Steve On Broadway (SOB)

Jerry Springer Finally Plays Carnegie Hall

Jerry Springer Finally Plays Carnegie Hall

Four long years after taking London's West End by storm and winning the Olivier Award for Best New Musical, Stewart Lee and Richard Thomas' Jerry Springer The Opera finally gets its due in New York City.

But instead of playing Broadway as originally planned, the f-bombfest and ode to America's trashy side will play just a couple blocks away with two consecutive nights at Carnegie Hall. Jerry Springer The Opera will perform tonight and tomorrow night.

Under the direction of Jason Moore (Avenue Q), this special concert presentation stars Harvey Keitel stars as the once disgraced Cincinnati mayor cum television host, while the incredible David Bedella reprises his Olivier Award-winning West End role as the devil.

I caught this show during its original London run and found it less shocking than I think it was supposed to be. For some strange reason, I was downright bemused by the premise that Springer is assassinated and goes directly to hell, contending with all his trash TV has wrought. Maybe I've just watched "South Park" far too many times. Bedella, by the way, was absolutely excellent.

While I've toyed with taking in this New York performance, I'll leave the few remaining seats to those who have never had the chance to see the show.

But if you are going, make sure your sensibilities are prepared, especially if they tend to be delicate. This show is hardly anything resembling family fare with everything from men with diaper fetishes to less than reverent depictions of Christ, all wrapped up in the thousands of times you'll hear the word "f@#&."

Perhaps most shocking is that the entire piece is sung as an opera. Really.

At least there's truth in advertising.

This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).

Click here for tickets.

Labels: David Bedella, Jerry Springer The Opera, Musical, Off-Broadway, Opera

posted by Steve On Broadway (SOB) @ Tuesday, January 29, 2008