S. Worthen | Weblog

Before the opera began, a man came out on stage, spotlit, with a microphone.
He introduced himself as the head of casting.
He said that the actor singing the part of the male romantic lead had been suffering from a chest infection. He had been getting better until last night, when he got much worse. He is not here tonight.
He told us that there was, as there should be, an understudy. The understudy had a cold and could not sing. But he was here tonight.
This is not an opera which is produced all that often. (Indeed, this was the first time I saw it.) But they had found someone else who was here in the country, rehearsing for Glyndebourne, and had sung the part. A long time ago.
He was here tonight, and would be singing the part from the side of the stage.
In French.

The audience burst into collective hilarity.

( The opera itself... )