Childrens Theater in Montana Advocates "Beheading" Sarah Palin

Missoulian, Missoula, MT ^ | Jan. 28, 2011

[fantail 1952]

Below is a "Letter to the Editor" of the Missoulian of Missoula, MT regarding a performance presented on Jan. 23, 2011:

Open letter to MCT director Curt Olds:

First I would like to compliment you and the entire staff of "The Mikado" on the beautiful sets, costuming and professional performance we experienced on Sunday, Jan. 23. However, I must call you on something that was inserted into the play which I am almost positive was not in the original book.

The comments made in such a cavalier and oh-so-humorous way were uncalled for. Now, I realize you play to a mostly liberal audience in Missoula and so, I am sure, felt comfortable in your calling for the beheading of Sarah Palin. I am painfully aware that most in the audience tittered with laughter and clapped because "no one would miss her" but there were some in your audience who took great offense to this "uncivil tone" about another human being.

We are in the midst of a crisis that took place in Tucson where many started pointing fingers at that horrible right wing with all their hatred and targeting and standing for the second amendment and on and on and on. So, here we are in a lovely play with beautiful voices serenading us and we have to hear that it is okay to call for the killing of Sarah Palin because we don't like her and no one would miss her. Unbelievable.

As a professional you should be ashamed of yourself, the audience should be ashamed of themselves and I am ashamed of myself for not standing up and leaving at that very moment. I would like to see an apology from you not because I want to hinder free-speech but for the hypocrisy this so clearly shows.

[fantail 1952]

And to think that Montana is a "red state"!

[davisfh]

There are pockets of liberalism in the most unlikely places.

[diogenes ghost]

A small nit needs picking.

The production was by Missoula Community Theater, not Childrens Theater.

[Soothesayer]

A disease can spread anywhere. People try to quarantine themselves inside their own homes while the community perishes.

[One Name]

All the “Red States” have these liberal bastions- usually it is the State University sooner than the Land Grant college.

They infect the state, but are typically contained to a county or two.

[tenger]

Michael McGill, the Director of the Missoula Community Theater has apologized for the violent rhetoric of beheading Sarah Palin contained in his theater’s production of “The Mikado.” (download copy of letter HERE)

The apology reads:

I am sorry that the satirical reference to Sarah Palin has offended some of our patrons. Gilbert & Sullivan were well-known as satirists, addressing the social and cultural issues of their day—aristocracy, government, etc…. Some of the lyrics performed in The Mikado around the country today reflect the issues and topics of our time. We know that “MCT” means many things to many people—and we are blessed with passionate, loyal audiences, here in Missoula and around the world. In this instance, however, we are talking about an MCT Community Theatre production (not to be confused with a Missoula Children’s Theatre production). Although MCT Community Theatre did not pen the lyrics that were found to be offensive, we have taken the action of removing them from this production. It is my hope that the audiences will appreciate the hard work, artistry and beauty within this MCT Community Theatre production of The Mikado.

This is what passes for a modern day apology? I'm sorry you were offended? Pfft.

[so_real]

Over target. Taking flak. Dropping payload in 20:12.

[eyedigress]

I dumped mine about 18:14

[cherry]

this “theatre” tours schools in the northwest....be on the look out folks

[taxesareforever]

I wonder why they didn’t use a real life muslim beheading in their satire? Oh yeah, I know why.

[cherry]

okay....thx

[originalbuckeye]

This is appalling. The constant and consistent degradation of our Society by the ‘intellectual elites’ will be the end of us.

[Texas Eagle]

The headline is from the local paper called The Missoulian.

You'd think they'd know what the name of the Theater is.

But then, they ARE part of The Corrupt Professional Left Bass Turds that can't get squat right.

[Old Griz]

Looks like it was the Children's theater according to their web site.

The good news in this liberal Montana town is that the Obama bumper stickers are disappearing from the Subaru’s and Toyota's very fast.

[BradyLS]

That’s no apology.

It’s not even a lame excuse in the Left’s supposed “new era of civility.”

[dr_lew]

I believe it is a tradition to "topicalize" this particular production with local and contemporary references. I got that idea from watching part of such a production on Local Cable. The irony to me is that this play is incredibly racist at its core, based as it is on mockery of everything Japanese, starting with the ridiculous names. Of course this is excused in the name of tradition, and gotten away with due to the low number of Japanese partisans in the english-speaking world, who are probably too proud to say anything about it anyway.

Here is the libretto for As some day it may happen, which presents the Lord High Executioner musing on candidates for the application of his art "who never would be missed". It's all very comic, you see. If you scan the lyrics I'm sure you'll notice a few places which beg for alteration.

[SuziQ]

This is what passes for a modern day apology? I'm sorry you were offended? Pfft.

Well they can't say they are sorry they SAID it, that would imply they think that sentiment was wrong.

[healy61]

Obviously, some Masoulians are looking forward to a good blood spurtin’ beheading on main street. Can the theater actors deny it?

[Texas Eagle]

Obviously, some Masoulians are looking forward to a good blood spurtin’ beheading on main street. Can the theater actors deny it?

They're artists. Of course they cannot be denied.

[TheThinker]

So the libs need to kill because they’re inadequate to the task of convincing Americans of the “wisdom” of their beliefs. Pathetic.