[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, MS Sans Serif]A children's pantomime of Aladdin, staged in Auckland at the weekend, ended with the character of Osama bin Laden belting out a rendition of Frank Sinatra's New York, New York.[/font]
[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, MS Sans Serif]A Mt Eden parent who took his two pre-schoolers to the play at the Logan Campbell Centre on Saturday said he was appalled when "bin Laden" appeared at the end of the play - just as the wicked uncle Jasar was transported back to the cave by the genie. [/font]
[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, MS Sans Serif]Later the character signed books with "Love Osama", a reference to the al Qaeda terrorist leader who appeared in videotape which emerged at the weekend and electrified the United States presidential battle. [/font]
[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, MS Sans Serif]The parent who saw the Auckland pantomime has complained to Southern Stars Charitable Trust, the organisation which commissioned the play and donates the profits to Radio Lollipop. [/font]
[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, MS Sans Serif]The inclusion of "bin Laden" was callous, he said, a "calculated political statement". [/font]
[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, MS Sans Serif]"It was totally out of context and bizarre," said the parent. "I spoke to a few people afterwards and they couldn't believe it.
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[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, MS Sans Serif]http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,3082890a4560,00.html
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[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, MS Sans Serif]A Mt Eden parent who took his two pre-schoolers to the play at the Logan Campbell Centre on Saturday said he was appalled when "bin Laden" appeared at the end of the play - just as the wicked uncle Jasar was transported back to the cave by the genie. [/font]
[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, MS Sans Serif]Later the character signed books with "Love Osama", a reference to the al Qaeda terrorist leader who appeared in videotape which emerged at the weekend and electrified the United States presidential battle. [/font]
[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, MS Sans Serif]The parent who saw the Auckland pantomime has complained to Southern Stars Charitable Trust, the organisation which commissioned the play and donates the profits to Radio Lollipop. [/font]
[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, MS Sans Serif]The inclusion of "bin Laden" was callous, he said, a "calculated political statement". [/font]
[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, MS Sans Serif]"It was totally out of context and bizarre," said the parent. "I spoke to a few people afterwards and they couldn't believe it.
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[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, MS Sans Serif]http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,3082890a4560,00.html
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