A 12 year-old boy got booed last night at Covent Garden
NewsThere is growing outrage at the incident during last night’s performance of Handel’s Alcina at Covent Garden when a man in the audience booed a 12 year-old boy who was singing the sweetest of arias. The man shouted ‘rubbish!’
He was neither evicted nor sanctioned. The ROH needs to respond to this, and fast.
The boy singer is Malakai M Bayoh, a pupil at Cardinal Vaughan Memorial School, a state comprehensive school in West London. He has previously appeared at the ROH in The Magic Flute.
The booer derseves to be named and shamed.
UPDATE: The booer gets banned
2nd UPDATE: How the booer got frozen out
According to another report on this site, he sang flat and his voice was ‘reedy’. Audience members often display their displeasure vocally if they feel they’re being short-changed.
Not in Britain unless they are foreigners. Disgraceful behaviour thrown at a child, verging on the abusive really.
My first laugh of the day…thank you!!!
You really mean Black. Black members of government have been labeled ” not British enough”.
This Black child is simply not acceptable because of the color of his skin.
Sad for the haters.
We don’t have this problem in England at least in 2022. My first teacher in London on 1958 was black – we loved her. The treatmentnof this is young boy is something else and a total disgrace.
He’s a child, FFS. You don’t boo children. Have some manners and class.
You do if they sing flat
No, we don’t. Not during concert, onstage and with hundreds of people listening. It’s just not right.
No you dont!
Stay strong Malakai M Bayoh, forget about the idiot booer.
If you ever sing flat, get ready for some serious booing. You are playing in the pro league.
So anytime YOU consider someone’s singing flat, you are entitled to boo, even if it’s a 12yo? Hope ROH swiftly bans you if you do! Hope anyone sitting next to you informs management! Are you really an ROH patron??? Never ready such a shameful post.
ROH Patron eh? You encapsulate everything that is wrong with this country. If I were the ROH I’d give you your money back and tell you to shove it. The beleaguered entertainment industry does not need “supporters” like you.
No composers write kids parts you idiot. What kind of ignorant patron are you?
Indeed Mr. Görne.
We also don’t boo you because you decide not to sing the high G in the War Requiem!
we found him wonderful and his voice added something truly magical to Alcina’s plot. musical appreciation is not everyone’s thing but again, a visit to an ENT is highly recommended.
Exactly!
Outrageous behaviour whoever the performer is, but particularly in this case for a young guy who, one assumes, put his all into the moment. How can we ever hope to encourage and nurture young talent, let alone show that classical music is inclusive and for everyone, if the public attending the highest profile venues react this way and go uncensored. Whoever shouted that should first try doing better themselves. Words hurt and can have lasting impact – if I hear a performer who was shall we say less than ideal, I keep my view to myself, I don’t tear them down publicly as they finish their aria or whatever. Hopefully Malakai is surrounded by a strong and loving family, plus those at ROH who have a duty of care.
It is certainly a strong and very loving Catholic school.
Sorry to read that unfiltered public expressions of the id occur in both the US and UK.
Being an a-hole is a trait only with English speakers? Really?
No a**hole, I know it occurs in the US and I’ve now read of a credible example in the UK. Feel free to point out any others in non-English speaking countries that demonstrate similarly boorish behavior!
La Scala??!!!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GQY_mwgisfo
Please look up the meaning of the term child!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
They don’t give children much of a chance! No surprise of course.
Also shouted “He can’t sing”. He was sat in the tightly packed front row of the amphitheatre (a few rows in front of me). Difficult to eject but he took himself out before the end of the act, disrupting another aria for the rest of the audience.
Could we have some more description? Was he inebriated?
Booing is part of opera culture, as evidenced by the fact that neither management removed him nor audience members shushed him.
So either you have a no-booing policy, which will never fly, or you have a no-booing-children policy, which implies that booing adults is acceptable, or you let children get booed to better prepare for a career in opera.
(Can you imagine the nightmare of enforcing a no-booing policy? Management will interview eye-witnesses to identify the booer(s), confront the alleged booer(s) who will undoubtedly deny it, make a judgment who is telling the truth, and then haul the booer(s) out of the hall, and then per Lebrecht’s suggestion, publish the booer(s) name, home address, date of birth, place of employment, weight and height?
Rubbish.)
I was at the performance and I can assure you that he was indeed shushed by a rather shocked and appalled audience. He then removed himself not long after.
