Pro-Israel star cast - actor quits production
Gerard McCarthy announced his resignation from the play 'Right Before I Go' following the casting of Maureen Lipman, against the backdrop of her public positions regarding Israel and the Palestinians. 'I did not feel comfortable personally promoting her participation,' he wrote, 'I simply chose not to use my platform to promote someone whose political views are contrary to mine.'
At the end of the week, it was reported that the British-Jewish actress and comedian Maureen Lipman had joined the cast of 'Right Before I Go', which will be performed at the Soho Theatre in London after being presented at the Edinburgh Festival. However, the new casting did not go smoothly, and one of the actors announced his resignation due to Lipman's support for Israel.
Irish actor Gerard McCarthy, known for the series 'The Fall', wrote in a statement published on Instagram:
'Yesterday morning I made the decision to resign from the show. Since my name and my picture are still being used to advertise the show, I wanted to clarify to anyone considering booking tickets to see me that I will no longer be participating.'
McCarthy was scheduled to return to the production, but after the announcement of Lipman joining the cast, he explained that because of positions she has expressed publicly and repeatedly regarding Israel and Palestine, 'I did not feel comfortable personally promoting her participation.'
'I did not ask for her casting to be reconsidered and I did not expect anyone else to hold my position,' he added. 'I simply chose not to use my platform to promote someone whose political views are contrary to mine. Unfortunately, a later conversation with the show's creator Stan Zimmerman made me feel that resigning from the show is the right decision for me.'
McCarthy added that he is sorry his part in 'Right Before I Go' ends this way, noting he enjoyed his time in Edinburgh with the rest of the cast, but concluded: 'Sometimes you have to be willing to walk away from something when staying means compromising on something much more important.'
Reactions to McCarthy's post were mixed. Many offered support, calling it an 'amazing display of solidarity.' Conversely, others criticized his decision: 'Do you hear yourself? You cannot share a stage with someone who might have opinions different from yours. She expressed opinions that almost all Jews share. What you are really saying is that you do not want to share a stage with a Jewish woman,' one commenter wrote.
Recently, 79-year-old Lipman addressed the rise in antisemitism in Britain in an interview with the Telegraph, stating that 'my tribe is under attack.' She criticized students participating in pro-Palestinian demonstrations and chanting 'from the river to the sea,' arguing that decent people should stand up and say: 'Not in my name.'
The Soho Theatre has not yet commented on McCarthy's resignation, and it remains unclear who will replace him in the production.
