All right – a bad decision withdrawn. The councillors of Newtownabbey have thought better of it.
Newtownabbey Borough Council’s artistic board last week cancelled the Reduced Shakespeare Company’s The Bible: The Complete Word of God (Abridged).
The comic play was due to run at the council’s Theatre at the Mill from Wednesday, 29 January, for two nights.
But on Monday the artistic board decided to put the play back on and the full council ratified that decision.
The play will now go ahead as scheduled on Wednesday and Thursday.
Reduced Shakespeare Company vindicated!
Mayor of Newtownabbey Fraser Agnew, who is an Ulster Unionist councillor, said there was a “need to defend Christian values”.
“If it was a play to do with anti-gay material can you imagine the outcry there would be over that, if it was anti-Semitic, if it was anti-Koran… all of those things would create an uproar,” Mr Agnew said.
“So I have to create an uproar too!” Mr Agnew said to himself. “If they can I can. It’s not fair. Mom always liked them best. I don’t want to. You’re not the boss of me. I hate spinach. Put me down. Christian values are the best so yaboosucks!”
H/t Ashling