“Two Boys” is a magnificent opera show. All of the actors and actresses performed fabulously and sang beautifully. Nico Muhly, as Brian, was great; in the opera, he is a 16 years old teenager, but in reality he is thirty-so years old. His appearance in the opera looked entirely like any other teenager you see on the streets! The plot of “Two Boys” was awesome! Detective Anne interrogated Brian, who stabbed his 13 year old friend/lover Jake. Brian admits to doing the act, but claims someone else instigated him. This entire conspiracy takes place in the virtual world: the Internet. There were apparently three or more characters in the opera, but in the end, it was just Jake. The entire opera show really just consisted of “two boys”, the name of the opera. Jake created the identities “Rebecca”, “Fiona”, and “Peter”. Using these fake identities, he manipulated Brian so that he can kill the terminally ill him.
The ending was an emotional scene. When Detective Anne asked how “maybe” is spelled in the chat rooms, the truth to this conspiracy came together. Jake used the Internet so that he can die by the hands of the person he loves. At least, in my interpretation, that is how it appears. This can also be seen in the numerous chat rooms. “Rebecca” questions Brian whether he has a girlfriend and has said she wants to be with him. Both “Peter” and “Rebecca” wanted to see Brian masturbate on the web camera. “Fiona” clearly says “I love you” to Brian a few times. These little hints put together shows that Jake loves Brian.
Other than the heartbreaking scenes, this opera shows human natures through deception and disguise using cyberculture. In the virtual world, you only have the name and a picture in the chat room. But what do you really know about your “friend”? The username is just a username and the picture could be a fake picture. As “Two Boys” show, deception and disguise is quite easily accomplished on the Internet. In the computer world, you can create someone you want to be. By creating an identity that is unique to you on the Internet, you can create the ideal you. In “Two Boys,” Jake created three identities to plan his suicide. By using these three identities and chatting with Brian, it shows the frailty of social interaction in reality. Only in the chat room can Jake chat with Brian as if they were long-lost friends. Only in the chat room can Jake speak his true feelings. These scenes show how social interaction in the real world become fragile thing. The teenagers feel disconnected and look for interaction in the virtual world.
In general, opera is an effective form of art for my generation. It provokes thinking throughout the performance. Acting and singing throughout the show provide entertainment and the visual behind it make the performance all the more to watch. Instead of asking whether opera is an effective form of art, we should ask whether or not my generation will take the time and money to actually go to an opera performance.
