You thought it was just another tawdry late-night TV show. Think again. JERRY SPRINGER THE OPERA is an exhilarating clash between high art and low comedy. Words: Mark Fisher
It has a cast of 21, a chorus of ten, a live band, a demanding score and a libretto that goes ‘What the fuck, what the fuck, what the fucky fuck fuck’ over a diminished scale. So, as you can imagine, Jerry Springer: The Opera has phenomenal word of mouth. It’s one of those dream concepts that catches everyone’s imagination. Jerry Springer and opera: that’s funny right? And extra buzz about this opera-comedy clash has been generated because of the way it’s been put together by Stewart Lee, stand-up turned director, and Richard Thomas, whose CV includes an opera called Tourette’s Diva.
They have slowly built this tribute to telly’s king of dysfunctional relationships from tentative concert performances to try-out first act, all the time getting audience feedback and pointers about which way to head next. ‘It’s evolved in a weird, Labour Party-style public partnership with its financial supporters,’ laughs Lee.
So although its official debut is not until now in Edinburgh, it has already attracted attention on a global scale. Its try-out in February at the Battersea Arts Centre drew audiences from as far afield as New York as well as promoters including Cameron Mackintosh, Andrew Lloyd Webber and National Theatre director Nick Hytner. There and then, Lee and Thomas were given offers of a West End run.
Luckily for us they resisted. This is Lee’s 15th consecutive year on the Fringe and Thomas is not far behind with 11 visits. The festival is their artistic home and they wanted to give the show one last tweak for Edinburgh, cutting 40 minutes of good but not quite perfect material before what seems like the inevitable commercial transfer. ‘I wanted to do it right, to really finish it off,’ says Thomas, a self-taught composer. ‘And Edinburgh’s a great place to do it. It’s the greatest festival on earth.’
Lee and Thomas are two men who know they’re on a roll. Sitting opposite me in a quiet corner above their Clapham rehearsal room, they babble away in a high-speed barrage of enthusiasm, the one barely giving room for the other to speak. ‘I thought we’d get a real backlash from the opera crowd,’ says Thomas. ‘That it would be seen as too lowbrow or undignified. But in fact, they really liked it.’
Lee chips in: ‘I don’t know anything about opera, so I just treated it like a comedy script that needed editing. But then when the opera people were coming in and going: “This is the funniest thing I’ve ever seen,” I went and saw some opera and I thought, well, it probably is. If you’ve only ever seen West End musicals or opera, this is probably astonishing. It’s written by people who have worked in comedy and know what is really funny, instead of what someone wrongly imagines as funny.’
Set in the dying days of The Jerry Springer Show, the first act features three sets of guests with guilty secrets. Interspersed are solos in which they reveal their real secrets (the man who says he likes to wear diapers really likes shitting his pants).
Act two is set inside the mind of Jerry Springer as he descends into hell. The two men have used the conventions of the TV programme to inform the opera. ‘In Jerry Springer,’ says Lee, ‘he says: “What’s your problem then?” and you’re straight into where you want to be. The programme has really harsh edits. That means you dispense with intros and outros or having to have things that are in the same key thrown together.’
The idea first came to Thomas as he watched The Jerry Springer Show and saw lots of fat people shouting at each other incoherently: just like in opera. ‘Opera is an extreme form,’ he says. ‘So if you’re going to write an opera, you may as well use an extreme subject. If the guests are screaming at each other – ‘You pervert, you sicko, you motherfucker” – the music can go against that: the subtext can come through.’
The two had a meeting with Springer himself (‘I think of him as Saint Mephistopheles,’ says Thomas), who gave his tacit agreement to the project and may even turn up in person when he appears at the Edinburgh Television Festival. Are there any legal complications I ask? ‘Er…’ says Thomas, uncharacteristically panicked. ‘I can’t really say.’
So why does he think it’s taking off in such a big way? ‘It genuinely is pretty funny,’ he says. ‘It’s tight. It’s not boring. All the things you associate with opera, it isn’t. But musically, we’ve got fantastic singers who have to be really good because it’s complex stuff. I get a kick from the fact that people might be laughing over some serious, complex music.’
