WHO WILL SPEAK FOR US?
What do you mean?
WHEN YOU ARE GONE.
Oh, you got plenty of people. You got Oprah Winfrey.
SHE'S TOO TAME.
Sally Jessie Rafael?
SHES TOO OLD.
Doctor Phil?
HES TOO SHIT.
Ricky Lake?
I GUESS SHE'S OKAY.

My thoughts on last night's performance of Jerry Springer: The Opera are mixed. I loved the thing when I saw it in London. And a lot of the cast here is great, especially David Bedella reprising his London role as Jonathan/Satan. But something just didn't compare to when I saw it in the West End.

• Was it that the show's slow pacing and lack of plot become more evident on a second viewing?
  
• Was it that the lack of costuming reduced how funny the parallels are between the Act 1 and Act 2 characters?
  
• Was it that the lack of set no longer evokes the big hysterically-overblown opera?
  
• Was it that that damned "inner Valkyrie" gag still doesn't make sense or land?
  
• Was it just that the comedy of the piece doesn't work as well in the giant space, and some of the lyrics are harder to understand?
  
• Was it because Harvey Keitel doesn't have the strongest voice for Carnegie Hall?
  
• Was it because they cut the fantastic finale, even though it was in the program?
  
• Was it that American audiences don't respond to the shock value as much because we find Jerry Springer the TV show to be a joke, whereas some Brits actually think it's a legit comment on America? (which may not be untrue)
  
• Or was it just because I was sitting in the highest section possible?

The real answer is probably because I'm comparing a concert staging to the full production. Because the audience and others all seemed to like it. But it was at the moment where the cast actually put on the KKK outfits and did the tap dance that I enjoyed most. And wished this thing could get a full production.

If you don't get to catch it tonight, do go to Amazon.co.uk and buy the DVD. It's cheap, cheaper than the shipping!

Unfortunately, I don't think this is ever going to get its Broadway mounting. Sigh.