Billy Rose, the producer, said this weekend he had relinquished the producing rights to The Deputy, the controversial play by German playwright Rolf Hochhut about the late Pope Pius XII and the Nazi slaughter of European Jewry.
He said Herman Shumlin had taken over the rights to The Deputy which charges that the late Pontiff failed to protest publicly about the Nazi annihilation of Jews. Previously Mr. Rose had announced plans to stage the play in New York City this year.
In declaring now that he would not be the producer, Mr. Rose stressed that The Deputy still had his “blessing.” He said the play “gives voice to a moment of truth which everyone should hear. If the theater which bears my name becomes available, I shall be glad to have The Deputy play there.” He said that Mr. Shumlin planned to stage as well as to produce The Deputy in New York.
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