Bradford Council has backed down after a controversial decision to ban a play's saucy title from a city centre noticeboard.

The Priestley Centre for the Arts was outraged after being told the Council would not advertise the play Sexual Perversity in Chicago on its electronic noticeboard in Centenary Square.

The play is an early work by the highly-respected playwright and scriptwriter David Mamet.

It has been performed all over the world and made into a film starring Demi Moore, and is now set to be performed at the Priestley Centre for the Arts, Little Germany, Bradford, from September 17 to19.

Baffled director Paul Varnham, said: "Is it the word Sexual they are objecting to, or the word Perversity? I don't know.

"This is ridiculous in the 1990s. There is no nudity and no sex scenes in the play."

After being contacted by the Telegraph & Argus, Councillor Malcolm Slater of the city centre management committee said he would investigate. Later Bradford Council announced it would be apologising to the Priestley Centre for the Arts for the "misunderstanding".

A council spokesman said: "As a matter of procedure, the officer needed to seek approval before displaying the information. We are sorry for any misunderstanding the matter may have caused and are arranging for the message publicising the play to be displayed."

Angela Curtis, the director of the Priestley Centre, said she was initially told the play's title would not be displayed: "We had sent details of our full programme through, and they said Winnie the Pooh and Alan Bennett's Talking Heads would be OK, but not this one," she said. "They didn't seem particularly apologetic either. I have never known this happen before."

The play is a black comedy set in the 1970s, featuring a disco style soundtrack and period costumes.

The play is being put on in the Studio Theatre at the Priestley Centre. Ticket information from (01274) 820666.

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