Mary and Joseph disco down to Bethlehem
EDINBURGH, Aug 10 (Reuters) Joseph and Mary boogie on down to Bethlehem with their loud-mouthed donkey in a disco version of the Nativity that is pure kitsch.
If awards were handed out at the Edinburgh Fringe for camp humour, then ''Discotivity'' would be a leading contender for top honours at the world's largest and zaniest arts festival.
Michelle McManus, winner of the reality TV talent show ''Pop Idol'', was understandably nervous about taking on the part of the Virgin Mary in the boisterous production.
''I was very apprehensive. I didn't want to get involved in anything sacrilegious. But the script is hilarious,'' said the 27-year-old Scottish singer making her musical stage debut.
Understated subtlety is not the show's strong point.
King Herod, plotting the massacre of the innocents after the birth of Jesus, gyrates to ''Disco Inferno.'' When Joseph and Mary find there is no room at the inn, queue camp chorus of Village People offering the ''YMCA'' as alternative accommodation.
As the couple puzzle over a name for their child, Mary goes into labour, doubles up in pain and shouts ''Jesus Christ!'' The musical, which is to transfer to London after Edinburgh, was written by British journalist Toby Rose. He said of the show that has a baby Jesus wheeled around stage in a supermarket trolley: ''It's all done in the best possible taste.
''It's cheeky, has loads of jokes but we like to think it is theologically sound. Its heart is in the right place. We want people to come out thinking it was funny, not offensive.'' McManus has had a chequered career since winning Pop Idol in 2003 with 6.5 million phone-in votes.
A number one hit single was swiftly followed by an autobiography and an album. But when the second single only reached number 14 in the charts, the record company dropped her.
''They had always thought the British public would see sense at the end of the day and not pick this big fat cow as the winner,'' said McManus, cheerfully mocking her girth.
The
contrast
is
striking
with
''American
Idol''
contestants
who
produced
Grammy
winner
Kelly
Clarkson,
Country
Music
Award
winner
Carrie
Underwood
and
Jennifer
Hudson,
who
failed
to
make
the
2004
finals
but
won
an
Oscar
for
her
performance
in
the
movie
''Dreamgirls.''
But
McManus,
whose
career
since
Pop
Idol
has
ranged
from
radio
presenter
to
TV
comedy
cameo
roles,
has
no
regrets
about
her
15
minutes
of
fleeting
fame:
''What
goes
up
must
come
down.
It's
longevity
that's
important
to
me.''
REUTERS
RSA
ND1542