Amy Winehouse play planned by Danish theatre group
Mitch Winehouse objects to production that would tell singer's life story
CBC News
Posted: Oct 25, 2012 2:39 PM ET
Last Updated: Oct 25, 2012 2:28 PM ET
Singer Amy Winehouse performs in 2007. A Danish theatre company is planning to produce a play on her life and uncomfortable relationship with celebrity. (Kevin Winter/Getty Images)A stage production about the life of British singer Amy Winehouse and her uncomfortable relationship with celebrity will premiere in Copenhagen early next year.
But the singer's father, Mitch Winehouse, has objected to the production, saying it will be “a load of rubbish.”
Winehouse, who has written a biography of his daughter and has devoted himself to managing her image since her untimely death, said the work is unauthorized and “won’t be worth seeing.”
"It dosn't matter to them whether it's too soon, they're only interested in making money and nothing else bothers them,” he said.
The Grammy-winning singer died of alcohol poisoning at her north London home last July at age 27.
A group of 11 Danish writers calling themselves Det Roede Rum (The Red Room) have written the play based on material from Winehouse's interviews, acceptance speeches, concerts, newspapers, letters and songs. The Danish company says the play focuses on "the enormous pressure a sensationalist public put on a young superstar when her problems began."
It will tell the story of Amy Winehouse’s “fast-paced career, her struggle with the demons and the destructive love affair between her and her boyfriend Blake Fielder-Civil,” the company said in a statement.
Emmet Feigenberg, artistic director for the Royal Danish Theatre, where the play is to debut, defended the production, saying it was being performed as a tribute to her enormous talent. It will be staged in a small intimate space, beginning Jan. 30, 2013, and is extremely unlikely to make a profit, he said.
"The Royal Danish Theatre is an entirely nonprofit institution," he said.
He said the theatre company has cleared the rights to Winehouse’s music, including songs from best-selling album Back to Black.
Share Tools
3 for FRIDAY: Fast and Furious 6, Epic and Picture Day by Eli Glasner May. 24, 2013 6:05 PM Eli Glasner takes a quick look at three new films: Picture Day with rising star Tatiana Maslany, the audaciously entertaining Fast and Furious 6 and a nature-themed cartoon for the kids called Epic.
Top News Headlines
- Will Rob Ford's supporters leave Ford Nation?
- The growing controversy over a purported video alleging to show Toronto Mayor Rob Ford smoking crack cocaine may be testing the faith of even his most die-hard supporters. But experts say Ford's policies may trump whatever personal issues he's facing, and that his supporters may rally behind him. more »
- Royal Bank pledges not to outsource jobs for cash savings
- Royal Bank has promised it will never outsource a Canadian job to a foreign worker solely to save money. more »
- Neil Macdonald: How serious is Obama about curbing the drone surge?
- In a key speech this week, the U.S. president set out a host of supposed new safeguards for America's controversial practice of remote-controlled rough justice. But as Neil Macdonald writes, the underlying rationale for drone use has not fundamentally changed. more »
- Making The Mandela Tapes
- Producer Robin Benger describes how he obtained broadcast access to interviews Nelson Mandela recorded in the 1990s. A CBC Radio Ideas program on the Mandela tapes airs May 28. more »
- Toronto Mayor Rob Ford denies using crack cocaine
- The mayor of Canada's largest city told a packed news conference that he doesn't use crack cocaine and isn't a crack addict. more »
Must Watch
Latest Arts & Entertainment News Headlines
- Rolling Stones to rock with Mississauga choir
- The Rolling Stones take to the stage in Toronto Saturday night, accompanied by a Mississauga high school choir, for the first of three hotly anticipated Canadian concerts. more »
- Robert Bateman Centre to promote more than artist's work

- Celebrated Canadian nature artist Robert Bateman is opening a new gallery in Victoria this weekend, but the artist says the aim is to do much more than showcase his work. more »
- FILM REVIEW: The Hangover Part 3
- In a final outing with the wolf pack, the joke's on us, says Eli Glasner. The Hangover Part 3 is a strangely serious and laugh-free sequel in the popular, offensive and raunchy series. more »
- Fast and Furious 6, Epic and Picture Day
- PM Eli Glasner takes a quick look at three new films: Picture Day with rising star Tatiana Maslany, the audaciously entertaining Fast and Furious 6 and a nature-themed cartoon for the kids called Epic. more »
Q Blog
Dan Brown's bizarre rituals May. 24, 2013 5:15 PM The author discusses his new novel, Inferno, and the ritual he performs when launching another book.
CBC Books
David Sedaris on why having a mean dad might just be the key to success May. 24, 2013 2:42 PM
- Toronto Mayor Rob Ford denies using crack cocaine
- Will Rob Ford's supporters leave Ford Nation?
- Washington police blame bridge collapse on Alberta trucker
- Canada ranks 3rd last in paid vacations
- Dog snared on baited hooks near Grouse Grind trail
- Man accused of killing child in patio crash granted bail
- Wallin may be forced to repay thousands in travel expenses
- Friend of suspect in U.K. soldier's slaying arrested
- Amanda Bynes charged for allegedly tossing bong out window


