"Jesus Christ Superstar" Cancelled In Belarus

The Christian Post and RIA Novosti report that further performances of Andrew Lloyd Webber's rock opera Jesus Christ Superstar have been cancelled in Belarus. A tour of the show in the country was scheduled by the St.Petersburg-based theater Rock Opera. The tour began in Brest, but opposition by leaders of the Orthodox Church and outraged audiences who saw the show as blasphemous led to performances being cancelled in Gomel, Mogilyov, and Minsk. [corrected]. It is unclear whether the government ordered the cancellations, or whether Rock Opera decided on its own to cancel it to avoid further strife. Apparently the faithful were particularly offended by a performance scheduled for the first day of Lent.