madestrangeopera presents
black and blue
battersea arts centre, london, may 2004
opera but not as you know it
music Michael Oliva
words Deepak Kalha
conductor Natalia Luis-Bassa
director Erica Whyman
man Andy Morton
nilsen Darren Fox
barman Kester Thompson
father Ian Jervis
quartertone alto flute Carla Rees
cor anglais Paul Goodey
bass clarinet Massimo di Trolio
"Recommended" The Times
Sex and death. What else should an opera be about? Caught in a downward spiral of detachment a man is looking for love. Haunted by someone who may or may not be Dennis Nilsen, his search leads him into a world, both real and virtual, of fetishism, eroticism, violence, and ultimately death. Black and Blue's vivid imagery uses new technologies - such as internet chat rooms and video conferencing - to play with the audience's perception and explore the distance between sex and intimacy.