sees a cast of religious characters, including Jesus Christ, Satan, the Virgin Mary and God, brought together to attempt to reconcile their differences.
It presents the Virgin Mary as a victim of rape, says the birth of Jesus was because “the condom split”, and casts God as an ineffective old fool who needs Jerry Springer’s shoulder to cry on.
The Just So Musical Society at St Andrews University will stage its production in April as part of the On the Rocks arts festival, which launches this year at the university.
What Christian idiots fail to spot is that all the “offending” stuff is in a dream sequence and seen from inside Springer’s head. The whole piece is a comment on the more trashy chat-show format and the kinds of issues it tackles.
Just so that you know, it’s on for three nights from 19 to 21 April. If you can get to see it, go along and support it.
An interesting comment under the Scotland on Sunday story comes from Fifi la Bonbon, who writes:
Jesus Christ is all that is good and powerful, so shouldn’t He be able to make His mind up about what he finds offensive. These ****s [Fifi’s self-censorship] from Christian Voice are nothing but mockers and pretenders, claiming to be all offended on His behalf. But they speak for no-one but themselves and the businesses they have built on His back. Their threats are of naught.
Just how he’ll make up his mind when he’s been dead for quite a while now is anyone’s guess, Fifi. But your comments about Christian Voice are spot on.
