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Behind Jerry Springer: The Opera
Carnegie Hall has seen its share of far-out performances. But few have come with disclaimers for language and mature content. This week, "Jerry Springer -- The Opera" earns that distinction when it has a two-night run at Carnegie Hall. The musical comes with a history of critical praise, major awards, and a swirl of controversy. Director Jason Moore tells us what Carnegie audiences are in for.
Also: We get a review of the London production from British cultural critic Norman Lebrecht.
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Saw this production in London. My husband and I wanted to see a play while there and this is what was available. I never liked the Jerry Springer show and didn't particularly like "The Opera". Yes, outrageous but I didn't think it was any more offensive than the usual stuff on his show. As is often pointed out, you can turn off the TV show, not watch, or in this case, don't buy a ticket. Definitely tho' the show should go on.......I am never in favor of censureship by exclusion.
Saw it in London, too. My friend is an opera buff and insisted that as our pick on a night out.
I found the first act tough to watch: it made me feel icky the way Jerry Springer does.
But then, the second act, with its Faustian resonances and its really funny, raunchy music got beautiful and moving and fun and I was SO GLAD that I stayed.
I think it's a really, really, really interesting and worthy piece and I wish that it were in town for a run on Broadway. It's worth it.
I saw a recording of the BBC TV broadcast and I found it quite entertaining and certainly provocative. (I'm areligious so nothing offended me).
One important thing to note is that the book is by Stewart Lee, a fairly well know (in the UK) British comedian. The intent is rawly satirical, and there is a great deal of hilarious material in it.
The satire is deeper than most of what passes for satire today, though not about religion (which is what the complaints will be about). It's much more about media and mass culture.
The music was somewhere between musical comedy and a contemporary classical feel, though almost all the singing was "operatic."
Most enjoyable for me. I laughed a lot.
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