General Lurko 36, Guardian.co.uk
General Lurko 36, Guardian.co.uk
Aiden Hearn, Twitter
Aiden Hearn, Twitter
Microcuts 22, Twitter
Microcuts 22, Twitter
Shane, Beverley, Dailymail.co.uk
Shane, Beverley, Dailymail.co.uk
Secretdeveloper, Youtube
Secretdeveloper, Youtube
Johnny Kitkat, dontstartmeoff.com
Johnny Kitkat, dontstartmeoff.com
Lucinda Locketts, Twitter
Lucinda Locketts, Twitter
Guest1001, Youtube
Guest1001, Youtube
Peter Ould, Twitter
Peter Ould, Twitter
Pnethor, pne-online.com
Pnethor, pne-online.com
Iain, eatenbymissionaries
Iain, eatenbymissionaries
Fairy Pingu, Twitter
Fairy Pingu, Twitter
James Dellingpole, Daily Telegraph
James Dellingpole, Daily Telegraph
Funday’schild, youtube.
Funday’schild, youtube.
Sweeping Curves, Twitter
Sweeping Curves, Twitter
Liam Travitt, Twitter
Liam Travitt, Twitter
Dahoum, Guardian.co.uk
Dahoum, Guardian.co.uk
Z-factor, Twitter.
Z-factor, Twitter.
Hiewy, Youtube
Hiewy, Youtube
Maninabananasuit, Guardian.co.uk
Maninabananasuit, Guardian.co.uk
Tin Frog, Twitter
Tin Frog, Twitter
Karen Laidlaw, Edfringe. com.
Karen Laidlaw, Edfringe. com.
Lee Mack, Mack The Life, 2012
Lee Mack, Mack The Life, 2012
Tweeterkiryakou, Twitter
Tweeterkiryakou, Twitter
Bosco239, youtube
Bosco239, youtube
Horatio Melvin, Twitter
Horatio Melvin, Twitter
Peter Ould, Youtube
Peter Ould, Youtube
Neva2busy, dontstartmeoff.com
Neva2busy, dontstartmeoff.com
Tweeter Kyriakou, Twitter
Tweeter Kyriakou, Twitter
Cyberbloke, Twitter
Cyberbloke, Twitter
Clampdown59, Twitter.
Clampdown59, Twitter.
Foxfoxton, Youtube
Foxfoxton, Youtube
Brendon, Vauxhallownersnetwork.co.uk
Brendon, Vauxhallownersnetwork.co.uk
Slothy Matt, Twitter
Slothy Matt, Twitter
12dgdgdgdgdgdg, Youtube
12dgdgdgdgdgdg, Youtube
Kozzy06, Youtube
Kozzy06, Youtube
Brighton Argus
Brighton Argus
Cojones2, Guardian.co.uk
Cojones2, Guardian.co.uk
Stuart, Chortle
Stuart, Chortle
Rudeness, Youtube
Rudeness, Youtube
Ishamayura Byrd, Twitter
Ishamayura Byrd, Twitter
Lancethrustworthy, Youtube
Lancethrustworthy, Youtube
Borathigh5, Youtube
Borathigh5, Youtube
Gabrielle, Chortle.com
Gabrielle, Chortle.com
Mearecate, Youtube
Mearecate, Youtube
Richard Herring, Comedian
Richard Herring, Comedian
Mrdavisn01, Twitter
Mrdavisn01, Twitter
Gmanthedemon, bbc.co.uk
Gmanthedemon, bbc.co.uk
Dick Socrates, Twitter
Dick Socrates, Twitter
Guest, Dontstartmeoff.com
Guest, Dontstartmeoff.com
Yukio Mishima, dontstartmeoff.com
Yukio Mishima, dontstartmeoff.com
Syhr, breakbeat.co.uk
Syhr, breakbeat.co.uk
Fowkes81, Twitter
Fowkes81, Twitter
Spanner, dontstartmeoff.com
Spanner, dontstartmeoff.com
Chez, Chortle.com
Chez, Chortle.com
Birmingham Sunday Mercury
Birmingham Sunday Mercury
Emilyistrendy, Youtube
Emilyistrendy, Youtube
Rowing Rob, Guardian.co.uk
Rowing Rob, Guardian.co.uk
Pirate Crocodile, Twitter
Pirate Crocodile, Twitter
A D Ward, Twitter
A D Ward, Twitter
World Without End, Twitter
World Without End, Twitter
Gwaites, Digitalspy
Gwaites, Digitalspy
John Robins, Comedian
John Robins, Comedian
Mpf1947, Youtube
Mpf1947, Youtube
Jamespearse, Twitter
Jamespearse, Twitter
