John Cleese, one of the Monty Python stars, recently announced on Twitter that he will not cut a scene out of the upcoming stage version of “Life of Brian” that was a target of criticism for certain woke individuals. He revealed that at a reading of the latest script in New York City, esteemed Broadway actors urged him to cut the iconic “Loretta” scene.
“A few days ago I spoke to an audience outside London,” Cleese wrote on Twitter. “I told them I was adapting the Life of Brian so that we could do it as a stage show (NOT a musical). I said that we’d had a table-reading of the latest draft in NYC a year ago and that all the actors – several of them Tony winners – had advised me strongly to cut the Loretta scene. I have, of course, no intention of doing so.”
A recent example of this misreporting !
A few days ago I spoke to an audience outside London.
I told them I was adapting the Life of Brian so that we could do it as a stage show ( NOT a musical ). I said
that we'd had a table-reading of the latest draft in NYC a year ago…(tbc) https://t.co/VPWJGdUZtJ— John Cleese (@JohnCleese) May 25, 2023
..and that all the actors – several of them Tony winners – had advised me strongly to cut the Loretta scene.
I have, of course, no intention of doing so
So someone in the audience had called a journalist and misreported me. Amazingly none of the British media called to check
— John Cleese (@JohnCleese) May 25, 2023
The so-called “Loretta” scene sees “Stan” demand his right to be a woman named “Loretta” and have babies, which caused controversy for its surreal comedy. As a note of reference, the scene features Cleese playing “Reg”, Michael Palin as “Francis”, Sue Jones-Davies as “Judith” and Eric Idle “Stan.”
Cleese expressed his surprise at the bold response from the actors, as he asked why Python fans would be deterred from the production because of a scene they’d been laughing about for the past 40 years. He lamented that producers tend to have a “scaredy-cat” attitude and forgotten that their original “Brian” feature in 1979 sparked protests and spared them much-needed publicity.
Producers tend to be scaredy-cats, and they don't remember that the protests in NYC when 'Brian' was released meant we never needed to do publicity !! https://t.co/MbhLhhFWSW
— John Cleese (@JohnCleese) May 25, 2023
John has expressed his frustrations in the past with the plight of the modern comedian, sharing in July 2022 that creativity is suffocated “when you’re checking [your words] critically before you move on.” He argued that this mentality of questioning “can I get away with it[?]” is deadly for comedy.
That was what was so surprising
These were absolutely top-class Broadway performers and they were adamant that we would not get away with doing the scene in NYC!
I asked them "Are Python fans not going to come because we're doing a scene they've been laughing at for 40 years ?" https://t.co/EJX6pQdKWe
— John Cleese (@JohnCleese) May 25, 2023
It appears, however, that Cleese will remain in solidarity with the comedic freedom of his troupe, as seen with his candid rejection of the appeals to remove the “Loretta” scene from “Life of Brian: The Stage Show.”