Lesley Garrett, Psappha (2)

Mark Simpson's new chamber opera, Pleasure, is a family tragedy played out against the backdrop of a gay nightclub.

The opera tells the story of Val, who works as an attendant in the toilets in Pleasure, a hedonistic gay club in the north of England, presided over by the Bacchanalian drag queen Anna Fewmore. For years, Val has been both a shoulder to cry on and a confidante. She is much-loved, but viewed as an enigma. Why is she still there? Why does she never leave?

When Nathan, a beautiful and unpredictable young man, arrives in Pleasure and leaves a gift for Val, it marks the beginning of an emotional and violent night.