A Triumph of Tastelessness

Jerry Springer has been many things: a Democratic mayor of Cincinnati, a Nashville recording artist, a dancing star on reality TV, and, most famously, host of The Jerry Springer Show, one of America’s favorite ways to waste time and cultivate a sense of superiority over the vulgar, dysfunctional masses. Never one to avoid a leap into the absurd, Springer has recently become the basis for the lead character in the musical Jerry Springer: The Opera, a hit in London.  Its area premiere is this month.

The musical, penned by two Brits, is as outlandish and raunchy as it sounds. When it was originally aired on TV by the BBC, more than 50,000 people protested and a coalition of Christian organizations tried to sue the BBC for blasphemy. No dice. Jerry Springer became a smash hit and snagged “Best Musical” awards from all four major British awards academies, including four Olivier prizes.

Jerry Springer: The Opera comes to the Twin Cities courtesy of Minneapolis Musical Theatre, which is only the third theater in the country to get the rights to the show. Those who are easily offended by frequent vulgarity and gratuitous sacrilege might want to give this musical a pass. But for those who relish the idea of a Ku Klux Klan tap dance number or a “talk to the hand” smackdown between Jesus and Satan, this will be a highlight of the theater season. Oct. 5–28. Hennepin Stages, 824 Hennepin Ave., Mpls., 989-5151