It’s confession time. Yes, I admit to having watched that phenomenon of trash television, The Jerry Springer Show. It was (quite) a long time ago and it only happened (just about) once. Truly nothing in life is wasted, however, because the experience turned out to have been useful advance homework on Jerry Springer: The Opera at Battersea Arts Centre, composed by Richard Thomas and co-written and directed by Stewart Lee. They have asked me to make it clear that this is still a work-in-progress, and therefore officially at preview stage only. It’s a riot in any case, and in the best sense.
Come off it: it isn’t opera at all, despite some delicious operatic take-offs in Thomas’s piano accompanied score. This is a musical, with the chorus representing the studio audience of Springer’s show – denouncing the benighted participating couples who harangue each other in scenes of mutual emotional carnage, while Springer hosts proceedings with laconic mock-empathy (“I’m confused here”), and a marvellously morose bouncer tries to stop the cat-fights from progressing towards mutual disembowelment.
The whole thing is seriously offensive, genuinely as funny as it thinks it is, replete with ceaseless profanities, laced with moments of poignancy, and dangerously close to brilliant in its sheer verve. Thomas’s scintillating score succeeds in applying Sondheim’s ingenuity and dark imagination to a musical idiom resembling Donald Swann on crack cocaine. There will be pressure to sanitise the final version for the show to have a chance of making it to the West End or elsewhere. I hope Thomas and Lee successfully resist.
Maninabananasuit, Guardian.co.uk
Maninabananasuit, Guardian.co.uk
Joe, Independent.co.uk
Joe, Independent.co.uk
Joskins, Leeds Music Forum
Joskins, Leeds Music Forum
Z-factor, Twitter.
Z-factor, Twitter.
Jackmumf, Twitter
Jackmumf, Twitter
Fowkes81, Twitter
Fowkes81, Twitter
Dick Socrates, Twitter
Dick Socrates, Twitter
Pudabaya, Twitter
Pudabaya, Twitter
GRTak, finalgear.com
GRTak, finalgear.com
Alex Quarmby, Edfringe.com
Alex Quarmby, Edfringe.com
BBC iPlayer edition of discussion of Stewart Lee on A Good Read
BBC iPlayer edition of discussion of Stewart Lee on A Good Read
Stuart, Chortle
Stuart, Chortle
Coxy, Dontstartmeoff.com
Coxy, Dontstartmeoff.com
Slothy Matt, Twitter
Slothy Matt, Twitter
Brendon, Vauxhallownersnetwork.co.uk
Brendon, Vauxhallownersnetwork.co.uk
Etienne, Chortle.com
Etienne, Chortle.com
Deepbass, Guardian.co.uk
Deepbass, Guardian.co.uk
Al Murray, Comedian
Al Murray, Comedian
Genghis McKahn, Guardian.co.uk
Genghis McKahn, Guardian.co.uk
Lucinda Locketts, Twitter
Lucinda Locketts, Twitter
Aiden Hearn, Twitter
Aiden Hearn, Twitter
Mrdavisn01, Twitter
Mrdavisn01, Twitter
Dave Wilson, Chortle.com
Dave Wilson, Chortle.com
Foxfoxton, Youtube
Foxfoxton, Youtube
Ishamayura Byrd, Twitter
Ishamayura Byrd, Twitter
Patrick Kavanagh, Guardian.co.uk
Patrick Kavanagh, Guardian.co.uk
Whoiscuriousgeorge, Youtube
Whoiscuriousgeorge, Youtube
Lenny Darksphere, Twitter
Lenny Darksphere, Twitter
Henry Howard Fun, Twitter
Henry Howard Fun, Twitter
Pudabaya, beexcellenttoeachother.com
Pudabaya, beexcellenttoeachother.com
John Robins, Comedian
John Robins, Comedian
Danazawa, Youtube
Danazawa, Youtube
Keilloh, Twitter
Keilloh, Twitter
Richard Herring, Comedian
Richard Herring, Comedian
Rubyshoes, Twitter
Rubyshoes, Twitter
Sweeping Curves, Twitter
Sweeping Curves, Twitter
Funday’schild, youtube.
Funday’schild, youtube.
Contrapuntal, Twitter
Contrapuntal, Twitter
Brighton Argus
Brighton Argus
Yukio Mishima, dontstartmeoff.com
Yukio Mishima, dontstartmeoff.com
Dominic Cavendish, Daily Telegraph
Dominic Cavendish, Daily Telegraph
Esme Folley, Actress, cellist, Twitter
Esme Folley, Actress, cellist, Twitter
Someoneyoudon'tknow, Chortle.com
Someoneyoudon'tknow, Chortle.com
Rudeness, Youtube
Rudeness, Youtube
A D Ward, Twitter
A D Ward, Twitter
Gmanthedemon, bbc.co.uk
Gmanthedemon, bbc.co.uk
Tres Ryan, Twitter
Tres Ryan, Twitter
Len Firewood, Twitter
Len Firewood, Twitter
Secretdeveloper, Youtube
Secretdeveloper, Youtube
Syhr, breakbeat.co.uk
Syhr, breakbeat.co.uk
Dominic Cavendish, Telegraph
Dominic Cavendish, Telegraph
General Lurko 36, Guardian.co.uk
General Lurko 36, Guardian.co.uk
Sam Rooney, Youtube
Sam Rooney, Youtube
Fairy Pingu, Twitter
Fairy Pingu, Twitter
World Without End, Twitter
World Without End, Twitter
Rowing Rob, Guardian.co.uk
Rowing Rob, Guardian.co.uk
Carcrazychica, Youtube
Carcrazychica, Youtube
Borathigh5, Youtube
Borathigh5, Youtube
FBC, finalgear.com
FBC, finalgear.com
Cyberbloke, Twitter
Cyberbloke, Twitter
Idrie, Youtube
Idrie, Youtube
Peter Ould, Youtube
Peter Ould, Youtube
Cojones2, Guardian.co.uk
Cojones2, Guardian.co.uk
Microcuts 22, Twitter
Microcuts 22, Twitter
Joycey, readytogo.net
Joycey, readytogo.net
Cabluigi, Guardian.co.uk
Cabluigi, Guardian.co.uk
Bobby Bhoy, Twitter
Bobby Bhoy, Twitter
Anonymous, The Northfield Patriot
Anonymous, The Northfield Patriot
Birmingham Sunday Mercury
Birmingham Sunday Mercury
Dahoum, Guardian.co.uk
Dahoum, Guardian.co.uk
Karen Laidlaw, Edfringe. com.
