A drag parody show based on iconic Australian comedy Kath & Kim has received death threats from online trolls.
Fountain Lakes in Quarantine: A Drag Parody Currently touring Australia’s east coast, writer and performer Thomas Jaspers has revealed the production was forced to involve police after receiving threatening comments online.
Thomas said the online hate was coming from “far-right snowflakes.”
“There have been some angry outbursts from right-wing extremists who are very upset that men are wearing dresses,” Thomas said. news.com.au.
She added that while most of the trolls’ comments had been “silly”, there were some worrying comments that threatened the safety of the cast.
“It’s generally pretty silly stuff,” Thomas said.
“But there have been some pretty serious comments that we’ve had to take a little more seriously, where people are threatening the safety of the cast.”
The writer also revealed that the production team had to involve the police in an unidentified city on the tour itinerary.
Fountain Lakes in Quarantine: A Drag Parody Writer and actor Thomas Jaspers has revealed that the production was forced to involve the police following some threatening comments from online trolls.
He added that local authorities had been “amazing” in dealing with the threats.
“Unfortunately in one city we had to contact the local police, who were amazing,” Thomas said.
‘They said they would be present at the event site to ensure that if they move, they would not be allowed near the venue or the equipment.’
Speaking directly to the trolls, Thomas urged them not to come to the show.
“There were some pretty serious comments that we had to take a bit more seriously, where people were threatening the safety of the cast,” Thomas told news.com.au.
“Unfortunately, in one town we had to contact the local police, which was amazing,” Thomas added. Pictured are the original Kath and Kim, Gina Riley (left) and Jane Turner (right).
“You don’t have to come. It really has nothing to do with you,” he said.
The show, which recently enjoyed a sold-out run in Melbourne, stars RuPaul’s Drag Race Down runner-up Art Simone and drag queen Leasa Mann alongside actors Scott Brennan and Thomas Jaspers.
Art Simone, aka Jack Daye, was named runner-up, alongside Karen From Finance and Scarlet Adams, on the inaugural 2021 season of RuPaul’s Drag Race Down Under.
Set in the iconic Fountain Lakes amid COVID lockdowns, the parody features Kim attempting to become TikTok famous, while Kath is concerned that her beloved Kel has become an anti-vaxxer.
The show’s original source material, Kath & Kim, written and performed by Gina Riley and Jane Turner, aired on ABC for three seasons from 2002 to 2005.
Poking fun at the banality of suburbia, the acclaimed comedy, which also starred Magda Szubanski, Glenn Robbins and Peter Rowsthorn, became one of Australia’s best-loved comedies.
The hit comedy also featured a litany of high-profile guest stars including Kylie Minogue, Little Britain’s Matt Lucas, Eric Bana and cricket icon Shane Warne.
Poking fun at the banality of suburbia, the acclaimed sitcom, which also starred Magda Szubanski, Glenn Robbins and Peter Rowsthorn, became one of Australia’s best-loved comedies.