Opera axes Billy Elliot shows after ‘homophobic campaign’

The Hungarian State Opera has axed 15 performances of the hit musical Billy

Elliot after poor ticket sales, blamed by the management on a homophobic campaign that claimed the show would “transform boys into homosexuals”.

The management of the Budapest theatre pulled the plug on the 15 shows following a number of articles lambasting the musical in Magyar Idok, a leading newspaper allied to the Hungarian government.

In a letter to staff, Szilveszter Okovacs, the opera’s director, said: “As you know, the negative campaign against the Billy Elliot production has led to a big drop in ticket sales, and for this reason we are cancelling 15 performances in line with a decision by our management.”

One Mag yar Idok article claimed the show could weaken Hungary’s birth rate at a time when thousands of immigrants wanted to come to the country.

“The propagation of homosexuality cannot be a national goal when the population is getting older and smaller and our country is threatened by invasion,” the paper wrote, despite the fact that the character of Michael, a friend of Billy’s who is gay, had been written out of the show’s Hungarian version.

Although Hungary has reasonably liberal laws on gay rights, Viktor Orban, the prime minister, presides over a government that champions itself as an opponent of liberal and cosmopolitan social attitudes.

Despite the State Opera cancelling 15 shows, it said it will go ahead with performances of Billy Elliot, one of which is sold out, until July 14.