… and feed them to the Lesbians, went the line in “Jerry Springer – The Opera” screened on BBC2 last night. The tap dancing Ku Klux Klan probably took the biscuit in surreality though, that or the particular chorus line comprising entirely the c-word.
Obviously the humour is at the live alternative comedian level of right to offend, but the satire is clear and witty, and the performance and production quality excellent, so you’d have to be pretty repressed not to laugh and enjoy the experience. The satire is obviously aimed at the confessional TV culture represented by Jerry Springer, but it’s actually a pretty traditional Faustian morality play in there, and in places layed on a bit too thick, just in case the “tourists” don’t spot the moral of the story.
Those protesting strongly against it on grounds of offence and blasphemy have clearly only read the reports in the popular press concerning the f-word and c-word count and the fact that God, Jesus, Mary and Satan are all characters in the plot, but they are hardly the target’s of the satire. In fact a UK council of churches representative spoke before the transmission, to make this very point to his flock. This is real Divine Comedy. No absolute good and evil, just a daily fine line to be defended.