12:00pm Saturday 24th April 2010
By Simon Farr
AN OUTRAGED church minister has demanded a “vulgar” advertising campaign for a forthcoming Wycombe Swan show aimed at “frenzied women” to be stripped from billboards.
Rev Peter Simpson of Penn Free Methodist Church, says he was shocked at just how much he was offended by the marketing for the theatre's up coming Girls' Night Out production.
The show, likened to The Full Monty, follows a group of women on a hen night and a troupe of male strippers performing at the 'Feast of Flesh' contest and plays the theatre next month.
Rev Simpson called the show's promo image of a naked man, holding a thong in his hand with the Girls Night Out logo covering his modesty, an “appalling example to children”.
And he handed a letter of complaint to the St Mary Street-based theatre calling for the “in your face” promo to be pulled from around the town.
He said: “The Swan's brochure, which landed on my door mat, has a full page image of a male stripper parading himself in a state of full-frontal nudity before what we assume is an audience of frenzied women – it shocked me.
“I didn't expect to be so offended by it and I would probably forgot about it - but I went to the train station, it's there, you drive down Marlow Hill and you can see the giant billboard - it's just worse then anything else we've had to put up with.
“This kind of image cannot be blandly dismissed as bit of harmless fun.
“The advert is vulgar, and panders to lust. The Swan has to cater for a wide variety of tastes but that does not mean that an anything-goes approach is appropriate.
“How shall we ever tackle the problems of the sexualisation of children and of teenage pregnancies, which is rife in society, if the adult world sets this kind of appalling example?
“People may say this is old fashioned and ask what right has Christianity to impose its morality upon society? But what right has a libertine to do so?
“I pass on the words of Proverbs chapter 14, verse 34 : Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people”.
Wycombe Swan marketing manager Abi Singleton said the theatre presents an “eclectic programme of theatre events, endeavouring to appeal to a large cross section of society.”
She added the production had played around the country to “rave reviews” about its “funny and touching storyline” and was sure it was 'upon this premise we have sold many tickets'.
Wycombe District Council, which leases the theatre to HQ Theatres, said marketing of productions was the responsibility of the theatre company.
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