On January 29 and 30, “Jerry Springer–The Opera” will be performed at Carnegie Hall. The first act is a parody of the Jerry Springer Show; the second act depicts the television personality in Hell attempting to bridge a resolution between Jesus and Satan.
Catholic League president Bill Donohue laced into the show today:
“When this opera debuted in London, it was the subject of a libel suit for defaming Christians. When the BBC picked it up, it drew more than 60,000 complaints for its anti-Christian theme. Not bad for a non-Christian country. The London Times described the concert as a ‘cocktail of biblical characters, filthy arias and tap dancing Ku Klux Klansman.’ After watching a DVD version, I would say that’s an understatement. In a Nexis search, linking ‘blasphemous’ with the show provides 745 hits; there are 112 articles that use the word ‘filth’ to describe the concert.
“The opera has Jesus introduced as that ‘hypocrite son of the fascist tyrant on high, Jesus of Nazareth.’ He is portrayed as a fat, effeminate gay-like character (he admits to being ‘a bit gay’ after the chorus labels him as such) who walks around in a diaper. The crucifixion is mocked, the Eucharist is trashed, the Virgin Mary is introduced as a woman who was ‘raped by an angel’ and Eve fondles Jesus’ genitals. [For a detailed description, click here; adult language is used.]
“More than anything else, what this show celebrates is moral nihilism. At the end, it even voices this theme: ‘Nothing is wrong and nothing is right’ and ‘there are no absolutes of good and evil.’ This is exactly what the Nazis said in their defense at Nuremberg.
“Veteran BBC official William Rees-Mogg said he was ‘ashamed of the BBC’ for airing this show. Will the patrons of Carnegie Hall be similarly ashamed? Contact: publicaffairs@carnegiehall.org. We will contact its most generous corporate sponsors.”