I have no issue with booing, but I certainly am not going to judge a child singer the same way I would a professional artist – and booing a 12 year on a public stage in front of a full ROH is boorish and insensitive to say the least. As someone who works in the business, I can honestly say that Malakai did himself proud.
No one should be booed on Britain
I’m sure you believe your post is closely argued, witty and incisive. Unfortunately, you’d be wrong. It’s not proper to boo anyone, let alone a child.
If you want to boo then save your booing for the end amongst the applause. Booing during an Aria is boorish, self entitled and egotistical behaviour, and booing a 12 year old is inexcusable no matter how you think they sing. There is real bravery in taking to the stage as you expose your soul to strangers each performance.
No doubt the police are tracking him down as we speak.
Hope so.
Hey, that’s opera. You sing poorly, you get booed. No one is immune to that, as I’m sure he was warned before he took the role.
I don’t get all the pearl-clutching about this.
@George – hey, that’s NOT opera (though perhaps it is where you come from).
Don’t you? Really?
Don’t you, really? Then seek professional help because you need it.
I had the enormous displeasure of witnessing this from the Stalls Circle yesterday evening.
I heard the boo, a shout of “rubbish” and “this is the opera house, not…” the second part of that sentence heard by my girlfriend was a “choir”.
I am delighted to say that the subsequent applause for Malakai was amongst the longest and certainly the most heartfelt of the evening. I also stood to acknowledge a brave young man.
It’s also important to note, that in his subsequent Aria and a few patches of recit. that Malakai hit his marks and displayed professionalism that would do credit to an adult 3 times his age. He was not visibly perturbed, and he should be proud of himself not to have been cowed by a coward.
Mr. Lebrecht – I suggest a different tack. Rather than calling for this person to be named and shamed (doxing is a grubby business, even if the cause, as in this case is just) instead he should be identified to the ROH, by those sitting near him (to my ears somewhere in the Amphitheatre) and be offered a choice; either apologise to Malakai and the rest of the cast in person (we all deserve a chance to atone for our mistakes, but an eye for an eye is a good rule here… he tried to shame a child in front of a crowd, his apologies should therefore take place in front of an audience), if he refuses he should be banned from attending future performances until he takes responsibility for his actions.
I defend the right to boo, hiss or not clap exactly in accordance with one’s conscience as noted elsewhere in this comment section. I’m well aware that this is a big part of “opera folklore” and La Scala in particular, has an infamous reputation in this respect, with many wonderful singers Alagna, Pavarotti and others among them subject to audible derision. The clear distinction is that these individuals were big and ugly enough to take their licks, as a child, Malakai is not.
This was a typical opening night, a bit uneven certainly – but it gained momentum from the Second Act onwards. Will I rush back to see other productions of Alcina? Probably not, mainly thanks to endless Da Capo arias… but the cast of singers and dancers, Malakai amongst, them can’t be faulted in their commitment to and success in bringing this slightly silly piece to life. My girlfriend, mother and I had a great time.
As a 13-year-old, Malakai’s voice is likely to break soon. Whatever form his new voice takes: Bass, Baritone, Tenor, Counter-Tenor, I will keep an eye out for him; and if he decides not to pursue singing, I am sure that whatever he does, he will make a great success of it, because he has courage under fire.
Don’t let the B*st*ds get you down!
Beautifully stated, Kester Guy-Briscoe, and I agree with every one of your points. Well done.
It wasn’t Eric Morecambe was it ?
This sad and shocking incident will come as no surprise to anyone who is on social media. The level of abuse being hurled at individuals, especially those who have opposing political views, is intolerable. It also manifests itself on the Slipped Disc website. Earlier this year the death of a 47-year-old English conductor was reported here, and it was astonishing to see how many “dislikes” simple expressions of regret at the passing of somebody so young attracted. Why? If in Malakai’s case the abuse was racially motivated, this surely qualifies as a hate crime with the need for some kind of intervention from the police. One of the really ugly features of British society in the past six years has been the extent of aggression and hatred being mobilised on all sorts of topics and from all sorts of quarters. Criticism should always be permitted; personal abuse never. Anonymity plays its part too: I’ve noticed that quite a number of postings come from individuals who hide behind monikers like “Macavity” and choose not to use their real names. That, when added to the hatred, is the hallmark of a bully and a coward. If you feel the need to pour your bile over others, then show us who you are. And please feel free to indicate your dislike of this posting in the usual way. It does not enhance you or your personal position, no matter how much personal satisfaction it might give you.
