Controversial comic to play Hammersmith Apollo

He may have been cancelled at Edinburgh – but Jerry Sadowitz is about to announce a major London date, Chortle can reveal.

The controversial comic will be playing the Eventim Apollo in Hammersmith on November 15, after sparking a major free speech row after his Fringe run was cut short.

It is being promoted by Martin Witts, who also runs Leicester Square Theatre. He said: ‘I’ve been working with Jerry for 30 years. He’s a master craftsman who deserves a chance to be heard.

‘It’s up to individual people if they want to come and see him and make their own judgment, rather than relying on reports of out-of-context material written by journalists who weren’t at his gigs. Hopefully this show will put the controversy to bed. But if you think you won’t like it, don’t buy a ticket.’

The blurb for the Not For Anyone show is the same as it was in Edinburgh, with the comic promising to do ‘less hate-fuelled swearing and focus more on faux liberal pish in order to appeal to the middle-class and their disposable income and personalities’ but warning he might do his ‘screaming fascist’ shtick.

Sadowitz had been due to play two nights at Edinburgh’s EICC this month, but the second was pulled amid complaints that his material was ‘extreme in its racism, sexism, homophobia and misogyny’ and that he flashed his penis.

The Pleasance, which programmes the venue during the Fringe, said punters ‘felt uncomfortable and unsafe to remain in the venue’ and added: 'We will not associate with content which attacks people’s dignity and the language used on stage was, in our view, completely unacceptable.’

After the cancellation, Sadowitz issued his own statement saying: ‘I did a 75-minute show for 600 people that went pretty well and left 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.

‘I am not J** D******* folks. [possibly Jim Davidson?] A lot of thought goes into my shows… I am offended by those who, having never seen me before, HEAR words being shouted in the first five minutes before storming out without LISTENING to the material which I am stupid enough to believe is funny, sometimes important and worth saying.

‘Additionally, there's a lot of silly, exaggerated irony and nonsense, real and exaggerated anger and bile, and even getting my dick out is for the purpose of the funny line which follows it.’

‘Pre-sale’ tickets for the London show will be available from Leicester Square Theatre from 10am on Friday, priced £30 to £50, with the rest on  sale from 10am on Saturday.

Published: 23 Aug 2022