Fridae

Following a review by the MDA, Lis Miserables' producers have been told that the inclusion of a kiss between two male characters meant that the production deserved an "Advisory" rating. The kiss has not appeared in performances since 3 June.

Responding to the matter, Moses Lye, head of the musical's organiser MediaCorp VizPro, said: "'Beggars at the Feast' is a comical scene during which the villain Thénardier makes fun of the wedding  guests. He gives one of them, whom he describes as queer, a quick peck on the lips. The kiss was intended to be comic. On 3 June we took action and worked with the producers to adapt the scene."

Complaints of the scene included a Facebook post in the "We are against Pinkdot in Singapore" group. User Alvin Ng said: "a gay kiss that occurred in the second last scene (the wedding dance)....was never in the original production but now it's been included here." Ng remarked that he had written to the MDA to complain and encouraged others to do the same. The post has since been removed.

In a statement to Singapore's The New Paper today (June 11), a spokesman for the MDA confirmed that action will be taken against the production for the breach of licensing conditions.

"The inclusion of the same-sex kiss was not highlighted in the script when it was submitted to MDA for classification. Upon receiving feedback from members of the public, MDA reviewed the performance and confirmed that the scene was present. MDA advised the applicant that the inclusion of this particular scene meant that the performance had exceeded the 'General' rating issued. MDA will take action against this breach of licensing conditions," a spokesperson told The New Paper.