County Bars Bid to Stage Naked
Macbeth
SANFORD, Fla. (Reuters) -
Seminole County commissioners in Florida did not mind
that a local nightclub was serving up eye of newt, toe of
frog, wool of bat and tongue of dog.
What they did object to
was the fact that the three witches in the club's version
of Shakespeare's "Macbeth" were played by naked dancers.
The commissioners
unanimously passed a law Tuesday night banning nudity in
places that sell alcohol, closing a loophole in the
public decency ordinance which the Club Juana nightclub
in Casselberry had exploited to stage the naked witch
scene.
The ordinance required
strippers to cover at least part of their breasts and
buttocks but exempted theatrical performances. The new
ban takes effect on June 29.
The club has already
staged several performances of a revue, "Les Femmes
Fatales, featuring the witch scene, a sword dance and
excerpts from the Marquis de Sade's "Philosophy in the Bedroom."
Dancers were nude in
some scenes and wore costumes in others. The three Club
Juana dancers, in their early 20s, were charged earlier
this month with violating a similar city ordinance
prohibiting nudity and alcohol in the same business.
"We actually wanted to
get cited for the decency ordinance so we could fight it
in court," Richard Middleton, one of the club's managers,
told Reuters Wednesday.
To protect its liquor
license, the club has temporarily suspended performances
of "Les Femmes Fatales" pending the court hearing.
"We haven't canceled it.
We're waiting till we go to court," Middleton said,
adding: "We are continuing our oil wrestling."
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