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Dateline: 12th January, 2005
Springer Posts Closing Notices Jerry Springer the Opera has posted early closing notices. Although it has been booking to October, it will now close on 19th February, after its 609th performance and fifteen months in the West End. The closure is blamed on the defamation action brought against the Daily Mail by one of the producers, Avalon, the costs of which had to be met from the show's marketing budget (see out story of October 2004). The case has been quietly settled but no details are available. According to a statement from the producers, marketing activity had to be reduced so severely that audience numbers have been badly affected. The closure is not, they emphasise, anything to do with the rows over the BBC2 broadcast of the show last Sunday. The show will go on tour from October, it was also announced, starting in Manchester. Further venues will be announced later. It is not yet known if David Soul will continue in the part of Springer himself for the tour. In a separate move, producers have offered Christians and other protestors the opportunity to see the show and judge for themsleves for just £10. “We want to encourage Christians and other religious groups to come and see the show to make up their own minds,” a spokesperson said. Meanwhile a senior Radio 3 producer, Antony Pitts, has resigned from the corporation, saying, "The blasphemy was far, far worse than even the most detailed news reports had led me to believe." He siad that the show offended his Christian beliefs and that he felt the BBC should have paid more heed to the protests before the broadcast. Members of the cast of the musical will be taking part in a concert to raise money for the tsunami appeal - in Chelmsford Cathedral. They will, clergy at the catehdral have assured the public, be singing "appropriate material". Please note that all three Archive indices are very long and will therefore take some time to download.
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