Jerry Springer: The Opera has continued to stir up controversy following the beginning of its national tour around Great Britain.
The tour began in Plymouth, with the show first being aired on Friday. Although it is set to stay in Plymouth for until the end of the week, the Archdeacon of Plymouth, Tony Wilds, as well as two of Plymouth’s former Lord Mayors, have expressed their displeasure regarding the staging of Jerry Springer.The Archdeacon described the musical’s treatment of religious figures as “unfair and unacceptable” and called for the tour to be abandoned.
The Archdeacon, backed by former Lord Mayors Tom Savery and David Stark, as well as ministers from five other Christian denominations, made a statement entitled ‘Freedom, Not Hate in Plymouth’.
The statement claimed that “The local production of the controversial Jerry Springer the Opera is... a serious and damaging misjudgement.”
The Archdeacon expressed his support for the principle of freedom of speech but insisted that the musical "takes undue liberties according to this standard. The abusive portrayal of figures held by Christians to be [dear] should be recognised by all people of goodwill as unfair and unacceptable ..."Ever since January of last year, Jerry Springer: The Opera has been a source of controversy. The controversy began when the BBC decided to broadcast a televised version of the musical. As a result the BBC received a record 63,000 complaints, and the national tour was postponed.
Last week the producers of Jerry Springer: The Opera blamed poor ticket sales in the run-up to the tour on protests from Christian groups and the British National Party.
Producer Jon Thoday said that: "Organising this tour has been the most difficult thing we've ever done," He continued: "It's been on and off about three times, to the point when we thought we were fighting a losing battle." Protests have been planned all across Great Britain to coincide with the tour.
Thoday spoke of the protests last Friday at the first showing of Jerry Springer: the Opera, where only a few protestors were present: "If they can only muster 35 people praying on the first date of the tour, my hope is that it will be the show that prevails and not the protests."
