Mike Tyson is getting some backlash for announcing that a national tour of his one-man stage show will start in the city that sent him to prison for rape.
As previously reported, the former heavyweight boxing champ on Feb. 12 will launch a 23-city run of “Mike Tyson: Undisputed Truth” in Indianapolis, where he served three years in a state prison for the 1991 rape of a Miss Black America pageant contestant.
A Marion County jury convicted Tyson of one count of rape and two counts of criminal deviate conduct. Tyson served his time at the Indiana Youth Center, a high-medium security facility west of Indianapolis.
A representative of the company managing the tour said it’s coincidence that Tyson will perform 1 mile northeast of the Canterbury Hotel, site of the crimes that happened during Indiana Black Expo Summer Celebration 21 years ago.
Michael Orsino, director of booking and sales for Maryland-based Troika Entertainment, said Indianapolis is positioned at the beginning of the tour because Old National Centre was available for two days of pre-show technical rehearsals.
“It’s not uncommon for us to pick a city based on availability,” Orsino told USA Toay. “You just go in, do your tech run and then you open.”
Troika will manage day-to-day operations of the tour. The New York-based Nederlander Organization is producer of the show, while Spike Lee is director.
Tyson appeared Tuesday on late-night talk show “Jimmy Kimmel Live,” where the host asked about the significance of an Indianapolis performance.
Tyson recalled saying, “This is an epiphany,” when learning about the tour’s first stop.”I’ll call my great lawyer — we didn’t do well — James Voyles, and I’ll invite him and my judge, Patricia Gifford, … and let them see how I’m doing now,” said Tyson, 46.
via EurWeb
