Boy George Pulled From Superstar Over Pro-Israel Reggae Song — SkimNews
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- Boy George was withdrawn from the London Palladium's Jesus Christ Superstar by his manager Paul Kemsley, who said on Instagram he made the call to keep "the production the focus" amid growing backlash.
- The exit followed the release of his AI-assisted reggae song "We Will Dance Again" (עוד נרקוד), whose lyrics include "You say genocide, I say war / When you're attacked, that's what the army's for."
- Richard Armitage will now cover Boy George's performances as King Herod — one of five actors sharing the role, alongside Sam Ryder as Jesus, Julian Clary, Jesse Tyler Ferguson and Layton Williams.
- Fellow 80s musician Martyn Ware of Human League and Heaven 17 called the song "an overtly pro-genocide, anti-Palestinian piece of musical propaganda" and said Boy George should be "ashamed," while protests were threatened outside the Palladium.
- Boy George defended the track on X and Threads, saying the "we will dance again" slogan — drawn from the Nova music festival attack — "resonated," and branding the AI-assisted production "AI for good."
- The song also takes aim at musicians displaying Palestinian solidarity as "mouthing like sheep," while Boy George had previously voiced support for the UK's Jewish community after a knife attack on two men in Golders Green in April and performed at Eurovision with San Marino despite boycott calls over Israel's inclusion.
Why it matters: The withdrawal shows how the Israel-Gaza war is now reshaping UK cultural bookings: a marquee West End production lost its star days before opening after his pro-Israel reggae song drew protests and peer rebuke. For the Palladium, it means absorbing ticket-holder disappointment and reshuffling a five-actor Herod role mid-rehearsal.
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