Pope John Paul II: The Musical
“Mamma Mia” certainly did the business in reviving Abba‘s worldwide reputation; now the Catholic Church is hoping a new, all-singing, all-dancing biography can do the same for John Paul II and his flock. The posthumous reputation of the Polish pontiff appears to be at a crossroads. As the Vatican clears the way for his beatification, serious questions have emerged about John Paul’s responsibility for the clerical paedophilia scandal that has exploded into the open in Europe this year. The new show, called “Non Abbiate Paura” (think that will make it unchanged onto a Broadway marquee?), is not all organ music and choirboys. To pull in the crowds, there are songs from home favourite Giuni Russo, an Italian blend of Grace Jones, Dusty Springfield and Cliff Richard. Oh, and as you can see from the above photos, there are also Nazis and soldiers and swastikas. Oh my.
