Billy Elliot writer in storm over ‘gay’ opera for 300 children in Bridlington

Mr Hall, the man who also wrote the hit play The Pitmen Painters, has spent the past year working with communities in Bridlington on a community opera based on a trip to the beach, says he and Opera North have reached an impasse over the content of the production.

The story Hall has written revolves around a single father taking a holiday at home in Bridlington. The man is a gay retired painter and is the victim of homophobic bullying. The lyrics “I’m queer” and “I prefer a lad to a lass” are included in Mr Hall’s libretto which Opera North have asked be removed.

Mr Hall said that he was told unless the lines were removed then the whole project would be in jeopardy.

Writing today, Mr hall says he was told by the school most involved that they objected to the phrase “pee-pee” and the use of “stupid” as an insult.

He said: “The request seemed to come from an entirely different era. I thought there must be some mistake, and that Opera North would support me by finding a way around this completely outdated hysteria. I was amazed when they accepted the school’s position. I was repeatedly asked to excise these references to the adult character being gay.

He added: “I am fighting to keep the opera on. It will be a scandal if it is not performed – not just because of the public money wasted, but because ignorance and timidity will have won the day.

“No one involved will countenance the idea that there could be homophobia at play. The argument is that everyone is just worried about other people’s sensitivities. It amounts to the same thing. Effectively, I feel I am not being allowed to represent a gay person.

“The idea that being gay is something inappropriate for a child to witness is unsupportable – as if gay people weren’t fathers or mothers or sisters or brothers. That an opera company or a school could make this mistake seems extraordinary. I feel I have no option other than to try to open up the debate.”

Opera North said it respected Mr Hall’s stance but also appreciated the viewpoint of the school.

The organisation said in a post on its blog: “It is a huge disappointment that the wider vision of the Bridlington project is currently being overshadowed. Opera North has been leading a community funded community engagement programme for the last two years, which has successfully established seven different choral groups.

“This is a project that is part of the national curriculum of the primary school we have been working with. Over the last six months, Opera North has worked to build a relationship between the artists and the community, which is the greater focus of our work.

The original libretto was presented in the early part of the year with acknowledgement that it would need negotiation with the community. Over the past six months there has been a process of revision, but there has been one issue over which both sides have been unable to move forward from.”