Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Barrymore the Musical: ‘It’s just sick & depraved’
Pool death dad blasts new show
A controversial show entitled
More More More promises to examine the disgraced TV comic’s “coming out, shifting sexuality and battle with addiction”.
It will also feature an actor playing Stuart Lubbock, 31, who died in 2001 at Barrymore’s Essex mansion after a drug-fuelled party.
His father Terry said: “The thought of people profiting off of my dead son’s memory is sick and depraved. How anyone could be so insensitive is beyond me.
“I believe this is yet another attempt at trying to resurrect Barrymore’s character.”
A 2002 inquest into Mr Lubbock’s death recorded an open verdict. A postmortem had revealed he sustained serious anal injuries. Barrymore was arrested in 2007 on suspicion of serious sexual assault and murder. But police never brought any charges. The 65-year-old is now suing Essex Police for £2.5million claiming his arrest over Mr Lubbock’s death destroyed his career.
Auditions for the musical, featuring songs “from Sweet Dreams to Tainted Love”, take place next month. It is on for two nights at the Pleasance theatre in Islington, North London, next month.
But 72-year-old Mr Lubbock, who has campaigned for justice for his son for 16 years, wants it axed. He said: “This show should be stopped from going ahead. It’s incredibly bad taste. “Who will play my son? How will he be portrayed? The directors of this abhorrent show could twist it and show him any way they want. My son’s death is not history to be dragged up for entertainment. “Stuart was a lovely, caring and good-natured young man. Barrymore knows what happened that night and it’s about time he came clean rather than trying to restore his own tawdry reputation.”
No one at the Pleasance was available for comment. Mr Barrymore’s agent did not respond to a request for a comment.