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.
Shane, Beverley, Dailymail.co.uk
Shane, Beverley, Dailymail.co.uk
Sam Rooney, Youtube
Sam Rooney, Youtube
XPIJONpsY, Twitter
XPIJONpsY, Twitter
Anonymous, The Northfield Patriot
Anonymous, The Northfield Patriot
Zombie Hamster, Twitter
Zombie Hamster, Twitter
Funday’schild, youtube.
Funday’schild, youtube.
Anon, westhamonline.com
Anon, westhamonline.com
Dick Socrates, Twitter
Dick Socrates, Twitter
Spursguy, Youtube
Spursguy, Youtube
Guest, Dontstartmeoff.com
Guest, Dontstartmeoff.com
Deepbass, Guardian.co.uk
Deepbass, Guardian.co.uk
Fowkes81, Twitter
Fowkes81, Twitter
Gmanthedemon, bbc.co.uk
Gmanthedemon, bbc.co.uk
Neolab, Guardian.co.uk
Neolab, Guardian.co.uk
Henry Howard Fun, Twitter
Henry Howard Fun, Twitter
Carla, St Albans, Dailymail.co.uk
Carla, St Albans, Dailymail.co.uk
Emilyistrendy, Youtube
Emilyistrendy, Youtube
Tweeterkiryakou, Twitter
Tweeterkiryakou, Twitter
Wharto15, Twitter
Wharto15, Twitter
Birmingham Sunday Mercury
Birmingham Sunday Mercury
Lancethrustworthy, Youtube
Lancethrustworthy, Youtube
Len Firewood, Twitter
Len Firewood, Twitter
Herald Scotland.
Herald Scotland.
Dahoum, Guardian.co.uk
Dahoum, Guardian.co.uk
Anamatronix, Youtube
Anamatronix, Youtube
Slothy Matt, Twitter
Slothy Matt, Twitter
Frankie Boyle, Comedian
Frankie Boyle, Comedian
Meanstreetelite, Peoplesrepublicofcork
Meanstreetelite, Peoplesrepublicofcork
Yukio Mishima, dontstartmeoff.com
Yukio Mishima, dontstartmeoff.com
Anon, dontstartmeoff.com
Anon, dontstartmeoff.com
Joycey, readytogo.net
Joycey, readytogo.net
Idrie, Youtube
Idrie, Youtube
Dave Wilson, Chortle.com
Dave Wilson, Chortle.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
Anonymous, don'tstartmeoff.com
Anonymous, don'tstartmeoff.com
Sidsings000, Youtube
Sidsings000, Youtube
Brendon, Vauxhallownersnetwork.co.uk
Brendon, Vauxhallownersnetwork.co.uk
Pudabaya, beexcellenttoeachother.com
Pudabaya, beexcellenttoeachother.com
Mini-x2, readytogo.net
Mini-x2, readytogo.net
Syhr, breakbeat.co.uk
Syhr, breakbeat.co.uk
A D Ward, Twitter
A D Ward, Twitter
Tweeter Kyriakou, Twitter
Tweeter Kyriakou, Twitter
Esme Folley, Actress, cellist, Twitter
Esme Folley, Actress, cellist, Twitter
Liam Travitt, Twitter
Liam Travitt, Twitter
Dominic Cavendish, Telegraph
Dominic Cavendish, Telegraph
Dominic Cavendish, Daily Telegraph
Dominic Cavendish, Daily Telegraph
Robert Gavin, Twitter
Robert Gavin, Twitter
NevW47479, UKTV.co.uk
NevW47479, UKTV.co.uk
Zoot Cadillac, Twitter
Zoot Cadillac, Twitter
Coxy, Dontstartmeoff.com
Coxy, Dontstartmeoff.com
Hiewy, Youtube
Hiewy, Youtube
Clampdown59, Twitter.
Clampdown59, Twitter.
Brighton Argus
Brighton Argus
Iain, eatenbymissionaries
Iain, eatenbymissionaries
Rubyshoes, Twitter
Rubyshoes, Twitter
Peter Ould, Youtube
Peter Ould, Youtube
Guest1001, Youtube
Guest1001, Youtube
Jamespearse, Twitter
Jamespearse, Twitter
Carcrazychica, Youtube
Carcrazychica, Youtube
Sweeping Curves, Twitter
Sweeping Curves, Twitter
Al Murray, Comedian
Al Murray, Comedian
World Without End, Twitter
World Without End, Twitter
Peter Fears, Twitter
Peter Fears, Twitter
Rudeness, Youtube
Rudeness, Youtube
Mearecate, Youtube
Mearecate, Youtube
Neva2busy, dontstartmeoff.com
Neva2busy, dontstartmeoff.com
Jackmumf, Twitter
Jackmumf, Twitter
Rowing Rob, Guardian.co.uk
Rowing Rob, Guardian.co.uk
Lucinda Locketts, Twitter
Lucinda Locketts, Twitter
Chez, Chortle.com
Chez, Chortle.com
General Lurko 36, Guardian.co.uk
General Lurko 36, Guardian.co.uk
Mpf1947, Youtube
Mpf1947, Youtube
Mrdavisn01, Twitter
Mrdavisn01, Twitter
Tin Frog, Twitter
Tin Frog, Twitter
12dgdgdgdgdgdg, Youtube
12dgdgdgdgdgdg, Youtube
Genghis McKahn, Guardian.co.uk
Genghis McKahn, Guardian.co.uk
Dan McCaid, Twitter
Dan McCaid, Twitter
Etienne, Chortle.com
Etienne, Chortle.com
Gwaites, Digitalspy
Gwaites, Digitalspy
Keilloh, Twitter
Keilloh, Twitter
Karen Laidlaw, Edfringe. com.
