Russian city cancels 'Jesus Christ Superstar' after protest
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A theater in one of Russia's largest cities has cancelled a planned performance of the musical "Jesus Christ Superstar" following protests by an organization of conservative Orthodox Christians.
The show, by a troupe from St. Petersburg, was to have been staged Nov. 1 in Omsk, Russia's seventh-most-populous city. But a local group called "Family, Love, and Fatherland" filed a complaint that the musical mocked religious faith, according to Russian news reports.
State television reported Tuesday that the performance had been called off.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The decision comes amid growing conservative sentiment and resistance to Western popular culture in Russia.
In a statement, Amnesty International says the cancellation was "an affront to freedom of expression and the latest example of interference in Russian cultural life by nationalist 'activists.'"