The intentionally provocative new show "Jihad: The Musical" (billed as "a madcap gallop through the wacky world of international terrorism") opened to "packed audiences, mixed reviews and inevitable controversy" at the Edinburgh Festival in Scotland this month.
"If there were a prize for poor taste," writes the Times of London, "the creators of this show might have been hoping for a podium finish."
A spokesperson for "Jihad: The Musical" explained, "We must laugh at those who seek to intimidate us." She then added, "Hey, on the plus side, at least it didn't bomb."
[ABC News]
Picture, if you will, an affluent young Muslim standing in front of you, wearing a pinstriped button-down vest over a crisp white oxford shirt. Now, picture him standing on a stage, about to perform. Listen closely, and you can almost hear as the piano accompaniment starts up in the background.
Alert, our actor turns, faces the audience, and smiles somberly before breaking into song. A catchy, uptempo Broadway musical-styled number, to be precise. He sings in a clear, tenor vibrato, that only grows stronger and more powerful as the pace of the music quickens and the solo progresses. The name of the tune? "I Wanna Be Like Osama."
Here's a sample lyric:
I wanna / Be like Osama
I wanna bomb a path to fame across the Earth
I know people may abhor me / But, my God, they won't ignore me
When the CIA determines what I'm worth.
And from there it progresses, until before you know it, you're listening to an energetic and melodious delivery of the following odious lines.