Karen Laidlaw, Edfringe. com.
Pirate Crocodile, Twitter
Pirate Crocodile, Twitter
Whoiscuriousgeorge, Youtube
Whoiscuriousgeorge, Youtube
Lents, redandwhitekop.com
Lents, redandwhitekop.com
John Robins, Comedian
John Robins, Comedian
Meninblack, Twitter
Meninblack, Twitter
Aiden Hearn, Twitter
Aiden Hearn, Twitter
Alex Quarmby, Edfringe.com
Alex Quarmby, Edfringe.com
Contrapuntal, Twitter
Contrapuntal, Twitter
Lee Mack, Mack The Life, 2012
Lee Mack, Mack The Life, 2012
Spanner, dontstartmeoff.com
Spanner, dontstartmeoff.com
Bosco239, youtube
Bosco239, youtube
Leach Juice, Twitter
Leach Juice, Twitter
Shit Crit, Twitter
Shit Crit, Twitter
98rosjon, Twitter
98rosjon, Twitter
Lenny Darksphere, Twitter
Lenny Darksphere, Twitter
Alwyn, Digiguide.tv
Alwyn, Digiguide.tv
Stokeylitfest, Twitter
Stokeylitfest, Twitter
Johnny Kitkat, dontstartmeoff.com
Johnny Kitkat, dontstartmeoff.com
James Dellingpole, Daily Telegraph
James Dellingpole, Daily Telegraph
Tokyofist, Youtube
Tokyofist, Youtube
Horatio Melvin, Twitter
Horatio Melvin, Twitter
Fairy Pingu, Twitter
Fairy Pingu, Twitter
Secretdeveloper, Youtube
Secretdeveloper, Youtube
Dominic Cavendish, Daily Telegraph
Dominic Cavendish, Daily Telegraph
Bobby Bhoy, Twitter
Bobby Bhoy, Twitter
Pnethor, pne-online.com
Pnethor, pne-online.com
Nicetime, Guardian.co.uk
Nicetime, Guardian.co.uk
Cojones2, Guardian.co.uk
Cojones2, Guardian.co.uk
Maninabananasuit, Guardian.co.uk
Maninabananasuit, Guardian.co.uk
Borathigh5, Youtube
Borathigh5, Youtube
Visualiser1, Twitter
Visualiser1, Twitter
Foxfoxton, Youtube
Foxfoxton, Youtube
Someoneyoudon'tknow, Chortle.com
Someoneyoudon'tknow, Chortle.com
FBC, finalgear.com
FBC, finalgear.com
Stuart, Chortle
Stuart, Chortle
Danazawa, Youtube
Danazawa, Youtube
GRTak, finalgear.com
GRTak, finalgear.com
Gabrielle, Chortle.com
Gabrielle, Chortle.com
Anon, BBC Complaints Log
Anon, BBC Complaints Log
Richard Herring, Comedian
Richard Herring, Comedian
Cyberbloke, Twitter
Cyberbloke, Twitter
Peter Ould, Twitter
Peter Ould, Twitter
Pudabaya, Twitter
Pudabaya, Twitter
Ishamayura Byrd, Twitter
Ishamayura Byrd, Twitter
Joe, Independent.co.uk
Joe, Independent.co.uk
DVDhth's grandparents, Twitter
DVDhth's grandparents, Twitter
Patrick Kavanagh, Guardian.co.uk
Patrick Kavanagh, Guardian.co.uk
Z-factor, Twitter.
Z-factor, Twitter.
Microcuts 22, Twitter
Microcuts 22, Twitter
Kozzy06, Youtube
Kozzy06, Youtube
Aaron, comedy.co.uk
Aaron, comedy.co.uk
Cabluigi, Guardian.co.uk
Cabluigi, Guardian.co.uk
Joskins, Leeds Music Forum
Joskins, Leeds Music Forum
Tres Ryan, Twitter
Tres Ryan, Twitter