Edinburgh Fringe: Sadowitz hits back at venue over racism claims

Comedian Jerry Sadowitz has hit back at the Edinburgh Fringe venue which cancelled his show for “extreme racism and misogyny”.

The Pleasance axed the second of his two nights at the festival after receiving an “unprecedented” number of complaints about the show’s content.

But Sadowitz said he left the venue “with no hint of anything going wrong”.

The 61-year-old said his act had been “cheapened and simplified” by the decision.

Sadowitz, known for his provocative stand-up shows, performed in front of 600 people at the Edinburgh International Conference Centre on Friday.

The Pleasance said a “large number” of people walked out of the show as they “felt uncomfortable and unsafe to remain in the venue”.

The comedy show operator – which claimed it did not censor its comedians’ material when explaining why it cancelled Saturday’s performance – said Sadowitz’s act was “extreme in its racism, sexism, homophobia and misogyny”.

However, writing on his Twitter page, Fringe veteran Sadowitz said: “I did a 75 minute show for 600 people that went pretty well with no hint of anything going wrong.

“In addition to now being told there were multiple walkouts and abuse of staff my act is now being cheapened and simplified as unsafe, homophobic, misogynistic and racist.”

Sadowitz said his act contains “a lot of silly, exaggerated irony and nonsense, real fake and exaggerated anger and bile… for the purpose of the funny line which follows it”.

He added: “I have never once courted a mainstream audience to come to my shows because guess what? In real life I really don’t want to upset anyone.

“The show is what it is, for those who enjoy it. The rest of you…please stick to Carry On Films.”

Sadowitz also called on The Pleasance to apologise to the people who had bought tickets for the cancelled show.

Mark Cameron, who was in the audience on Friday, told BBC Scotland that Sadowitz exposed himself on stage as part of his act but added that had also been part of the comedian’s previous shows he had seen.

He said: “Everyone around me was laughing, seemed to be enjoying the show. I didn’t get a sense of people being shocked, there was no heckling of him and there was a very positive reaction at the end.

“He used words that were racist, absolutely and I would say, defending him, that is the character he has created – if I for one second thought I was giving money to a person who was a racist I would not buying tickets.”

Mr Cameron added that his view was that it was “a character show, a satirical show and that is not who Jerry Sadowitz is as a human being.”

A stand-up and magician, Sadowitz made his name on the UK comedy circuit in the 1980s and 90s with deliberately offensive and aggressive stage routines.

He has performed at The Pleasance numerous times at the Edinburgh Festival.

The venue’s original listing carried the warning: “This show contains strong language and themes some may find distressing.”

However, The Pleasance said it did not vet Sadowitz’s material in advance and it “could not have known the specifics” of his act when he was booked for 2022.

Sadowitz has won the support of other comedians.

Katherine Ryan, the comedian and BBC presenter, tweeted: “Very strange to cancel someone’s entire run for apparent offense when there’s a content warning right on the booking page”.

Writing on his blog, Richard Herring, said: “To complain about him being offensive is like asking the actor who plays Macbeth to be arrested for murder.”

In a statement issued on Sunday, The Pleasance said: “We became immediately aware of content that was considered, among other things, extreme in its racism, sexism, homophobia and misogyny.

“We will not associate with content which attacks people’s dignity and the language used on stage was, in our view, completely unacceptable.

“We received an unprecedented number of complaints that could not be ignored and we had a duty to respond.”

The manager of Glasgow’s Pavilion Theatre, Iain Gordon, contacted BBC Radio Scotland’s Drivetime programme to say venues had to do the right thing for both their staff and customers.

He added: “After the last visit of Gerry to the Pavilion Theatre a few years ago, it is not a show we would ever take again. There has to be limits on contents at times and we are more free than most theatres.

“The problem with Gerry is, you do not know what you are getting. Ever.”

The Edinburgh fringe was born out of anarchy. A small band of theatre makers who hadn’t been invited, decided to gate-crash anyway.

Across the decades, it has continued to channel that spirit as a place where anything goes, from Avant Garde art to outrageously offensive comedy.

Stand-ups often use the festival to hone material for their mainstream shows. It’s a test lab for comedy, which doesn’t always make it into their mainstream shows. Audiences seem to know that. It’s rough and ready, and often pushes boundaries.

Stewart Lee, a veteran of this festival, has two shows at this year’s festival. One, a work in progress, and another Snowflake, a completed show which ironically is about 21st Century comedy and what you can and can’t say.

He didn’t want to comment on the Jerry Sadowitz cancellation but the show speaks for itself, as did the overheard conversations of young staff leaving the venue when I was at Lee’s show.

They weren’t offended but they didn’t enjoy the show either.

And it’s that disconnect which seems to be at the heart of the Pleasance cancellation.

According to the Pleasance “a large number of people walked out” and they “received an unprecedented number of complaints”.

Were they audience members – in which case they had been informed of the nature of the show?

Or members of staff, who had no choice in the show they were expected to attend?

Either way, the Pleasance’s decision to cancel has sent a ripple of anger and outrage through the fringe, which may prove even more damaging than the original show.

Meanwhile, Jerry Sadowitz is resting up ahead of his autumn tour, and tickets seem to be selling quite nicely.