Cancer charity rejects Springer opera cash

A cancer charity turned down a £3,000 (€4,300) donation from a performance of Jerry Springer – The Opera after an outcry from religious activists, it emerged today.

The Maggie‘s Centre had been promised £10 (€14.40) per ticket from last Friday‘s show at the Cambridge Theatre in London‘s Covent Garden.

But Christian Voice urged the charity not to accept the money from the controversial musical, as it would amount to profiting from “filth and blasphemy”.

Based on the US talk show host, the show attracted 50,000 complaints when it was shown on BBC2 last month.

Christian groups protested that scenes including a nappy-wearing Jesus admitting he was “a bit gay” were blasphemous.

The BBC was also criticised for showing a production which contained so many swear words.

Christian Voice claimed up to 300 people turned up for Friday‘s performance at the Cambridge Theatre, which can accommodate more than 1,200 spectators.

Stephen Green, national director of Christian Voice, said: “We were pleased to play a part in alerting Maggie’s Centres to the potential public relations disaster of profiting from filth and blasphemy.

“Maggie’s Centres declined a possible £3,000 (€4,300) but they will gain that money many times over.

“Their decision to respect their Christian staff, patients and donors has been vindicated by the derisory turnout for the one-off gala performance.

“It must have been mortifying for the cast to play to a three-quarters empty house.”

A statement from Maggie’s Centre said: “As a result of contact from an organisation called Christian Voice, Maggie’s, the cancer care charity, has taken the decision not to accept the proceeds from a special performance today of Jerry Springer – The Opera.

“Following an approach from an organisation called Christian Voice informing us that to support this performance would upset Christians all over the world, we consulted internally and decided that we would not accept the proceeds.

“Maggie’s exists to help cancer sufferers, their families, friends and carers, and to risk causing offence to anyone seemed unnecessary.”

The Maggie‘s Centre provides support for terminal cancer sufferers and their families.

It has three centres in Scotland, including an acclaimed Frank Gehry-designed building which opened in Dundee in September 2003.

Plans are at an advanced stage to open centres in several UK locations including London, Sheffield and Oxford.

Named after cancer sufferer Maggie Keswick Jencks, the first Maggie‘s Centre was opened in 1996 at the Western General Hospital in Edinburgh.