The co-producer of a Christian show claims he was left stranded at an American airport on the eve of the opening night after his ticket was cancelled by fellow organisers.

'No Ordinary Christmas' co-producer Raymond Lewis was allegedly frozen following a request from the top of the Department of Tourism in a row which has tarnished a relaunch of faith-based tourism.

Mr. Lewis claims he was the chief organiser of the Ruth Seaton James production for the past few weeks, but that when he tried to catch a plane to Bermuda last Monday, staff at Newark Airport said he and his two companions had no tickets.

He believes they were cancelled by executive producer Monroe Kent III or the Department of Tourism because of their fallout. Mr. Kent argues Mr. Lewis quit the show of his own accord, after irritating sponsors and people at the top of Tourism with his management style.

He says he was instructed to "do something about Mr. Lewis" and, Mr. Lewis reacted to this by saying he had no desire to be where he wasn't wanted.

Meanwhile performers are said to have been disappointed with attendances, which they blame on poor marketing, and they say performances were made difficult by the fact they were only given one week of rehearsals. Mr. Kent's firm the Relavations Group was hired for $49,000 by Tourism to put on the show to boost Bermuda's image as a tourist destination and generate positive international media coverage.

He in turn hired Mr. Lewis to help with the production.

Mr. Lewis told The Royal Gazette over the telephone: "What I'm upset about is for me to put my name to an event like this and basically be cut out of it, unbeknown to me, at the end.

"It was imperative that I had to be there. It was pure vindictiveness that they robbed me of the experience.

"When I found out we had no tickets at the airport, I thought it was a joke and maybe they would hold us for a day.

"But then Mr. Kent would not take my phone calls. I felt like I was dealing with a petty child.

"How can you spend money on a project and not invite the person who created the project?"

Mr. Kent said: "Mr. Lewis is angry with me and in a sense understandably so.

"We had a short time to put this show together. In his zeal to do things his way, unfortunately there were some people offended at the top. We got to a point where they asked us to do something about him.

"I had to make a very difficult choice for the good of the production. We placed a lot of resources in trying to do something good, trying to do something with a wonderful spirit and message. "It did not seem it was right to create a situation which was hostile to people when it was meant to give God glory and be an experience."

But he disputed Mr. Lewis' claim about being stranded at the airport.

"At no point did I leave Mr. Lewis at an airport," said Mr. Kent. "He offered to not come. He said: 'People do not want me there. For the sake of the concert, I will not go.'

"He's an angry man. I do not want to bad mouth Mr. Lewis in any way. I understand his anger. I was pressured on many sides to negate the presence of Mr. Lewis.

"People were saying: 'Keep this man away from me. What's to be done about the Raymond Lewis situation?' What can you do?"

Mr. Kent declined to identify whoever put pressure on him to get rid of Mr. Lewis. Told Mr. Kent's response to his claims, Mr. Lewis said: "That's a complete lie. We were prepared to go. We were prepared to leave, pack and ready to go. He cancelled our ticket and he knows it.

"I have never even spoken to Mr. Kent in almost two weeks."

Mr. Lewis claims he fell out with Tourism director Billy Griffith when Mr. Griffith asked him to go to a meeting with the BlackVoices website which had criticised the Island in its coverage of the Music Festival. BlackVoices was one of the media groups targeted for positive coverage for 'No Ordinary Christmas'.

"Me and Mr. Griffith had a difference of opinion. In the USA, we are allowed to have a difference of opinion. Clearly in this country as soon as you voice your opinion you are pushed out," said Mr. Lewis. This newspaper contacted the Department of Tourism, Premier and Tourism Minister Ewart Brown's press secretary Glenn Jones, and Mr. Griffith to ask who had fallen out with Mr. Lewis and why.

Mr. Jones did not comment on the fallout, but pointed out the Department of Tourism did not have a contract with Mr. Lewis.

While the number of Bermudians in attendance may have been a disappointment, Mr. Kent claims the show easily hit its target number of tourists, with 125 people mainly coming from the US and Canada, mainly staying at the Fairmont hotels in Southampton and Hamilton.