How ENO did gay sex with kids on stage – Nico Muhly speaks out

The composer of Two Boys, discussing the Opera North saga, gives a remarkably frank and sensitive account of how they dealt with sex talk when underage kids were around.

Here’s an extract:

Craig Lucas and I have just gone through an idyllic collaborative process with the ENO and the Met putting togetherTwo Boys. Anybody who wanted to read the libretto could read it, and all the adults in the production were charged by our director, Bart Sher, to take care of the kids (we had a dozen actors and two singers), making sure nobody was uncomfortable. Bart spoke with the parents of the kids — particularly the singing ones — well in advance of the production period. And in the interests of full disclosure here, allow me to excerpt for you some moments from the opera:

Congressman. did any girl give u a haandjob this weekend?
Page. i’m single right now
Congressman. did u spank yourself this weekend?
Page. no
Congressman. in the shower where do you throw the towel?
Page. in the laundry
Congressman. just kinda slow
Page. it works

(If you don’t know the reference, I’m not going to tell you, but it’s a matter of public record).

Read the whole blogpost here.

Note that Nico does not join the media gang-rape of Opera North.