On the other side of the river, Battersea Arts Centre is becoming another increasingly thrilling powerhouse. Tom Morris’s latest project, still in development, is Jerry Springer: the Opera, a thoroughly modern musical that does something musicals rarelyéfv do: it holds a mirror up to the contemporary world and reveals it to be sick.
Witty, inventive, funny, camp, dirty and in seriously gross taste, this is satire of Springer-style confessional telly. The studio audience of trailer trash are gagging for some squalid action (“Bring on the losers…”) their throbbing chorus of “Jerry, Jerry…” as impassioned as the Kyrie of a sung mass.
Divinely blasphemous, of course, but Jerry is to them a sort of high priest, God’s representative on Earth, which is why it is appropriate that sinners should turn to him to publicly and ritually confess their guiltiest secrets and then receive his absolution. One by one the guests appear: a “chick with a dick”; a big guy in a bigger nappy who wants to be babied by his lover; a woman past her best-by date who movingly sings of her dream of becoming a lap-dancer.
For each of them, this is their “Jerry Springer moment” for which they expect, with some relish, their just and deserved punishment: “Dip me in chocolate and throw me to the lesbians.”
The second half is a fantasia springing from Jerry’s subconscious mind (he’s been shot), a wildly entertaining, sub-Miltonesque, philosophical debate that builds to a hilarious climactic duet between Satan (the warm-up guy) and Jesus (the nappy fetishist) about good and evil.
It dares to pose a semi-serious question: Did these sad creatures who do nothing but “eat, excrete and watch TV” come first, or did Jerry (and Trisha and Oprah and the rest) create them? I think we should be told.
The music and singing are superb, though the frequency of four-letter words, even when sung as fabulously and with such feeling as here, makes this too fruity an earful for the easily offended. But believe me, this is going to be HUGE. See it here first, then watch it become a cult.
Neva2busy, dontstartmeoff.com
Neva2busy, dontstartmeoff.com
Carla, St Albans, Dailymail.co.uk
Carla, St Albans, Dailymail.co.uk
Iain, eatenbymissionaries
Iain, eatenbymissionaries
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Shane, Beverley, Dailymail.co.uk
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Leach Juice, Twitter
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Peter Ould, Twitter
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Dick Socrates, Twitter
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Ishamayura Byrd, Twitter
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Mpf1947, Youtube
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Aaron, comedy.co.uk
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Gmanthedemon, bbc.co.uk
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Contrapuntal, Twitter
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Funday’schild, youtube.
Brighton Argus
Brighton Argus
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Yukio Mishima, dontstartmeoff.com
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World Without End, Twitter
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98rosjon, Twitter
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Birmingham Sunday Mercury
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Rowing Rob, Guardian.co.uk
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Hiewy, Youtube
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Sidsings000, Youtube
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Mrdavisn01, Twitter
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Rudeness, Youtube
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Karen Laidlaw, Edfringe. com.
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Keilloh, Twitter
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Horatio Melvin, Twitter
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Visualiser1, Twitter
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Genghis McKahn, Guardian.co.uk
James Dellingpole, Daily Telegraph
James Dellingpole, Daily Telegraph
Joskins, Leeds Music Forum
Joskins, Leeds Music Forum
Brendon, Vauxhallownersnetwork.co.uk
Brendon, Vauxhallownersnetwork.co.uk
Esme Folley, Actress, cellist, Twitter
Esme Folley, Actress, cellist, Twitter
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Bobby Bhoy, Twitter
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Liam Travitt, Twitter
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Z-factor, Twitter.
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Jamespearse, Twitter
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Anonymous, The Northfield Patriot
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Mearecate, Youtube
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Tin Frog, Twitter
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Cabluigi, Guardian.co.uk
Anon, BBC Complaints Log
Anon, BBC Complaints Log
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Aiden Hearn, Twitter
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Guest1001, Youtube
Microcuts 22, Twitter
Microcuts 22, Twitter
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Anon, westhamonline.com
Johnny Kitkat, dontstartmeoff.com
Johnny Kitkat, dontstartmeoff.com
Maninabananasuit, Guardian.co.uk
Maninabananasuit, Guardian.co.uk
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Neolab, Guardian.co.uk
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Spanner, dontstartmeoff.com
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Pnethor, pne-online.com
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Peter Ould, Youtube
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Clampdown59, Twitter.
