Controversy in Spain over smoking on stage

Feb 15, 2011, 11:57 GMT

Madrid - A controversy was raging in Spain on Tuesday on whether the country's new anti-smoking law allowed actors to smoke on stage.

The debate was sparked by the 1960s hippie musical Hair, an adaptation of which is running in Barcelona.

The theatre received a warning from the regional health authorities after a person who saw the musical filed a complaint over scenes showing actors smoking.

The actors were not smoking tobacco, but harmless herbs such as basil and lemon verbena, the producers of the musical countered.

Spain's anti-smoking law, which entered into force on January 2, bans smoking in places of work and nearly all public buildings. The Barcelona theatre could eventually face a fine of up to 10,000 euros (13,500 dollars).

That possibility angered many theatre directors. The anti-smoking campaign had gone to 'crazy extremes' and created a 'new Inquisition,' director Albert Boadella told the daily El Pais.

Should Spain also ban classical movies such as Casablanca, in which Humphrey Bogart keeps lighting up, critics asked.

Health Minister Leire Pajin rejected such arguments on Tuesday. If smoking was necessary in a play, the actors should only fake doing so, she advised.

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