You don’t have to be a native of Northern Ireland to enjoy and appreciate a wonderful new documentary Opera that traces the Province’s struggle for LGBTQ rights which ends on a happy and uplifting note. Queer writer/composer Conor Mitchell wrote ABOMINATION simply using verbatim political statements in a manner that engaged people not used to Opera.
A little bit of history first for those of you around the globe. NORTHERN IRELAND is a Province of the UK which has a very troubled history of strife mainly about whether it should be reunited with Ireland or still be part of Britain. It’s fractured politics have for years been led by an ultra-conservative PROTESTANT PARTY THE DUP. During the UK PM THERESA MAY’S recent minority government it was the DUP’s 10 MP’s that propped her up and kept her ii power for as long as she could cling on to it.
Back in the days of ‘The Troubles’ when the country was literally engaged in a civil war, the DUP who were violently opposed to the Peace Protest, were considered a extreme political force on the margins. Somehow over the years they have now established themselves as a centralist party, even though many of their policies have not evolved at all.
DUP”s Leader ARLENE FORSTER a self professed ardent homophobe took advantage of the stranglehold power she had over PM May to stop the UK legalising same-sex marriage in the Province even though the rest of the British Isles had enjoyed that right for some time. If Forster had her own way completely she would have the N.Ireland LGBTQ Community stripped of all their Rights.
When May’s Government collapsed the British Government on 22nd October 2019 finally extended same-sex marriage to Northern Ireland which was a great cause for celebration. The perfect time for Mitchell and THE BELFAST ENSEMBLE to mount ABOMINATION.
Mitchell took every homophobic phrase said by DUP politicians over the past 40 years, and put them all to music. The opera is called ABOMINATION, after the infamous IRIS ROBINSON phone call to the STEPHEN NOLAN SHOW where the then Health Minister of Northern Ireland described homosexuality as shamefully wicked and vile, live on air. Robinson was at the time married to her husband Peter , the First Minister of N. Ireland, but like so many bigots who rant on about ‘the sanctity of marriage’ she was later exposed for her hypocrisy. The 59 year old had hooked up with the 19 year old son of her local butcher.
Robinson had publicly declared that homosexuals are worse than child molesters, and then there is the fact that in this dark period N Ireland had the highest LGBT suicide rate in the UK. So Abomination investigates the power of language in the hands of politicians, and the damage it can do when used irresponsibly. It does however do so with such a fine sense or optimism and positivity ….. with more than a smattering of campness……that makes the whole piece such a joy to watch
Queer Belfast filmmaker NICKY LARKIN (who we have featured before for his film CHERIE, ME AND HIV) made a documentary that follows The Belfast Ensemble’s progress from their first week of rehearsals in a church in east Belfast, right through to their sold-out performances in the Lyric Theatre. He captures the excitement of the whole cast and crew as they become increasingly aware of the importance to the LGBTQ community and beyond of the whole piece.
So here is the first preview of the documentary which is to have its premiere in QUEEN’S FILM THEATRE, BELFAST streaming LIVE globally on https://queensfilmtheatre.com/QFT-Player# and will be available to view from April 19th. It is totally unmissable.
P.S. We are so hoping the BBC Northern Ireland will finally allow the whole Opera to be streamed online too.
