Free-speech group urges college to reverse play cancellation
Posted November 14, 2017 10:01 am.
Last Updated November 14, 2017 10:40 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
BOSTON – Free-speech advocates are urging Brandeis University to reconsider its cancellation of stage play about the late comedian Lenny Bruce.
The Boston-area school says it will no longer stage a premiere of the play “Buyer Beware” after some students and alumni alleged that the play contains racist language and themes.
But the non-profit group Foundation for Individual Rights in Education says the decision should be reversed and wants an explanation from the school.
An open letter from the Philadelphia-based group says Brandeis should defend the free-speech principles that Bruce fought for. It was also signed by Bruce’s daughter, Kitty.
Bruce was known for his profanity-laced routines that sparked several arrests for obscenity in the 1960s. An archive of his work is housed at Brandeis.
A university spokeswoman did not immediately comment.