A planned nationwide tour for “The Deputy,” the controversial play on the alleged silence by Pope Pius XII in the face of the Nazi slaughter of European Jewry, has been canceled, Producer Herman Shumlin said today. One reason was that theaters in other cities refused to accept engagements and another that not enough prospective producers offered subscription arrangements, he said.
The play opened on Broadway last February 26, Mr. Shumlin said that theaters in Cleveland, Baltimore, Minneapolis, St. Paul and Milwaukee had refused to book it. He added that the manager of the Cleveland theater had told him that objections had been raised by “those representing the Catholic diocese.” Other managers refused to give reasons, he said.
The Broadway version is doing well, he added, though it must leave its present theater on November 28 because of a prior commitment by the theater for another attraction then. He indicated he expected to find another theater for performances in Manhattan after that date.
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