Grazie, Mr Hall !
I wrote the same kind of considerations about the too many Mr Anonymous on this site.
To whom it may concern – make an on stage apology to the young man and audience. Let’s see what you’re made of.
No accusations of racism against the aggressor?
I’m surprised the British police haven’t rounded him up already for his ‘crime’. After all, they don’t seem to have much else to do!!
No one and I mean NO ONE deserves booing. It’s loutish, rude and unnecessary. To shout at a child is cruel. If you are unhappy with a performer, simply withhold your applause or write a letter to the powers at the opera house. I certainly received plenty in my days as Head of Music at The Met. (And I answered them all! As Virgil Thomson used to write when answering some less than favorable mail when he was at the Herald Tribune,
“Thank you for your warmly indignant letter.”)
There really is no need for such behavior, even if it has occurred in the past and NEVER in the case of a young performer.
Stay strong and keep up your studies, Malakai! N
“Naming and shaming.” How O.T. Reeks of a totalitarian state. Or religious intolerance. Mullahs, anyone? Is that what we want the music world, an opera house to represent?
“Banning” is also not appropriate. Or else you’d need to equally enforce the booing ban at all events. Plus, you’d need to filter all the boors out of the ROH audience – many of which are silent, I’m sure. This would require staffing and process and forms … and Arts Council funding.
But let’s remember: Even boors and booers have rights. And votes, as we’re experiencing in UK and US politics as I write.
Booing a kid? OK. Not nice. Weird. Especially of an adult. As someone writes below: Identify the individual and encourage him to apologize to the boy. You can’t require it: An opera house is not an enforcement agency.
Can’t wait to see Alcina next week and judge for myself. But I won’t boo.
Here’s the thing about interrupting a performance booing: it disturbs and detracts from the experience of the rest of the people who paid to attend that performance. Those people have a right to the quiet enjoyment of the performance they paid to attend, and everyone has the right to applaud or withhold applause at appropriate times. But breaking into a performance to boo is off-limits, just as interrupting a musical performance with applause would be. The concert hall is not a sports arena or a figure-skating competition.
“ Even boors and booers have rights.” So these “rights”, include: shouting at a 12yo while he’s singing; disturbing the performance for the other 2000 patrons. I support the ROH’s right – in support of patrons’ rights not to have such disturbances – not to welcome this person to the theatre ever again. Let this boor/booer exercise his rights by waving a placard outside the building!
The heckler left of his own accord, and has been banned for life.
Perhaps he has ‘mental health issues’. OK to get others off the hook but not in this case. Apparently.
No wonder the British lost the war with America.
Did they???!!! I thought that was internal strife, self-inflicted.
Weird connection.
I think it’s funny. Why are people so damn precious? One guess!! Ever heard of the Loggionisti?
It’s definitely not a good thing to boo/shout out mid aria/scene at anyone. That said, booing is the most immediate way to express displeasure (apart from throwing rotten fruit) as is applause and cheering your enthusiam (and throwing flowers.) As has been commented on-was he drunk, is he suffering fom illness, is it a momentory failure of control, as in he has saved up for this performance for months and months and he’s experiencing extreme disappointment? Low emotional literacy is common. Until there’s some information about these questioins I can’t make a judgement. So on that basis to ban him is just a knee jerk. There is an Italian tenor, probably in mid career, who has a superb voice but scoops up to every key note, sometimes several times within the same phrase. If I’d have been in the audience I’d have booed him at the end and/or spoken/written to the coaches. Do we want to live in a society where we cannot protest? I don’t. I don’t approve of what this man did in this performance but I’m for free speech.
Perforrmers don’t need to be so passive. If you know the story of Franco Corelli storming upto a box at the Met who had been booing him or something similar and confronting the person(s). Some accounts of this story say that he had his swowd in hand. Opera creates great passions, does it not?
I’m sure the Royal Opera could have found a boy capable of singing in tune.The organisation should share some responsibility for this if he was brought in to satisfy the Arts Council, as I suspect.
This is an international opera house with expensive tickets, not am-dram in a village hall.
Booer was banned and hopefully later tarred.
Would never happen at eno.
A tofu-consuming liberal if I’ve ever seen one.
Yours
Booella Saverman
At any rate, this young man’s career has had a tremendous boost from this – and good for him.
What appaling comments. Assuming that most of the remarks are made by British citizens, it appears that England has become as screwed up as the USA.
Where do you think the US got it from?