A grown man wearing only a nappy is waving a gun. An assortment of white trash and trailer-park lowlifes is weaving around the stage, and at the back, a chorus of Ku Klux Klansmen is merrily tap-dancing. As a bad-taste musical moment the closing number of Kombat Opera’s show rivals the brilliant Springtime for Hitler extravaganza in Mel Brooks’s The Producers.
There is certainly no accounting for taste, and since it first popped up at BAC last August, Richard Thomas and Stewart Lee’s comic opera has acquired cult status. Its current run as a work in progress is an attempt to develop the idea further and see if there is the backing for a possible West End run.
It is a neat enough proposition, and only time will tell if it can be stretched to a full-length stage show. Irony is a difficult pose for either a production or an audience to sustain for more than an hour. The references to lesbian dwarves, chicks with dicks and lap-dancing transsexuals press all the right mirth buttons for an audience that has sacrificed its brains at the altar of daytime TV. But the performance really comes into its own in its more serious moments. After all, the real Jerry Springer Show has you gaping open-mouthed at the TV. Kombat can’t top its awful, unbelievable reality; all they can do is add music to it. But they can do something that the real show can’t: show us how the poor misguided participants actually feel. There is an extraordinarily potent moment when the fat, desperate, angry would-be pole dancer Chantel is forced to dance. Music and libretto fuse in an aria full of grace for the graceless, a hymn for the unloved and unlovely.
Since it doesn’t really have to try too hard to be amusing (although it is interesting that the operatic commercial breaks raise the most laughter), it strikes me that it is in its ability to externalise the internal that the real originality and as yet unrealised theatricality of Jerry Springer: the Opera lies.
· Until February 23. Box office: 020-7223 2223.
Borathigh5, Youtube
Borathigh5, Youtube
NevW47479, UKTV.co.uk
NevW47479, UKTV.co.uk
Pirate Crocodile, Twitter
Pirate Crocodile, Twitter
Dick Socrates, Twitter
Dick Socrates, Twitter
Chez, Chortle.com
Chez, Chortle.com
Tokyofist, Youtube
Tokyofist, Youtube
Peter Fears, Twitter
Peter Fears, Twitter
Esme Folley, Actress, cellist, Twitter
Esme Folley, Actress, cellist, Twitter
Jackmumf, Twitter
Jackmumf, Twitter
Rubyshoes, Twitter
Rubyshoes, Twitter
Shit Crit, Twitter
Shit Crit, Twitter
Karen Laidlaw, Edfringe. com.
Karen Laidlaw, Edfringe. com.
Slothy Matt, Twitter
Slothy Matt, Twitter
Pnethor, pne-online.com
Pnethor, pne-online.com
World Without End, Twitter
World Without End, Twitter
Neolab, Guardian.co.uk
Neolab, Guardian.co.uk
Bosco239, youtube
Bosco239, youtube
Tweeterkiryakou, Twitter
Tweeterkiryakou, Twitter
Lenny Darksphere, Twitter
Lenny Darksphere, Twitter
BBC iPlayer edition of discussion of Stewart Lee on A Good Read
BBC iPlayer edition of discussion of Stewart Lee on A Good Read
Keilloh, Twitter
Keilloh, Twitter
Peter Ould, Twitter
Peter Ould, Twitter
Rudeness, Youtube
Rudeness, Youtube
Cabluigi, Guardian.co.uk
Cabluigi, Guardian.co.uk
Idrie, Youtube
Idrie, Youtube
Aaron, comedy.co.uk
Aaron, comedy.co.uk
Kozzy06, Youtube
Kozzy06, Youtube
Meanstreetelite, Peoplesrepublicofcork
Meanstreetelite, Peoplesrepublicofcork
Danazawa, Youtube
Danazawa, Youtube
Mini-x2, readytogo.net
Mini-x2, readytogo.net
Tres Ryan, Twitter
Tres Ryan, Twitter
Shane, Beverley, Dailymail.co.uk
Shane, Beverley, Dailymail.co.uk
Dominic Cavendish, Telegraph
Dominic Cavendish, Telegraph
GRTak, finalgear.com
GRTak, finalgear.com
Gmanthedemon, bbc.co.uk
Gmanthedemon, bbc.co.uk
Zombie Hamster, Twitter
Zombie Hamster, Twitter
Foxfoxton, Youtube
Foxfoxton, Youtube
Sidsings000, Youtube
Sidsings000, Youtube
Robert Gavin, Twitter
Robert Gavin, Twitter
Emilyistrendy, Youtube
Emilyistrendy, Youtube
General Lurko 36, Guardian.co.uk
General Lurko 36, Guardian.co.uk
Cojones2, Guardian.co.uk
Cojones2, Guardian.co.uk
Lents, redandwhitekop.com
Lents, redandwhitekop.com
Lucinda Locketts, Twitter
Lucinda Locketts, Twitter
Hiewy, Youtube
Hiewy, Youtube
Cyberbloke, Twitter
Cyberbloke, Twitter
Iain, eatenbymissionaries
Iain, eatenbymissionaries
Spanner, dontstartmeoff.com
Spanner, dontstartmeoff.com
DVDhth's grandparents, Twitter
DVDhth's grandparents, Twitter
A D Ward, Twitter
A D Ward, Twitter
Liam Travitt, Twitter
Liam Travitt, Twitter
Dahoum, Guardian.co.uk
Dahoum, Guardian.co.uk
Dominic Cavendish, Daily Telegraph
Dominic Cavendish, Daily Telegraph
Clampdown59, Twitter.
