Montana theater group apologizes for lyric about beheading Palin

[The Straight Story]

Montana theater group apologizes for lyric about beheading Palin


When a Montana community theater director decided to amend the lyrics to the well-known 1884 Gilbert and Sullivan comic operetta "The Mikado," he thought he was merely following common practice in adding the names of well-known contemporary people. The problem, as was quickly pointed out, was that the name he chose was Sarah Palin, and the lyric was a list of people whom the executioner character Ko-Ko intends to behead. After the group was accused by Palin defenders across the United States of advocating Palin's death, MCT Community Theatre executive director Michael McGill told the Missoulian newspaper, "We made a mistake."

"Anybody that gets singled out in such a way as that, whether it might be (President Barack) Obama or Palin or whomever, it's inappropriate. I take full responsibility for that."

At the center of the controversy was a single couplet. ... Listing off those people whom he intends to behead, the singer in the Missoula production noted, "That crazy Sarah Palin needs a psychoanalyst / She never would be missed, no she never would be missed."

"It's very common practice to amend those lyrics," said McGill. "It's how they were amended in this case that's an issue. There's a lot of misinformation about what happened, but I don't want to shirk our responsibility for what did happen."

Palin was the only modern person mentioned in the song. Trouble started when an audience member wrote a letter to the Missoulian saying the theater group should be ashamed of itself for the Palin mention -- and its bad timing in the wake of the Arizona mass-shootings and ensuing debate over violent political rhetoric. Wall Street Journal columnist James Taranto republished the letter and accused the group of furthering "dehumanizing left-wing rhetoric" that so often comes from the arts world.

Read more: http://www.adn.com/2011/02/01/1678515/montana-theater-group-apologizes.html#ixzz1D6WnnXRd

[LiberalLoner]

1. LOL as soon as I read the first sentence, I thought "Missoula, had to be

Missoula, no other place in Montana..."

And I was right. LOL. Just laughing...

Although...it is never right to joke or talk about doing harm to politicians. It is wrong when both sides do it.

But Missoula...LOL...Missoula is this little island of deep deep blue in a sea of red....

I love Missoula. My home town.

[former9thward]

2. I have been through Missoula a few times on western trips.

And you are right it is a great town to visit.