The epic storytelling of opera meets the hijinks and hilarity of daytime television! When an ordinary broadcast of his trashy talk show ends in violence, this musical extravaganza follows Jerry Springer straight to hell, where he mediates the age-old dispute between Satan and Jesus Christ himself. With a cast of thirty-four performers—plus a band!—Jerry Springer: The Opera is the largest show The Studio 2nd Stage has ever produced!
"Brilliantly scandalous, scandalously brilliant!"—The Sunday Times
Director Keith Alan Baker's raucous, larger-than-life production also reunites performers and creative staff from last season's smash Reefer Madness (2008 Helen Hayes Award/Outstanding Resident Musical). With music by Richard Thomas and book and lyrics by Stewart Lee and Richard Thomas, Jerry Springer: The Opera runs through August 17 in the Metheny Theatre.
Finally, the show that took England by storm arrives in the United States! Jerry Springer: The Opera made its bow at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, where it was a sold-out sensation. Not long after, a new and expanded version of the show debuted at London's National Theatre, where the entire run sold out before the first performance. The press raved, calling the play "a thriling, truly groundbreaking smash," and audience demand led to a West End run and a successful tour. Now, Jerry Springer: The Opera has come to the U.S. at last, and American audiences are welcoming the show with open arms! A U.S. premiere in Chicago was followed by performances in Las Vegas, Memphis, Minneapolis and Cincinnati—plus, a sold-out two-night concert at Carnegie Hall, starring Harvey Keitel as Jerry.
Jerry Springer: The Opera gleefully combines the sublime with the ridiculous, creating a smart and hilarious blend of pop-culture satire, musical pastiche and opera homage. The show's first act follows Jerry through a routine broadcast filled with cheating spouses, diaper fetishists and pole dancers. While The Jerry Springer Show gathers a circus of misfits for the voyeuristic delight of its audience, Jerry Springer: The Opera uses soaring arias to offer a glimpse inside the yearning hearts of the show's guests, as each longs for their "Jerry Springer moment." In the show's second act, a violent accident sends Jerry to hell, where he is forced to host a diabolical version of his show for Satan and Jesus Christ—and to face his own responsibility for the evils his show has unleashed on the world.
The presentation of religious figures in Jerry Springer: The Opera has earned the show its share of protest and controversy. In 2003, the National Theatre production of Jerry Springer: The Opera was broadcast on the BBC, and the network received over 60,000 letters and calls of protest. In the United States, the production has become the target of organized protests, letter-writing campaigns and prayer vigils by Evangelical groups.
The Studio 2ndStage production of Jerry Springer: The Opera reunites several members of the award-winning team that created Reefer Madness: The Musical. Director Keith Alan Baker and Co-director/Choreographer Matthew Gardiner received the Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding Direction, Resident Musical for Reefer Madness. Gardiner was also nominated for Outstanding Choreography. Helen Hayes Award-winning Musical Director Chris Youstra will be joining Baker and Gardiner. Lawrence Redmond and Bobby Smith—who will star as Jerry and Satan, respectively—were also honored for their work in Reefer Madness; both received nominations for Outstanding Lead Actor, Resident Musical.
Featuring: Lawrence Redmond (Jerry) and Bobby Smith (Jonathan/Satan) with Florie Bagel (Baby Jane), Melynda Burdette (Irene/Mary), Ron Curameng (Montel/Jesus), Mary Gresock (Peaches), Janine Gulisano-Sunday (Andrea), Kristin Jepperson (Zandra), Jason B. McIntosh (Steve), Michael Nansel (Dwight/God), Patricia Portillo (Valkyrie), Aaron Reeder (Tremont), Russell Sunday (Chucky/Adam), Rachal Zampelli (Shawntell/Eve) and Jessi Baden-Campbell, Mardee Bennett, Rebecca Czandel, Kerry Deitrick, Jamie Eacker, Emily Formica, Chris Galindo, Ben Gibson, H. Alan Hoffman, Benjamin Horen, Michael Kenny, Jacqueline Maloney, Ryan P. Manning, Jon Reynolds, Kirstin Riegler, JR Russ, Daniel Sonntag, Max Spitulnik, Weslie Woodley and Bligh Voth. -- www.studiotheatre.org
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