Springer creator plans ‘psychotic’ ballet

Published Thursday 22 February 2007 at 11:20 by Liz Thomas

Exclusive: Jerry Springer - the Opera co-creator Richard Thomas is to follow on from the success of the show by turning his hand to popularising ballet.

The former stand-up comedian revealed that he is working on the new project, initially for the stage, but is hopeful that it will later transfer to television.

He said: “I’m working on the idea of a ballet which is a psychotic version of the musical A Chorus Line. It is a cross between Pop Idol and a cattle call. I’m quite traditional when it comes to composing and the music, but I also like the sound of a crowd laughing. There’s no reason why opera and ballet have to be rigid in the way that they are presented - they can be fun.”

Thomas is known for his controversial and comic take on the arts. Jerry Springer - the Opera, which he created with Stewart Lee, won critical acclaim and a host of awards, but generated in excess of 50,000 complaints and protests by religious groups when transmitted on BBC2, because of the level of profanity and its satirisation of Christianity. The publicity helped it garner an above average audience.

Thomas has also penned five new television operas, which spoof popular programmes, including The Apprentice, Wife Swap and Question Time. John Thomson, Hugh Dennis and Jon Culshaw are among the stars playing the lead characters.