THE curtain is to fall on the satirical operatic version of the Jerry Springer television show after a decision by the Arts Council not to fund a nationwide tour.

The move has prompted accusations that the funding body has bowed to pressure from Christian fundamentalists.

Jerry Springer the Opera has sparked protests and even some death threats from Christian fundamentalists with its portrayal of Jesus as a homosexual, its frequent swear words (about 8,000 per performance) and dancing Ku Klux Klansmen.

Stewart Lee, the show’s writer, said this weekend that there would be no more performances in the “foreseeable future” after the decision.

The move by the Arts Council, which financed the show’s development, has prompted dismay among critics. The producers claim they were given indications that the money for the tour would be forthcoming and they fear the protests about the show may have played a role in the Arts Council’s decision.

Its actions have drawn some parallels with the decision last December by the Birmingham Rep theatre to cancel a planned run of Behzti, a play about rape and murder in a Sikh temple, after violent protests by members of the Sikh community.

Dolan Cummings, director of research at the Institute of Ideas in London, said of the Springer opera: “Some people might find the contents offensive, but it is important that those ideas are allowed to be expressed.

“The Christian groups involved have had a very shrill response in which they perceive themselves to be the victims. I think that it was driven by the situation that developed with Behzti. There is a culture of ‘me-tooism’ developing here.”

Despite being a success in London, all but a handful of the 40 venues that originally planned to put on the musical pulled out earlier this year after a campaign by Christian Voice, an evangelical group that condemned it as “filthy and blasphemous”.

BBC executives, including Roly Keating, the BBC2 controller, were subjected to death threats by radical campaigners after the corporation decided to broadcast the production.

“The Christian right in Britain used the show as a useful political football for them to kick around. But it was scary when people started receiving threats,” said Lee, who is performing stand-up comedy at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. “Because they threatened to picket the theatres, a third of them dropped out of the tour. So it’s not financially viable.

“The show was developed on public money and it would be nice to give it back to the public, especially as the Establishment has deemed it worth four Olivier awards.”

Avalon, the show’s production company, is trying to attract a private backer. However, sources close to the production admitted that they were not hopeful, following the departure of their only private backer earlier this year. The investor, who was to have provided 40% of the tour’s funding, withdrew after pressure from Christian Voice.

The formal cancellation of the tour is expected next month.

The musical, inspired by the confessional American chat show hosted by Springer, began at the Battersea Arts Centre in London and was performed at the Edinburgh Festival as well as the National Theatre, where it was a sell-out, generating £1.8m during its eight-month run. It then transferred to the West End.

The funding crisis over the show’s tour coincides with mounting sensitivity over the use of religion in the arts. There is concern among comics and writers, including Rowan Atkinson and Ian McEwan, over the government’s planned bill to outlaw incitement to religious hatred. Critics argue that this will curtail freedom of speech.

Last night the Arts Council said that the reasons behind its decision were confidential, but it had not been influenced by fears of a religious backlash: “The council is very proud to have been one of the original funders. It absolutely supports freedom of expression and believes that must not be compromised in the light of what has happened.”

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