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Whoiscuriousgeorge, Youtube
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John Robins, Comedian
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Tres Ryan, Twitter
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Mini-x2, readytogo.net
NevW47479, UKTV.co.uk
NevW47479, UKTV.co.uk
GRTak, finalgear.com
GRTak, finalgear.com
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Robert Gavin, Twitter
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Coxy, Dontstartmeoff.com
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Dominic Cavendish, Telegraph
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Al Murray, Comedian
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Slothy Matt, Twitter
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Chez, Chortle.com
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Cyberbloke, Twitter
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Sweeping Curves, Twitter
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Sam Rooney, Youtube
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Pirate Crocodile, Twitter
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Fowkes81, Twitter
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Wharto15, Twitter
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Someoneyoudon'tknow, Chortle.com
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Lents, redandwhitekop.com
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Etienne, Chortle.com
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General Lurko 36, Guardian.co.uk
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Idrie, Youtube
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Nicetime, Guardian.co.uk
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Carcrazychica, Youtube
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Joe, Independent.co.uk
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Henry Howard Fun, Twitter
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Bosco239, youtube
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Richard Herring, Comedian
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Dominic Cavendish, Daily Telegraph
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Borathigh5, Youtube
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Joycey, readytogo.net
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Meninblack, Twitter
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Anamatronix, Youtube
BBC iPlayer edition of discussion of Stewart Lee on A Good Read
BBC iPlayer edition of discussion of Stewart Lee on A Good Read
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Emilyistrendy, Youtube
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Jackmumf, Twitter
12dgdgdgdgdgdg, Youtube
12dgdgdgdgdgdg, Youtube
Cojones2, Guardian.co.uk
Cojones2, Guardian.co.uk
Tweeter Kyriakou, Twitter
Tweeter Kyriakou, Twitter
Alex Quarmby, Edfringe.com
Alex Quarmby, Edfringe.com
Anon, dontstartmeoff.com
Anon, dontstartmeoff.com
Zombie Hamster, Twitter
Zombie Hamster, Twitter
Danazawa, Youtube
Danazawa, Youtube
A D Ward, Twitter
A D Ward, Twitter
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Secretdeveloper, Youtube
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Dahoum, Guardian.co.uk
Foxfoxton, Youtube
Foxfoxton, Youtube
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Gabrielle, Chortle.com
Kozzy06, Youtube
Kozzy06, Youtube
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DVDhth's grandparents, Twitter
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Lenny Darksphere, Twitter
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Tokyofist, Youtube
Fairy Pingu, Twitter
Fairy Pingu, Twitter
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Len Firewood, Twitter
Lancethrustworthy, Youtube
Lancethrustworthy, Youtube
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Meanstreetelite, Peoplesrepublicofcork
Dave Wilson, Chortle.com
Dave Wilson, Chortle.com
Lucinda Locketts, Twitter
Lucinda Locketts, Twitter
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Deepbass, Guardian.co.uk
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Guest, Dontstartmeoff.com
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Syhr, breakbeat.co.uk
FBC, finalgear.com
FBC, finalgear.com
Gwaites, Digitalspy
Gwaites, Digitalspy
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Peter Fears, Twitter
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Rubyshoes, Twitter
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Frankie Boyle, Comedian
Pudabaya, Twitter
Pudabaya, Twitter
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Patrick Kavanagh, Guardian.co.uk
Shit Crit, Twitter
Shit Crit, Twitter
Stuart, Chortle
Stuart, Chortle
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Alwyn, Digiguide.tv
Pudabaya, beexcellenttoeachother.com
Pudabaya, beexcellenttoeachother.com
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Tweeterkiryakou, Twitter
Stokeylitfest, Twitter
Stokeylitfest, Twitter
Anonymous, don'tstartmeoff.com
Anonymous, don'tstartmeoff.com
Lee Mack, Mack The Life, 2012
Lee Mack, Mack The Life, 2012