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Commentary: February, 2008
Shame on Carnegie Hall.
“Jerry Springer, the Opera” came and went from Carnegie Hall last month and the earth still turns on its axis. Thank God!
Even so, and in our view, the nasty and vulgar anti-Christian bent of this production reflects nothing about art and everything about the religious bigotry of its writer Richard Thomas. It also reflects poorly on the assumed good judgment on behalf of Carnegie Hall’s management, more than it does the real Jerry Springer, whose TV shows usually had other targets besides Christianity.
Truth be known, Mr. Thomas used the theatrical medium to vent a personal message, since he could have gone off and poked fun at any number of other peculiarities of his guests, who willingly came on his show to experience the carnage. But why Christianity? Why Christ? We see more and more of this kind of religious bigotry raring its ugly head these days, but usually from movie and/or TV producers and writers.
As for the producers, David Foster and Jared Geller, they say they intend a limited two-performance run, unless the audience demand is strong, in which case they might just make a pitch for a longer stay on Broadway. It’s all about the money, you see.
As for Carnegie Hall management, they ought to be ashamed. “Jerry Springer, the Opera” is lace-filled with vulgar and blatantly offensive anti-Christian mockery of the worst kind and, according to those who follow such things, is pretty foul-mouthed to boot, containing over 4,000 mentions of “Mother F**ker!” in its songs.
The Catholic League’s Bill Donahue was outraged, as well he should have been, and said of Carnegie Hall management that “it got into bed with the bigots.” He’s right!
Public finding for the arts, and especially for opera, takes a hit when shows like this come to town. From everything we have seen, “Jerry Springer, the Opera” is an offensive, crude, vulgar, mean-spirited, bigoted and demeaning assault on civility – both to the audience that attends and the singers who take the money to sing the roles. But, so too, was the Jerry Springer show.
I suppose if making money is the object, we need not stop with vulgar trash such as this. Public executions and fight-to-the-death gladiatorial matches might also fill Carnegie Hall to capacity. And how about an anti-gay play or musical that is both vulgar and mocks the gay lifestyle? Would Carnegie Hall welcome that endeavor, too? How about a blatantly racist play that mocks the Black experience? What would Carnegie have to say about that? Would they argue that the content was not suitable for such a prestigious forum or would they let it in?
Are fiscal times as bad for Carnegie Hall as they are for Opera Boston and Boston Lyric Opera, where filling every seat is the end all and catering to the almighty buck is, itself, elevated to a religious experience?
We here at OperaOnline.us have written about this show in the past and expressed our disgust with those who produce it, attend performances and defend it as art. Our view is straight-forward: the dumbing down of our culture, using the arts in a vulgar way to make a point, is a slippery slope that has its precedence in history. Have we forgotten how Hitler used the medium to degrade Jews before offering a “final solution” to the Jewish problem? Is this what Foster and Geller are up to here, but with a focus on morality and Christianity instead?
Producers of shows such as this ought not be rewarded. And while Carnegie Hall has a right to host it, and Foster and Geller have a right to try to make a buck from it, we think the audience deserves better and ought to stay home. But then again, how likely is that?
