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.
2 comments:
I remember going to see the original West End version of "Jerry Springer: The Opera" back in 2004. The irony is, that if these censorious Christians actually went to see the show and could get past all the "bad language" and the nappy-wearing Jesus admitting "I am a little bit gay", they would realise it's actually quite a clever and witty debate about "right and wrong" and the importance of tolerance and caring for one another. This is supposedly the core message of both Christianity and secular Humanism. The Jerry Springer character actually closes the show with the same line that the real Jerry Springer uses to close his TV show: "Whatever our differences, please take care of yourselves and each other". As this was supposed to be Christ's message - and is the essence of Humanism also - surely we can all agree on that? Perhaps if more students and young people were allowed to stage, watch and think about this show there'd be less knife crime on our streets.
Thank you for your kind comments, which I came across when googling my user name, Fifi la Bonbon, after someone else in a comments column tried stalking me.
I was inspired by, of all people, Professor Donald Macleod of the Free Church College. Prof. Macleod is the father of John Macleod, the closeted Daily Mail columnist, but that's just a bit of gossip and not wholly relevant. Anyway, Prof Macleod once said -
"Atheists blame religion for the world's ills, and they're right. Atheists blame Christians and they're right. Too many Christians behave like atheists. They don't like God the way He is. If He had any sense He'd kill abortion-doctors and make sure women kept their place."
Prof Macleod is a very wise man with a keen sense of humour who actually sees the sorry state of so many of his co-religionists. The Free Church doesn't deserve him, but at least they seem to appreciate what they have.
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