I have just read Tom King’s excellent article on the forthcoming production of Funny Peculiar at the Palace Theatre, Westcliff (yesterday).
I recall very well the general furore which broke out when it was first staged at the Palace in 1977, with the usual suspects demanding it be banned, probably without ever having seen it.
I must, however, take issue with the suggestion that this was the first occasion when nudity was “unleashed” on a south Essex stage.
I am pretty sure I am right in saying that honour goes to the Cliffs Pavilion when we staged Peter Bridge’s production of the American Sixties rock musical Hair.
I had not long started work at the Cliffs and I think we staged Hair around 1975 or 1976.
This show featured full frontal nudity, and as a consequence the theatre management came under considerable pressure from some on Southend Council and members of the public to ban the show, describing it (again without seeing it) as obscene. How times have changed.
The show was not taken off and went on to achieve very good box office results.
Chas Mumford
Zelham Drive
Canvey
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