London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Wednesday, Jul 02, 2025

ENO teams up with TikTok stars for opera based on Tiger King

ENO teams up with TikTok stars for opera based on Tiger King

‘TikTopera’ project recaps story from hit Netflix series as part of attempt to reach out to younger audience

It is being billed as the world’s first “TikTopera” – a collaboration between the English National Opera and Netflix – based on hit documentary series Tiger King, created entirely on TikTok ahead of the second series this week.

The production lives entirely on the social media app and features TikTok superstars cast in the lead roles, including Sophia Aurora, Hellovicco and Hannah Lother, as well as X-Factor finalists Max and Harvey and Britain’s Got Talent comedian Phil Green.

Each recap a portion of the Tiger King story, including the battle between Joe Exotic and Carole Baskin. This is set to the music of George Bizet’s 1875 masterpiece Carmen, performed live in London by ENO’s 40-person professional chorus and full string orchestra.

Stuart Murphy, chief executive of ENO, said the company had “pulled out all the stops” to bring to life one of Netflix’s most watched shows and a “modern-day mythic drama”.

“Opera is an art form that deals best with epic themes – rival worlds, passionate love, carnal lusts and monstrous betrayal,” he said. “In many ways, it’s the art form that this story was made for.”

The project, Murphy said, “spoke to our key value of trying to take opera out to everyone. On Friday, we’ve got five hours of Wagner on the Colosseum stage, for the proper aficionados. It felt right to do this at the other end of the extreme, to make opera as accessible as possible to everyone.”

Accessibility has long been important to Murphy. Earlier in his career, he launched BBC Three because he was “passionate about getting public service content to people who generally reject the BBC”, as well as Sky Atlantic because “epic world class TV should be part and parcel of our TV consumption.”

Since joining the ENO, he’s introduced a string of initiatives to try to get young people through the doors, including free tickets for under-21s (which has reduced the average age of attendees from 67 to 59) and putting on “a drive-in production” of La bohème that featured a remix by Stormzy producer Mikey J.

The ENO’s latest move is part of a wider trend that sees major organisations turning to TikTok to welcome new, and particularly younger audiences. The platform – full of in-jokes, dance rituals and memes – is most popular among the under-25s and can turn relatively unknown songs or artists into viral sensations. Sea shanty TikTok star Nathan Evans signed a record deal with Universal, a multilingual love song by little-known Somali singer Nimco Happy was given an official release and shared by the likes of Bella Hadid and Cardi B.

Max and Harvey on the X-Factor.


“It’s really important for us that we’re part of the kind of national conversation so we’re not seen as a kind of hermetically sealed art form,” Murphy said. “Netflix dictates that conversation on a global scale, you just look at how the world stopped and took notice of Squid Game or the Crown. And TikTok is like a popcorn machine that can throw up a million narratives every second and hour.”

Opera, he added, can speak to all ages. “What’s really timeless is people’s yearning to tell stories, listen to stories and get inside worlds. Shows like The Chestnut Man or Making a Murderer are all brilliantly told stories. We’re in a similar Venn diagram. And actually, when people turn up they’re like ‘Wow, I didn’t realise it was that epic.’”

Max and Harvey, who have 6.4 million followers on TikTok, said they’d watched Tiger King twice over lockdown so working on the TikTopera had been an “amazing” experience. “We’ve enjoyed learning more about opera and hearing 40 people singing with a full orchestra is unreal,” they added. “We’d love to go and see one.”

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Poland Implements Border Checks Amid Growing Migration Tensions
Political Dispute Escalates Between Trump and Musk
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
Amazon Reaches Milestone with Deployment of One Millionth Robot
US Senate Votes to Remove AI Regulation Moratorium from Domestic Policy Bill
Yulia Putintseva Calls for Spectator Ejection at Wimbledon Over Safety Concerns
Jury Deliberations in Diddy Trial Yield Partial Verdict in Serious Criminal Charges
House Oversight Committee Subpoenas Former Jill Biden Aide Amid Investigation into Alleged Concealment of President Biden's Cognitive Health
King Charles Plans Significant Role for Prince Harry in Coronation
Two Chinese Nationals Arrested for Espionage Activities Against U.S. Navy
Amazon Reaches Major Automation Milestone with Over One Million Robots
Extreme Heat Wave Sweeps Across Europe, Hitting Record Temperatures
Meta Announces Formation of Ambitious AI Unit, Meta Superintelligence Labs
Robots Compete in Football Tournament in China Amid Injuries
Trump Administration Considers Withdrawal of Funding for Hospitals Providing Gender Treatment to Minors
Texas Enacts Law Allowing Gold and Silver Transactions
China Unveils Miniature Insect-Like Surveillance Drone
OpenAI Secures Multimillion-Dollar AI Contracts with Pentagon, India, and Grab
Marc Marquez Claims Victory at Dutch Grand Prix Amidst Family Misfortune
Germany Votes to Suspend Family Reunification for Asylum Seekers
Elon Musk Critiques Senate Budget Proposal Over Job Losses and Strategic Risks
Los Angeles Riots ended with Federal Investigations into Funding
Budapest Pride Parade Draws 200,000 Participants Amid Government Ban
Southern Europe Experiences Extreme Heat
Xiaomi's YU7 SUV Launch Garners Record Pre-Orders Amid Market Challenges
Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez's Lavish Wedding in Venice
Russia Launches Largest Air Assault on Ukraine Since Invasion
Education Secretary Announces Overhaul of Complaints System Amid Rising Parental Grievances
Massive Anti-Government Protests Erupt in Belgrade
Trump Ends Trade Talks with Canada Over Digital Services Tax
UK Government Softens Welfare Reform Plans Amid Labour Party Rebellion
Labour Faces Rebellion Over Disability Benefit Reforms Ahead of Key Vote
Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez Host Lavish Wedding in Venice Amid Protests
Trump Asserts Readiness for Further Strikes on Iran Amid Nuclear Tensions
North Korea to Open New Beach Resort to Boost Tourism Economy
UK Labour Party Faces Internal Tensions Over Welfare Reforms
Andrew Cuomo Hints at Potential November Comeback Amid Democratic Primary Results
Curtis Sliwa Champions His Vision for New York City Amid Rising Crime Concerns
Federal Reserve Proposes Changes to Capital Rule Affecting Major Banks
EU TO HUNGARY: LET THEM PRIDE OR PREP FOR SHADE. ORBÁN TO EU: STAY IN YOUR LANE AND FIX YOUR OWN MESS.
Trump Escalates Criticism of Media Over Iran Strike Coverage
Trump Announces Upcoming US-Iran Meeting Amid Controversial Airstrikes
Trump Moves to Reshape Middle East Following Israel-Iran Conflict
Big Four Accounting Firms Fined in Exam Cheating Scandal
NATO Members Agree to 5% Defense Spending Target by 2035
Australia's Star Casino Secures $195 Million Rescue Package Amid Challenges
UK to Enhance Nuclear Capabilities with Acquisition of F-35A Fighter Jets
Russian Shadow Payments via Cryptocurrency Reach $9 Billion
Explosions Rock Doha as Iranian Missiles Target Qatar
“You Have 12 Hours to Flee”: Israeli Threat Campaign Targets Surviving Iranian Officials
×