Bosses at a Dundee theatre say comedian Jerry Sadowitz’s show will go ahead as planned – despite controversy over his appearance at the Edinburgh Fringe.
The Scottish comic hosted a show at The Pleasance in the capital on Friday and was due to appear for two nights.
But his performance on Saturday was cancelled after organisers said they had received an “unprecedented” number of complaints about the show’s content, which is described as “highly offensive” on the comedian’s website.
Sadowitz, who is known for his brand of dark humour, was also criticised for exposing himself on stage.
Whitehall bosses confirm show will go ahead
The 61-year-old is due to perform at Whitehall Theatre in Dundee on October 9 as part of his UK tour.
Whitehall chiefs were in talks as to whether Sadowitz’s show should go ahead following the controversy surrounding his Edinburgh gig.
On Monday morning a spokesperson for the venue told The Courier they would be contacting The Pleasance for more information about the contents of his show before deciding whether it should be pulled.
But on Tuesday the venue confirmed that the show will go ahead as planned.
Sadowitz is also due to perform at Perth Theatre on October 10.
It is not yet clear if this appearance will be impacted, however the show is still listed on the theatre’s website.
The Courier has contacted operator Horsecross Arts for comment.
Following Sadowitz’s Edinburgh show, The Pleasance said it was made aware that the content was “extreme in its racism, sexism, homophobia and misogyny”.
It said this did not align with its values of equality and that “a line was crossed”.
The comedy show operator added that a large number of people walked out of the show as they felt “uncomfortable and unsafe” to remain in the venue.
In a statement on social media, Sadowitz claimed that during the show, which he delivered to a crowd of 600, he was given “no hint of anything going wrong”.
He wrote: “My act is now being cheapened and simplified as unsafe, homophobic, misogynistic and racist.
“A lot of thought goes into my shows and while I don’t always get it right, especially at the speed of which I speak… and I don’t always agree with my own conclusions… I am offended by those who, having never seen me before, HEAR words being shouted in the first five minutes before storming out without LISTENING to the material which I am stupid enough to believe is funny, sometimes important and worth saying.”
He also urged The Pleasance to apologise to those who had bought tickets to Saturday’s show.
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