Steve Martin once played “The Jerk.” Now some Oregon parents think he’s being one in real life.
Here’s the situation: A high school production of Martin’s play, “Picasso at the Lapin Agile,” was canceled when parents objected to its adult content.
Martin said in a letter to a newspaper that he wants to keep the play, conducted in other high schools without controversy, “from acquiring a reputation it does not deserve.”
Martin said he could understand how some parents might object to their 16- or 17-year-olds delivering some lines, and he said whether the play should be presented at the high school itself “remains something to be determined by the community.”
Then, in what can only be described as stunning hypocrisy, the comedian said he would ante up the money to have the same play produced with the same actors off-campus.
When Martin said it was “something to be determined by the community,” no one knew the community he was referring to was Hollywood.
Source: Associated Press/WTOP
