Boy George quits Jesus Christ Superstar after backlash over pro-Israel song

Boy George has stepped down from the role of King Herod in the new production of “Jesus Christ Superstar“, staged at the London Palladium. The announcement was made by his manager Paul Kemsley, who explained that the decision was taken “after careful consideration”, stressing that the withdrawal was made “out of the utmost respect” for the production and cast, so as to allow the show to remain the focus of attention. The Culture Club singer had been due to debut in the role between 3 and 15 August.
The decision comes just days after the fierce controversy sparked by “We Will Dance Again“, a song created with the help of artificial intelligence and dedicated to the victims of the Hamas attack on the Nova Music Festival on 7 October 2023. In the lyrics, Boy George backs Israel's military response in Gaza, rejects the use of the term “genocide” to describe the conflict, and criticizes artists who have expressed solidarity with the Palestinian people.
The track, shared on social media with the hashtag #shalom, sparked heated debate and was subsequently removed from online platforms.
The production of “Jesus Christ Superstar”, with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Tim Rice, has not yet announced who will replace Boy George in the role of King Herod. The show will remain on stage at the London Palladium until 5 September.

"We Will Dance Again" openly takes a pro-Israel stance and disputes the use of the term "genocide" in reference to Israel's military offensive in the Gaza Strip. The title echoes one of the slogans that became a symbol of Israeli resilience after Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack on the Nova music festival, in which hundreds of people were killed and numerous attendees taken hostage. The same phrase was also used as the title of a 2024 documentary dedicated to that tragedy.

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The lyrics

Boy George's stance is explicit from the opening lines: “You say genocide / I say war / When you’re attacked / That’s what the army is for”, meaning: “You say genocide, I say war. When you're attacked, that's what an army is for”. In the lyrics, the Culture Club frontman thus presents the Israeli military operation as a response to the 7 October attacks and rejects the accusations of genocide leveled at the Jewish state.
The singer also criticizes artists who have expressed solidarity with the Palestinian cause, accusing them of having selective memory and of being swayed by online propaganda: “You condemn the Jews, with selective memory/ Musicians holding flags, mouthing like sheep/ Propaganda fuelled by the Internet feels so weak”. In other passages he recalls the violence carried out during the Hamas attack, citing the rapes and killings that took place on 7 October.

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