BILLY ELLIOT Canceled In Hungary Over Concerns It Could 'Turn Children Gay'

The Guardian reports that the Hungarian State Opera House has canceled 15 performances of the musical version of BILLY ELLIOT after ticket sales dropped due to a media campaign by the government that referred to the show at "a propaganda tool for homosexuality."

An op-ed in a local paper printed June 1st states that the show "could turn children gay."

The Opera in a statement said "The Opera wishes to empha size: the performances have not been canceled due to the press controversy but by the decreasing interest generated by it."

"Those who trust the reasons of the Opera can still purchase tickets for more than 20 performances which have been running twice daily since Tuesday. As a refutation of certain uninformed media platforms accusing us, misguiding readers deliberately with false information, we can recommend our official website www.opera.hu. Audiences can see the availability of tickets for every single performance. Tickets can also be bought through the website. (Please note: due to common theatre practice the upper tiers of the theatre are unavailable until the seats in the stalls with no restricted view all sell out.)"

"The Billy Elliot - The Musical production has been running for two years now. Its 90 performances have been seen by over 100 thousand people. The Hungarian State Opera wishes to express its gratitude toward it audiences."

The Hungarian non-replica production was first produced at the Opera House in summer 2016 directed by Tamás Szirtes and choreographed by Ákos Tihanyi. The triple cast includes popular Hungarian stage actors, Judit Ladinek, Nikolett Gallusz, Éva Auksz, András Stohl, Sándor Tóth, Kristóf Németh, Eszter Csákányi, Ilona Bencze and Ildikó H?vösvölgyi all of whom have been part of the adventure since the beginnings.

The production to inspire would-be ballet dancers also includes a sequence from the classic Swan Lake featuring artists of the Hungarian National Ballet. The Hungarian State Opera Orchestra is conducted by Géza Köteles and István Silló.

Featuring music by the legendary Elton John, book and lyrics by Lee Hall, choreography by Peter Darling and direction by Stephen Daldry, Billy Elliot the Musical has been seen by almost 12 million people worldwide. Acclaimed by audiences and critics alike, it is the recipient of over 80 awards internationally, including ten Tony Awards, five Olivier Awards and eight Helpmann Awards.