The tongue-in-cheek Irish comedy Making A Holy Show Of Yerself, the brainchild of comedians Sinead Gould and past Alternative Miss Ireland winner Paddy Fagan, has been on the receiving end of an inordinate amount of backlash for a show which has yet to be staged.
Due to be performed in Dublin and Waterford, it is a light hearted mixture of comedy, cabaret and music hosted by a nun and an excommunicated priest with humour in the vein of Father Ted.
The backlash began when the creators received an email from someone who hadn’t seen the show but still demanded it be cancelled. At first, they didn’t take the complaint seriously, but they were soon bombarded with a flood of mails. At last count, almost 7,000 complaints have been received, including a petition signed by people worldwide.
One complaint read: “It is with great consternation we learn of your plan to stage this vile and blasphemous play…[which] will lead many souls to hell.” It continues “It may be fashionable in these hedonistic days to join the throngs who are making (sic) there way to the everlasting fire.”
The petition, which urges readers “Warning: Read with caution” goes on to quote the press release for the show – “The description begins by inviting people to ‘Throw away the sins of the world with a comedy mass like no other’. Included in the ticket is a ‘A complimentary glass of holy water’ and a ‘Live DJ set from The Pope’.”
The creators replied: “How can someone petition or complain against something they have never seen? We believe this hysteria was targeted and created by a small group of people who didn’t bother to research and made an uninformed decision about a light hearted comedy show.”
Paddy also told GCN: “We are being harassed, vilified and condemned by religious groups about an Irish comedy show which frankly speaking is no different to Father Ted, or Little Britain. These are the same religious groups who campaigned against gay marriage, repeal, and were pro-blasphemy laws. In a country of free speech and freedom of expression, it’s unbelievable that this kind of thing is still going on in this day and age. It’s ridiculous.”
The show plays in Dublin on Saturday March 23 at the Drop Dead Twice venue in Dublin 8 before moving on to The Reg in Waterford City on May 12.
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