{"id":93458,"date":"2026-08-02T10:38:54","date_gmt":"2026-08-02T15:38:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/?p=93458"},"modified":"2026-08-02T11:05:59","modified_gmt":"2026-08-02T16:05:59","slug":"boy-george-cedes-role-of-king-herod-in-jesus-christ-superstar-production-after-releasing-pro-israel-song","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/boy-george-cedes-role-of-king-herod-in-jesus-christ-superstar-production-after-releasing-pro-israel-song\/","title":{"rendered":"Boy George cedes role of King Herod in \u2018Jesus Christ Superstar\u2019 production after releasing pro-Israel song"},"content":{"rendered":"

By KELLY HARTOG<\/p>\n

(JTA) \u2014 Boy George has withdrawn from his run as King Herod in London\u2019s West End revival of \u201cJesus Christ Superstar,\u201d days before he was due to take the stage and 24 hours after releasing \u201cWe Will Dance Again,\u201d dedicated to the victims of Hamas\u2019 Oct. 7, 2023, attack on the Nova music festival in Israel.<\/p>\n

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Boy George performs on stage during Henley Festival 2026 at Mill Meadows. (Ki Price\/WireImage)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

The 80\u2019s pop star was scheduled to appear at London\u2019s Palladium starting Monday as part of the production\u2019s rotating cast playing King Herod, the Judean king who is best known by Jews for his expansion of the Second Temple and to Christians for his efforts to stave off the arrival of a challenger \u2014 the story of which is reflected in the rock opera by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice.<\/p>\n

Boy George will be replaced by actor Richard Armitage in the London production.<\/p>\n

In announcing the cast change, Paul Kelmsley, the singer\u2019s manager, did not directly mention the blowback the former Culture Club frontman was receiving for releasing a pro-Israel song but alluded to it.<\/p>\n

\u201cGeorge has never been afraid to stand by his personal convictions, and I have always respected him for that,\u201d he said. \u201dIn this instance, I felt it was right to step aside, allowing the production to remain the focus, while ensuring everyone involved can move forward with mutual respect and goodwill.\u201d<\/p>\n

Boy George is defending his decision to release the song, saying he believes artists should be free to express their views even when they are unpopular. In \u201cWe Will Dance Again,\u201d the singer rejects claims of genocide against Israel and proclaims, \u201cIf you\u2019re ever confused, I stand with the Jews.\u201d <\/p>\n

Earlier Friday, Boy George lashed back at the vitriol he was getting online. \u201cWhat is most shocking is the amount of gay folk attacking me, \u201d he posted on X. \u201cIf you support terrorism you can in the words of Divine \u2018Take your toolkit and go f\u2014_ a garage,\u2019\u201d he said, referring to a quote attributed to the taboo-breaking transgender artist.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I say \u2018they want to kill every last one of us\u2019 I am also talking about us queers, not just the Jewish community,\u201d Boy George said. \u201cWhen will you wake up?\u201d<\/p>\n

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