Clampdown59, Twitter.
Maninabananasuit, Guardian.co.uk
Maninabananasuit, Guardian.co.uk
Carla, St Albans, Dailymail.co.uk
Carla, St Albans, Dailymail.co.uk
Whoiscuriousgeorge, Youtube
Whoiscuriousgeorge, Youtube
Joe, Independent.co.uk
Joe, Independent.co.uk
Stuart, Chortle
Stuart, Chortle
Al Murray, Comedian
Al Murray, Comedian
Yukio Mishima, dontstartmeoff.com
Yukio Mishima, dontstartmeoff.com
Alwyn, Digiguide.tv
Alwyn, Digiguide.tv
Tin Frog, Twitter
Tin Frog, Twitter
Guest1001, Youtube
Guest1001, Youtube
Anonymous, don'tstartmeoff.com
Anonymous, don'tstartmeoff.com
Rowing Rob, Guardian.co.uk
Rowing Rob, Guardian.co.uk
Deepbass, Guardian.co.uk
Deepbass, Guardian.co.uk
Frankie Boyle, Comedian
Frankie Boyle, Comedian
Secretdeveloper, Youtube
Secretdeveloper, Youtube
Anonymous, The Northfield Patriot
Anonymous, The Northfield Patriot
Guest, Dontstartmeoff.com
Guest, Dontstartmeoff.com
Someoneyoudon'tknow, Chortle.com
Someoneyoudon'tknow, Chortle.com
Wharto15, Twitter
Wharto15, Twitter
FBC, finalgear.com
FBC, finalgear.com
Microcuts 22, Twitter
Microcuts 22, Twitter
Anon, dontstartmeoff.com
Anon, dontstartmeoff.com
Mpf1947, Youtube
Mpf1947, Youtube
Mearecate, Youtube
Mearecate, Youtube
Stokeylitfest, Twitter
Stokeylitfest, Twitter
Gwaites, Digitalspy
Gwaites, Digitalspy
Anon, westhamonline.com
Anon, westhamonline.com
Sam Rooney, Youtube
Sam Rooney, Youtube
98rosjon, Twitter
98rosjon, Twitter
Alex Quarmby, Edfringe.com
Alex Quarmby, Edfringe.com
Joskins, Leeds Music Forum
Joskins, Leeds Music Forum
Henry Howard Fun, Twitter
Henry Howard Fun, Twitter
Richard Herring, Comedian
Richard Herring, Comedian
Aiden Hearn, Twitter
Aiden Hearn, Twitter
Coxy, Dontstartmeoff.com
Coxy, Dontstartmeoff.com
Lancethrustworthy, Youtube
Lancethrustworthy, Youtube
Tweeter Kyriakou, Twitter
Tweeter Kyriakou, Twitter
Neva2busy, dontstartmeoff.com
Neva2busy, dontstartmeoff.com
Gabrielle, Chortle.com
Gabrielle, Chortle.com
Syhr, breakbeat.co.uk
Syhr, breakbeat.co.uk
Nicetime, Guardian.co.uk
Nicetime, Guardian.co.uk
Bobby Bhoy, Twitter
Bobby Bhoy, Twitter
Len Firewood, Twitter
Len Firewood, Twitter
Z-factor, Twitter.
Z-factor, Twitter.
Anamatronix, Youtube
Anamatronix, Youtube
Funday’schild, youtube.
Funday’schild, youtube.
Johnny Kitkat, dontstartmeoff.com
Johnny Kitkat, dontstartmeoff.com
Sweeping Curves, Twitter
Sweeping Curves, Twitter
Jamespearse, Twitter
Jamespearse, Twitter
Leach Juice, Twitter
Leach Juice, Twitter
Joycey, readytogo.net
Joycey, readytogo.net
Brendon, Vauxhallownersnetwork.co.uk
Brendon, Vauxhallownersnetwork.co.uk
Horatio Melvin, Twitter
Horatio Melvin, Twitter
Patrick Kavanagh, Guardian.co.uk
Patrick Kavanagh, Guardian.co.uk
Pudabaya, beexcellenttoeachother.com
Pudabaya, beexcellenttoeachother.com
Genghis McKahn, Guardian.co.uk
Genghis McKahn, Guardian.co.uk
12dgdgdgdgdgdg, Youtube
12dgdgdgdgdgdg, Youtube
Anon, BBC Complaints Log
Anon, BBC Complaints Log
John Robins, Comedian
John Robins, Comedian
Pudabaya, Twitter
Pudabaya, Twitter
Birmingham Sunday Mercury
Birmingham Sunday Mercury
Visualiser1, Twitter
Visualiser1, Twitter
Peter Ould, Youtube
Peter Ould, Youtube
Lee Mack, Mack The Life, 2012
Lee Mack, Mack The Life, 2012
Meninblack, Twitter
Meninblack, Twitter
Carcrazychica, Youtube
Carcrazychica, Youtube
Fairy Pingu, Twitter
Fairy Pingu, Twitter
Brighton Argus
Brighton Argus
Mrdavisn01, Twitter
Mrdavisn01, Twitter
Ishamayura Byrd, Twitter
Ishamayura Byrd, Twitter
Dave Wilson, Chortle.com
Dave Wilson, Chortle.com
Fowkes81, Twitter
Fowkes81, Twitter
Etienne, Chortle.com
Etienne, Chortle.com
James Dellingpole, Daily Telegraph
James Dellingpole, Daily Telegraph
Contrapuntal, Twitter
Contrapuntal, Twitter