GEORGE W BUSH - LA SCALA DITCHES POLITICAL PROBLEM PLAY

LA SCALA DITCHES POLITICAL PROBLEM PLAY

Bosses at historic Milan opera house La Scala have axed an upcoming production of CANDIDE which features drunk world leaders including US President GEORGE W BUSH and British Prime Minister TONY BLAIR parading in their underpants. A spokesperson for the Italian venue, which hit the headlines earlier this month (DEC06) when celebrated tenor ROBERTO ALAGNA stormed off stage mid-performance, insists the material in the adaptation of VOLTAIRE's 18th century satire is not "in line with artistic programming". The operetta features actors sporting masks of five current political powers instead of the five kings Candide meets on his travels in the book.