Northern Irish actor Gerard McCarthy has pulled out of a London theatre production following the casting of outspoken pro-Israel actress Dame Maureen Lipman.
McCarthy said her repeated public comments about Israel and Palestine left him uncomfortable promoting her involvement in the production.
McCarthy had been due to appear in “Right Before I Go at Soho” Theatre after taking part in its Edinburgh Festival Fringe run.
The Fall actor announced his withdrawal shortly after Lipman was confirmed as part of the London cast.
However, McCarthy stressed that he never asked producers to reconsider Lipman’s casting. He also said he did not expect anybody else involved with the production to adopt his position.
Instead, he privately explained that Lipman’s repeated statements and support for Israel made him uncomfortable personally promoting her involvement.
McCarthy said a subsequent conversation with writer Stan Zimmerman convinced him that withdrawing altogether was the correct decision.
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He said he had greatly valued his experience with the production and described being involved as meaningful. But McCarthy suggested some principles were ultimately more important than remaining attached to a particular acting job.
His name and photograph were apparently still being used to advertise the production when he publicly announced his departure.
Soho Theatre was also still listing McCarthy among the rotating cast when its production page was recently indexed.
Lipman’s outspoken Israel support
Dame Maureen Lipman, 80, is one of Britain’s best-known Jewish actresses, with a career spanning more than five decades across television, film and theatre.
She became a household name through the sitcom Agony and her famous BT adverts as Jewish grandmother Beattie, and later appeared in Educating Rita, The Pianist and Coronation Street. She was made a dame in 2020 for services to charity, entertainment and the arts.
Lipman has also become a prominent public defender of Israel and Zionism. Her Jewish identity has featured strongly in her career, including performances in Rose, which explores the Holocaust, Israel and the Six-Day War. She has repeatedly intervened publicly in debates over Israel and Palestine, including criticising politicians over their positions on Israel and Palestinian statehood.
Lipman has also become one of Britain’s most prominent celebrity supporters of Israel and has repeatedly used her public platform to attack pro-Palestinian campaigning and reject allegations over Israel’s conduct in Gaza.
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Following October 7, 2023, Lipman condemned more than 2,000 artists who signed an Artists for Palestine UK statement calling for an immediate ceasefire, humanitarian access to Gaza and an end to British political and military support for Israel’s actions.
She said the signatories should feel “shame” for their position.
Lipman has publicly rejected accusations of genocide against Israel and has remained an outspoken advocate for Israel and Israeli hostages, putting her increasingly at odds with artists and campaigners demanding accountability for Israel’s treatment of Palestinians.
Those positions have prompted protests during her theatre appearances.
Earlier this year, the Aberdeen branch of the Scottish Palestine Solidarity Campaign sought the cancellation of her appearance in Allegra at His Majesty’s Theatre.
Lipman was accused of expressing “Islamophobic anti-Palestinian and anti-Arab views”.
The campaign attracted close to 1,000 messages supporting calls for the venue to reconsider hosting her.
Protests followed Allegra beyond Aberdeen, including demonstrations in Glasgow and Bath, as campaigners continued to challenge Lipman’s support for Israel.
Lipman would almost certainly reject the labels “anti-Arab” and “anti-Palestinian.” Her defence would be that she supports Israel and Zionism and strongly opposes Hamas, but does not oppose Palestinians or Arabs as peoples.
