Abomination: a DUP Opera received rave reviews during runs in Belfast and Dublin earlier this year
November 13th, 2022.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has been invited to the London premiere of a controversial musical focusing on the DUP and Iris Robinson’s views on homosexuality.
Rishi Sunak leader of the Conservative and Unionist Party
It’s heading to London’s prestigious Southbank Arts Centre, which is planning an extensive exhibition related to Northern Ireland, next May.
Other dates and venues have been discussed for the musical, which has been described as a fusion of opera, drag, cabaret and satire.
It was written for the Belfast Ensemble by the Lurgan-born composer Conor Mitchell, who previously wrote a requiem for the Disappeared.
Iris Robinson: Wife of former DUP leader Peter Robinson
He composed the DUP musical in the wake of Mrs Robinson describing homosexuality as an “abomination” during an episode of Stephen Nolan’s BBC Radio Ulster show in 2008.
The interview, which followed a vicious assault on a 27-year-old gay man by three youths in Co Antrim, reignited a fierce debate over gay rights and marriage equality.
Mitchell’s libretto features a verbatim quote from the radio segment combined with other statements by members of the DUP, including MP Sammy Wilson, who once said of gay people: “They are poofs. I don’t care if they are ratepayers. As far as I am concerned, they are perverts.”
Sinn Féin fully supported Gay marriage and marched side-by-side in support of all communities in support with them
A reviewer from the Irish Times who saw the show at the Abbey Theatre in Dublin wrote: “Abomination: a DUP Opera is a magnificent musical rendition of hate speech, hate speech that has destroyed lives, legitimised violence and oppressed LGBT+ people for centuries.
“There is no let-up in this production. There is no redemption. At the end of the opera, ultimately the DUP prevails, as they still do.”
Mitchell said he was looking forward to the musical’s new run in England.
“We’re very excited about the prospect of putting Abomination on in London,” he added.
“We’re all passionately committed to the musical and its important messages.
“We’re hoping that Mr Sunak and other politicians will take up our invitation to see Abomination, assuming of course that he’s still prime minister come next May.”
Mitchell’s reputation as a composer has been soaring. Only last week, his newest musical Propaganda, about the Soviet blockade of Berlin in 1949, finished a month-long run at the Lyric in Belfast, where it played to packed and enthusiastic houses.
He has had works commissioned by the Lyric and the National Theatre in London, and he has also received an award for best score in the New York Musical Theatre.
Soft Cell’s Mark Almond performed one of Conor’s song cycles in the UK.
The composer, who has written for productions in South Africa, Sweden and Scotland, also collaborated with the acclaimed English writer and actor Mark Ravenhill on a number of projects, as well as working with the award-winning English actor Simon Callow, who appeared in Four Weddings and a Funeral.
The only problem facing the Belfast Ensemble on its visit to London is that one of the nights it is staging Abomination coincides with the coronation of King Charles.
With hotels increasing their prices by as much as 300 percent as a result, finding accommodation for the 11 performers and the 16-strong orchestra is proving difficult.
The DUP did not respond to requests for a comment about the musical.
With many thanks to the: Sunday Life and Ivan Little for the original story.
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