ISRAELI BOARD CANCELS BAN ON ‘OH! CALCUTTA!’

A government censorship board reversed itself and tentatively decided to permit the nude theatrical revue “Oh! Calcutta!” to open in Israel, its producer said Tuesday.

The board had earlier rejected a request to let the play be performed in Israel, saying the nudity would offend religious Jews and Arabs.

“I’m ecstatic,” said the producer, Norman Kean, who defended the long-running Broadway musical Monday before the Public Council for Theater and Movies.

The government-appointed council decided Feb. 3 to bar “Oh! Calcutta!” as “pornographic and obscene.”

But after Kean’s appearance, the committee voted 8-7 to cancel the ban and permit the show to be staged pending agreement on what were described as “cosmetic” changes, press reports said.

“We’ve won a partial victory,” said Kean, 51, of New York City. “I don’t expect any major suggestions.”

The board deferred a final decision to next Monday after a meeting today between three council members and Kean to discuss possible modifications in the show.