A Brooklyn concert venue has cancelled a scheduled performance by Amanda Palmer after receiving complaints, including one from a woman who has alleged she was sexually assaulted by Palmer’s husband, the science-fiction writer Neil Gaiman.
Palmer announced last week that she was planning to play two shows in May — her first public performances since a former nanny in New Zealand, Scarlett Pavlovich, filed a civil lawsuit accusing Gaiman of sexual assault, and Palmer of negligence and trafficking.
“I’m leaving my cave,’’ Palmer said in an Instagram video announcing the shows at The Armory in Somerville on May 10 and National Sawdust in Brooklyn on May 17. “I hope you come because I need to play music, and I want you to hear music. I just want to be back with my community behind a piano, doing what I’m good at.’’
But the date at National Sawdust has been scrubbed from the venue’s website, and in an email to a woman who objected to Palmer’s performance there, Ana De Archuleta, managing director of National Sawdust, wrote: “Your voice matters. After careful consideration, National Sawdust has decided not to present the May 17 event.’’
In an email to Globe on Saturday, De Archuleta confirmed that Palmer’s show at the nonprofit performance space is off. “Once the leadership and Board of Trustees of the non-profit organization became aware of the complex situation surrounding the artist, the Board decided not to move forward with the show,’’ De Archuleta wrote.
Gaiman, the British writer best known for the comic book series “The Sandman’’ and the novels “Good Omens,’’ “American Gods,’’ and “Coraline,’’ was accused in a six-episode podcast last summer of sexually assaulting multiple women. That was followed by a lengthy piece in New York magazine that included more alleged victims. Gaiman, 64, has denied all of the women’s claims of sexual assault, abuse, and coercion.
Palmer, a performer and writer who grew up in Lexington, married Gaiman in 2011 and they have one child. The couple separated in 2020, but their divorce is not yet final. Palmer, 48, has not responded directly to Pavlovich’s lawsuit or to the claims made against Gaiman, but she has posted a statement on social media broadly denying the allegations.
“I thank you all deeply for continuing to respect my recent request for privacy as I navigate this extremely difficult moment. I must protect my young child and his right to privacy,’’ she wrote. “With that as my priority, I will not respond to the specific allegations being made against me except to say that I deny the allegations and will respond in due course. My heart goes out to all survivors.’’
The Gaiman accuser who urged National Sawdust to rescind its invitation to Palmer is included in both the podcast and the New York magazine story. In an email to the venue, the woman wrote: “I’d like to register a huge complaint that you are hosting an Amanda Palmer show at your beautiful venue… She is currently involved in a civil suit that credibly implicates her as a sex trafficker. Her values seem unaligned with the values of National Sawdust. And by allowing her a platform to amplify her voice, you would be simultaneously alienating and silencing’’ [alleged victims].
Through her publicist, Dini von Mueffling, Palmer issued a statement to the Globe on Saturday, saying that the canceled show will now be held at City Winery New York City. (“I can confirm we have offered our stage for her art,’’ City Winery CEO Michael Dorf wrote in an email.)
Palmer said she’s grateful for the opportunity to perform in New York.
“I’m thrilled that City Winery is offering us a safe haven for my show and community, and also deeply grateful to the many people who fought to keep my show at National Sawdust,’’ she said.
Mark Shanahan can be reached at mark.shanahan@globe.com.
