Jerry Springer: The Opera

This is a show that is pornographic, vulgar, profane and blasphemous. And therein lies its charm. It is a thoughtful polemic against fallen media and social standards and against organized religion. It is infuriating but it is as though the infuriation factor is designed as a filter to keep out anyone unable to appreciate the thoughtful arguments beneath the shock and the schlock. The music (if not the raunchy lyrics) has an echo of Andrew Lloyd Weber. The voices, the choreography, the staging and the orchestra are all first rate. Think of it as a modern day Don Giovanni. Indeed the premise and the conclusion are much the same as those in Mozart's masterpiece. There are some great lines as when Springer, brilliantly played by Davd Soul, protests "You can't put me in hell.I'm Jewish." It's doubtful this will make it to US television. Certainly the evangelical truth squads will do everything they can to block it. It was on Bravo here in Canada Saturday night and I applaud them for their chuptzah in showing it. It might turn up in some fringe theatres or video shops in the US. Once you get past the provocative format, you'll find it a worthwhile exercise.

I watched it on BBC2 at the time and was so disgusted with it that I cancelled my television licence and never renewed it. It is vulgar and boring; it made me sick to my stomach. It was co-written by Stewart Lee, who once said, "One would like to think that comedy could incite religious hatred. That would be great." (The Independent on Sunday, 5th December 2004.)

I'm at a loss to explain how a degenerate load of sick rubbish like this has positive reviews. How the people have been dumbed down, dehumanised and brainwashed into accepting mockery as entertainment. God will not be mocked.

As another reviewer discovered, once the faux shock of the vulgarity wears off after 15 minutes, the 'opera' is exposed as being not worth watching, even, I suspect, if for Dawkins-worshipping 'atheists'.

Since watching this when it first aired on the BBC, I have been awaiting the DVD release. Bought it as soon as I saw it for sale which must mean I like it, right?! Well, I do like it. I like it a lot. There is a lot to like about it. But it also occurs to me that this 'Opera' has polarized opinion to such an extent into the twin extremes of love it or hate it that it's difficult to view it objectively.

It would take too, too long to go through a full critique but a couple of plus and a negative points to get a discussion going. Plus point, was the irreverence of the piece - as a biting satire it is intelligent and astute and very amusing. The first half, especially, really does "hold a mirror up to society" with far greater validity than The Jerry Springer Show itself ever has. On the other hand, the second half doesn't fully work for me - too much reliance on foul language for comedic effect and not enough substance to the resolution.

Another plus would be the score and choreography which are excellent. But conversely, I think two or three of the singers let the production down. The diaper-wearing Jesus turns in the kind of crude, obvious performance more often seen in amateur dramatics and the big guy/God singer seemed frequently out of tune to me and his diction was awful.

So there you have it... or at least a start to it. Not a flawless production but pretty damn good. Refreshing, I'd say. And I would defend anybody's right to view it. Make up your own mind, that's what I'd say I understand that Sainsburys and Woolworths have pulled it off their shelves to appease a noisy minority. Must remember not to shop there then!

Despite my dislike for The Jerry Springer Show, Jerry Springer: The Opera actually sparked my interest starting with my lifelong love for the genre. First things off, it is not a conventional opera, but it is so much fun to hear and watch. The choreography is very nifty and jazzy, and the production values look very good complete with clear camera angles and sound. The lyrics are daring and very funny and the music while consisting mainly of brief riffs sticks in your head for a long time. The characters and story are also interesting and entertaining. David Soul is excellent in the title role and all the other roles are performed with gusto. Overall, fun and worth watching at least once. 10/10 Bethany Cox

To begin with I hate, with a passion, the Jerry Springer show. As soon as it comes on; off goes the TV. But Jerry Springer the Opera is different. Act one deals with typical Jerry show characters with secrets and desires. Act two, well without mentioning too many spoilers, lets just say that act two is a roller-coaster ride of Jerry-isms and religious theory. This is an opera, and some of the operatic moments, with the high sopranos hitting the notes that makes the dog wonder "what the hell was that?" On the other hand, some of the tunes are rather hummable. It is a well produced show with lots of technical magic. Where Jerry Springer the Opera steps into a whole new level in is its use of language. If the HBO series "Deadwood" made you blush, Jerry Springer will take you to a who new level of conceivable swearwords and blue actions. But I don't think you could do the show without it, and without the F**ks, the show would just seem out of place. If that kind of thing bugs you, watch something else and they you will not have anything to complain about. If you are okay with foul language for the sake of art, enjoy the show.

One more thing, this show deals with religious themes in a very non-standard way. If you don't like seeing or hearing bad things about Mary, Jesus, or the big guy himself, then you are going to have some issues.