Leach Juice, Twitter
Leach Juice, Twitter
NevW47479, UKTV.co.uk
NevW47479, UKTV.co.uk
Keilloh, Twitter
Keilloh, Twitter
Peter Fears, Twitter
Peter Fears, Twitter
Frankie Boyle, Comedian
Frankie Boyle, Comedian
Alwyn, Digiguide.tv
Alwyn, Digiguide.tv
Pudabaya, Twitter
Pudabaya, Twitter
Carcrazychica, Youtube
Carcrazychica, Youtube
Wharto15, Twitter
Wharto15, Twitter
Joskins, Leeds Music Forum
Joskins, Leeds Music Forum
Aaron, comedy.co.uk
Aaron, comedy.co.uk
Anamatronix, Youtube
Anamatronix, Youtube
Contrapuntal, Twitter
Contrapuntal, Twitter
Danazawa, Youtube
Danazawa, Youtube
Visualiser1, Twitter
Visualiser1, Twitter
DVDhth's grandparents, Twitter
DVDhth's grandparents, Twitter
Tres Ryan, Twitter
Tres Ryan, 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
Deepbass, Guardian.co.uk
Deepbass, Guardian.co.uk
Neolab, Guardian.co.uk
Neolab, Guardian.co.uk
Anonymous, The Northfield Patriot
Anonymous, The Northfield Patriot
Etienne, Chortle.com
Etienne, Chortle.com
Idrie, Youtube
Idrie, Youtube
Stokeylitfest, Twitter
Stokeylitfest, Twitter
Esme Folley, Actress, cellist, Twitter
Esme Folley, Actress, cellist, Twitter
Meninblack, Twitter
Meninblack, Twitter
Mini-x2, readytogo.net
Mini-x2, readytogo.net
Dave Wilson, Chortle.com
Dave Wilson, Chortle.com
Anon, westhamonline.com
Anon, westhamonline.com
Pudabaya, beexcellenttoeachother.com
Pudabaya, beexcellenttoeachother.com
FBC, finalgear.com
FBC, finalgear.com
Lenny Darksphere, Twitter
Lenny Darksphere, Twitter
Cabluigi, Guardian.co.uk
Cabluigi, Guardian.co.uk
Alex Quarmby, Edfringe.com
Alex Quarmby, Edfringe.com
Robert Gavin, Twitter
Robert Gavin, Twitter
GRTak, finalgear.com
GRTak, finalgear.com
Anon, BBC Complaints Log
Anon, BBC Complaints Log
Al Murray, Comedian
Al Murray, Comedian
Genghis McKahn, Guardian.co.uk
Genghis McKahn, Guardian.co.uk
Joe, Independent.co.uk
Joe, Independent.co.uk
Anon, dontstartmeoff.com
Anon, dontstartmeoff.com
Tokyofist, Youtube
Tokyofist, Youtube
Joycey, readytogo.net
Joycey, readytogo.net
Shit Crit, Twitter
Shit Crit, Twitter
Len Firewood, Twitter
Len Firewood, Twitter
Whoiscuriousgeorge, Youtube
Whoiscuriousgeorge, Youtube
Lents, redandwhitekop.com
Lents, redandwhitekop.com
Zombie Hamster, Twitter
Zombie Hamster, Twitter
Bobby Bhoy, Twitter
Bobby Bhoy, Twitter
Meanstreetelite, Peoplesrepublicofcork
Meanstreetelite, Peoplesrepublicofcork
Dominic Cavendish, Telegraph
Dominic Cavendish, Telegraph
Henry Howard Fun, Twitter
Henry Howard Fun, Twitter
Carla, St Albans, Dailymail.co.uk
Carla, St Albans, Dailymail.co.uk
Dominic Cavendish, Daily Telegraph
Dominic Cavendish, Daily Telegraph
Anonymous, don'tstartmeoff.com
Anonymous, don'tstartmeoff.com
Patrick Kavanagh, Guardian.co.uk
Patrick Kavanagh, Guardian.co.uk
Jackmumf, Twitter
Jackmumf, Twitter
Nicetime, Guardian.co.uk
Nicetime, Guardian.co.uk
Coxy, Dontstartmeoff.com
Coxy, Dontstartmeoff.com
Someoneyoudon'tknow, Chortle.com
Someoneyoudon'tknow, Chortle.com
Rubyshoes, Twitter
Rubyshoes, Twitter
98rosjon, Twitter
98rosjon, Twitter
Sam Rooney, Youtube
Sam Rooney, Youtube
Sidsings000, Youtube
Sidsings000, Youtube