“Stripping away opera’s glamour, singers are increasingly speaking out about a more sordid side of their world – increased drug and alcohol use sparked by relentless pressure to perform often and well… But insiders agree that heightened competition, unyielding sponsor demands and the weight of stardom are leading to excesses that invite comparisons of opera to sports tarnished by doping scandals. Some attempts to stay on top are relatively harmless, like popping a beta blocker to soothe butterflies before stepping onstage. Others are more alarming.”