Criticism from David Baddiel and others prompts about-turn on play due to open this week
Al Smith may not be the first British playwright to ask “What’s in a name?”, but this weekend he had cause to ponder Shakespeare’s famous line.
Smith, the author of a new play coming to the Royal Court theatre this week, had given a lead character the name of Hershel Fink. But publicity for the production prompted angry complaints about Jewish stereotyping. In response, the famous venue on Sloane Square in London has now apologised and agreed to change the name, admitting that it was “unconscious bias” that had led to the Silicon Valley billionaire in the work being given this identity.
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