There’s a super feature article in today’s NY Times about celebrated British playwright Mike Bartlett and his new play (now in previews at The Duke) called . . . um . . . uh . . . oh boy, this is awkward . . . I can’t say it.  See, if I do say it, this blog will probably get tossed in your spam folders with a lot of other emails advertising ways to enlarge your (insert title of play here), and so on.

Let’s call it . . . The Other C-Word, or The Rooster Play or my favorite description because it actually describes the drama on stage . . . “what you do to a gun before you fire it.”

And one of you is going to see it for free!

How do you win?

First, a few interesting tid-bits about this Olivier Award winner from The Royal Court.

The interesting thing about the NY Times article is that they refused to print the title too.  And, if you take a look at the ads for the play running on NYTimes.com . . . and appearing in the newspaper as well, you’ll notice that the title doesn’t appear there either.  They won’t print it.

Neither will other pubs, and radio stations, tv stations, etc.

Makes it awfully hard to market the play, don’t you think?

What’s funny about this instance, is that when you see or read the play, it’s not about the first thing that comes to mind when you hear the title.  There’s a whole other  angle to the title that makes the play the unique play that it is.

And if you search NY Times, you’ll find mention of the “other C word” in a lot of other different scenarios.

So here’s my question.  What do you think about publications or tv stations and the like refusing to print (in editorial and advertising) a title of a play because they deem it “vulgar?”  Appropriate?  Censorship?  Is it ok for them to reject an ad but not ok for editorial?  How would you handle it?

Comment below and I’ll pick a winner and you’ll get to go see . . . well . . . click here to see the title in all its glory.

(Got a comment? I love ‘em, so comment below!  Email subscribers, click here then scroll down, to say what’s on your mind!)

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