Hip-hop into opera with ENO's Gaddafi

An opera based on the life of Libyan dictator Colonel Gaddafi is to open in London amid controversy.

The leader, accused of complicit involvement in the Lockerbie bombing in 1988, is to be portrayed as a youthful figure in the production by the English National Opera.

The six-day run at the Coliseum, written by hip-hop artists Asian Dub Foundation, is expected to present opera to the background of ragga-jungle rhythms and Indo-dub basslines. Artistic director John Berry says the production is an attempt by ENO to attract a younger and more ethnically diverse audience.

He said: "Friends of mine from a jazz or pop background say that the word opera itself puts them off. If we attract a broad mix of cultures and backgrounds to the show and a handful of people say that they want to come to Figaro, then we'll be delighted."