Sadowitz Dundee gig in doubt after Edinburgh Fringe row

Bosses at a Dundee theatre say they are in talks over whether a show by comedian Jerry Sadowitz should go ahead after controversy over his appearance at the Edinburgh Fringe.

The Scottish comic played The Pleasance on Friday and was due to appear for two nights.

But his performance on Saturday was cancelled after organisers said they had received an “unprecedented” number of complaints about the show’s content, which is described as “highly offensive” on the comedian’s website.

Sadowitz, who is known for his dark humour, was also criticised for exposing himself on stage.

The 61-year-old is due to perform at the Whitehall Theatre in Dundee on October 9 as part of his UK tour.

Whitehall chiefs, who were made aware of the controversy surrounding Sadowitz’s Edinburgh show yesterday morning, are now aiming to find out more about the content of the show before deciding whether it should be pulled.

A spokesperson for the venue told The Courier: “We are going to be contacting the theatre which cancelled his show for more information before we make a decision.”

Sadowitz is also due to perform at Perth Theatre on October 10.

It is not yet clear if this appearance will be affected. The show is still listed on the theatre’s website.

The Courier has contacted operator Horsecross Arts for comment.

Following Sadowitz’s Edinburgh show, The Pleasance said it was made aware that the content was “extreme in its racism, sexism, homophobia and misogyny”.

It said this did not align with its values of equality and that “a line was crossed”.

The comedy show operator added that a large number of people walked out of the show as they felt “uncomfortable and unsafe”.

In a statement on social media, Sadowitz claimed that during the show,

“My act is now being cheapened and simplified as unsafe

which he performed to a crowd of 600, he was given “no hint of anything going wrong”.

He wrote: “My act is now being cheapened and simplified as unsafe, homophobic, misogynistic and racist.

“A lot of thought goes into my shows and while I don’t always get it right, especially at the speed of which I speak – and I don’t always agree with my own conclusions – 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.”

He also urged The Pleasance to apologise to those who had bought tickets to Saturday’s show.

Jerry Sadowitz is scheduled to play the Whitehall Theatre in Dundee.