Ever since I was a little girl, I’ve always had a specific idea in my head about what I considered an opera. Beautiful, strong voices singing in an unknown language without much scenery is the image that comes to mind. Usually the aura I get from thinking about an opera is tragic and romantic. However, the very first opera I had the opportunity to see was quite different.
“Two Boys” is a very modern opera that embodies the exact opposite of what one would typically see. The opera singing is, in fact, in English and although it may seem nice to have an original opera in our language, it sounds quite silly. The languages one typically associates opera with, Italian and French, are romance languages that tend to sound beautiful no matter what is being said. English, in comparison, is much harsher and less graceful. So, when the opera singer belts out his daily routine, about eating breakfast and brushing his teeth, although the voice may be beautiful, the lyrics take away from the show. I found myself holding back laughter at how silly this sounded at points, which is not the reaction that I want to have.
The props used on stage were not too elaborate, yet more so than I would expect at an opera. In today’s world, opera tickets can become very costly so the idea that the show has to be fancy is understandable. However, I always believed an opera was more about the singing and overacting than the props. In my opinion, although the majority of the props were as simple as a hospital bed, a desk and a couch, the light shows and technical additions were a bit over the top. The one thing about the technology used in this opera I did appreciate, however, was the fact that the chats the opera singers were singing about were written out behind them and it was easier to understand the dialogue. Even so, the fact the entire opera was set in modern times itself was a bit mind numbing.
“Two Boys” is set in 2001 and revolves around two boys using chat rooms on the Internet, something that I would never associate with an opera. It is neither tragic nor romantic in summary, nor is it something that has the tenor of what an opera possesses. Yet somehow there is a screenplay about this modern day anecdote, that still has the charm necessary and keeps your attention focused. It might be the suspense of not knowing what’s going to happen, because this opera is structured in the form of a mystery as well, or the raw talent that is noticeable in the leads, or the combination of modern day events and technology with something that feels as old as time. This odd mix is not at all perfect or groundbreaking, yet it brings about a new idea.
Modern operas before this one may have incorporated light shows and effects and fancy props, but this one focuses on the central idea of the Internet, in an opera house that is much older than the Internet itself. This idea might create a new type of opera, something that incorporates today’s world with something that has been around for centuries, in a more fluid manner to create a show that is brilliant and spectacular at the same time.