Karen Laidlaw, Edfringe. com.
DVDhth's grandparents, Twitter
DVDhth's grandparents, Twitter
Horatio Melvin, Twitter
Horatio Melvin, Twitter
Pirate Crocodile, Twitter
Pirate Crocodile, Twitter
Carla, St Albans, Dailymail.co.uk
Carla, St Albans, Dailymail.co.uk
Clampdown59, Twitter.
Clampdown59, Twitter.
Kozzy06, Youtube
Kozzy06, Youtube
Anon, dontstartmeoff.com
Anon, dontstartmeoff.com
Sidsings000, Youtube
Sidsings000, Youtube
Emilyistrendy, Youtube
Emilyistrendy, Youtube
Mearecate, Youtube
Mearecate, Youtube
Neva2busy, dontstartmeoff.com
Neva2busy, dontstartmeoff.com
Iain, eatenbymissionaries
Iain, eatenbymissionaries
Neolab, Guardian.co.uk
Neolab, Guardian.co.uk
Lancethrustworthy, Youtube
Lancethrustworthy, Youtube
Gabrielle, Chortle.com
Gabrielle, Chortle.com
Chez, Chortle.com
Chez, Chortle.com
Stokeylitfest, Twitter
Stokeylitfest, Twitter
Peter Ould, Twitter
Peter Ould, Twitter
12dgdgdgdgdgdg, Youtube
12dgdgdgdgdgdg, Youtube
Meanstreetelite, Peoplesrepublicofcork
Meanstreetelite, Peoplesrepublicofcork
Tin Frog, Twitter
Tin Frog, Twitter
Shit Crit, Twitter
Shit Crit, Twitter
Guest1001, Youtube
Guest1001, Youtube
Meninblack, Twitter
Meninblack, Twitter
Alwyn, Digiguide.tv
Alwyn, Digiguide.tv
Tweeterkiryakou, Twitter
Tweeterkiryakou, Twitter
Spanner, dontstartmeoff.com
Spanner, dontstartmeoff.com
Anon, westhamonline.com
Anon, westhamonline.com
Zombie Hamster, Twitter
Zombie Hamster, Twitter
Wharto15, Twitter
Wharto15, Twitter
Hiewy, Youtube
Hiewy, Youtube
98rosjon, Twitter
98rosjon, Twitter
Peter Fears, Twitter
Peter Fears, Twitter
Nicetime, Guardian.co.uk
Nicetime, Guardian.co.uk
Guest, Dontstartmeoff.com
Guest, Dontstartmeoff.com
Jamespearse, Twitter
Jamespearse, Twitter
Visualiser1, Twitter
Visualiser1, Twitter
Frankie Boyle, Comedian
Frankie Boyle, Comedian
NevW47479, UKTV.co.uk
NevW47479, UKTV.co.uk
Anonymous, don'tstartmeoff.com
Anonymous, don'tstartmeoff.com
Mini-x2, readytogo.net
Mini-x2, readytogo.net
Gwaites, Digitalspy
Gwaites, Digitalspy
Tokyofist, Youtube
Tokyofist, Youtube
Lee Mack, Mack The Life, 2012
Lee Mack, Mack The Life, 2012
Bosco239, youtube
Bosco239, youtube
Leach Juice, Twitter
Leach Juice, Twitter
Shane, Beverley, Dailymail.co.uk
Shane, Beverley, Dailymail.co.uk
Johnny Kitkat, dontstartmeoff.com
Johnny Kitkat, dontstartmeoff.com
Robert Gavin, Twitter
Robert Gavin, Twitter
Tweeter Kyriakou, Twitter
Tweeter Kyriakou, Twitter
Aaron, comedy.co.uk
Aaron, comedy.co.uk
Lents, redandwhitekop.com
Lents, redandwhitekop.com
Liam Travitt, Twitter
Liam Travitt, Twitter
James Dellingpole, Daily Telegraph
James Dellingpole, Daily Telegraph
Mpf1947, Youtube
Mpf1947, Youtube
Anamatronix, Youtube
Anamatronix, Youtube
Pnethor, pne-online.com
Pnethor, pne-online.com
Anon, BBC Complaints Log
Anon, BBC Complaints Log