RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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See the full story · 3 sourcesBritish pop icon Boy George has pulled out of a slate of appearances as Herod in a London production of Jesus Christ Superstar, his manager said, amid controversy over the singer’s recently released pro-Israel song "We Will Dance Again."
“After careful consideration, I have decided, in my capacity as Boy George’s manager, that he will no longer be appearing in Jesus Christ Superstar at the London Palladium,” Paul Kemsley said in a statement Thursday.
“The decision has been made with the utmost respect for the producers, the creative team and the entire company. We are grateful for the professionalism and understanding they have shown throughout and sincerely wish everyone involved every success with the production,” he said.
Though Kemsley did not explicitly name backlash over “We Will Dance Again” as what prompted the decision, he appeared to refer to it, writing: “George has never been afraid to stand by his personal convictions, and I have always respected him for that.
"Equally, I believe it is my responsibility to make decisions that are in the best interests of my artist while also showing respect to others,” Kemsley continued. “In this instance, I felt it was right to step aside, allowing the production to remain the focus, while ensuring everyone involved can move forward with mutual respect and goodwill."
The performer himself has not yet spoken publicly about the withdrawal. His appearances in the musical were slated to begin on Monday, and run through August 15.
The former Culture Club frontman released “We Will Dance Again” earlier this week. The title of the song is a phrase adopted by survivors of the Nova music festival massacre on October 7, 2023, when thousands of Hamas terrorists invaded Israel from Gaza.
In total, 378 people out of the roughly 1,200 whom the Hamas-led fighters killed that day were murdered at the festival or while trying to flee the grounds to safety, and of the 251 people whom the terrorists abducted and then held hostage in Gaza, dozens were kidnapped from the Nova site.
The song includes lyrics such as: “You say genocide, I say war / When you’re attacked, that’s what the army’s for,” and “You never mention October 7.” At one point in the song, he declares: “If you’re ever confused: I stand with the Jews.”
Since its release, the song has been met with gratitude from Israelis and their supporters. Others, such as fellow musician and erstwhile friend Martyn Ware, have responded with scorn, calling the track “overtly pro-genocide." Although Boy George is not Jewish, he has become increasingly vocal when it comes to supporting Jewish communities in the wake of October 7, including rejecting calls to boycott this year’s Eurovision Song Contest over Israel’s participation, saying he would not “turn my back” on his Jewish friends.
The war with Iran has been draining for all of us in Israel. But when I heard about a high casualty incident – ballistic missile impacts in Arad and Dimona that left nearly 200 people wounded – I drank a cup of coffee, packed a bag, and headed south.
There, I spoke with Shilgit, the head of an after-school program for underprivileged youth. Standing outside her destroyed center, Shilgit said it was a miracle that no children were hurt and spoke about the community coming together in the hours since.
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