Drama in the opera as the head of the Royal Opera intervenes because of the sick tenor Opera

In terms of drama in opera, it will be difficult to surpass Giacomo Puccini’s Turandot performance on Tuesday after the tenor fell out of favor prompting a surprise substitution.

The head of the Royal Opera House, dressed in a winter jacket and sneakers, was deputized in the title role after French tenor Roberto Alagna, who played Prince Calaf, fell ill after the second act.

In keeping with the adage, the show must go on, Richard Hetherington, the theatre’s head of music, intervened during the show in central London.

The third act resumed after the character’s signature song, Nessun Dorma, was deleted, with Hetherington singing from the wings while Tatiana Novas Coelho, the show’s choreographer, covered his steps in costume.

However, the improvisation led to some members of the audience booing, upset at missing Nessun Dorma’s performance, The Times reported.

The Royal Ballet and Opera (RBO) emailed members of the public on Wednesday, explaining the “extremely rare situation” and offering them 50% of the ticket price in cash.

An RBO spokesman told The Times: “Roberto Alagna fell ill yesterday evening [Tuesday’s] Turandot’s performance, which prevented him from completing the third act. We wish Roberto a speedy and full recovery.”

“Drama at the opera tonight,” writer Kenan Malik wrote on

“But he couldn’t sing the main arias or duets. So, they started the third act after Nessun Dorma. They finished before the final scenes, and they ended at the point where Liu commits suicide rather than reveal Calaf’s name.

“So, an ending that’s disappointing, dramatic, and strangely appropriate at the same time. And very brave and admirable of Hetherington to step in.”

Hetherington, who is listed as conductor for the schools matinee performance of Turandot on 4 February, played the title role in the British premiere of Henze’s Pollicino, Yniold in Pelléas et Mélisande and First Boy in Die Zauberflöte, before making his feature debut with La sonnambula in 2011.

This is the 19th revival of Turandot that deals with the themes of love, fear, devotion, strength, loyalty, life and death in a fantastical version of imperial China.

Because the role of Calaf is specialized, major opera houses will not usually have a cover ready for every performance.

In the current revival, the role of Turandot is shared between Anna Netrebko, Maeda Hundeling and Anna Peruzzi while the role of Turandot is sung by Yusuf Eyvazov, Arsene Sogomonyan and Alagna.

Turandot was Puccini’s twelfth and final opera. The composer died at the age of 65 in 1924, leaving Turandot unfinished.

He wrote much of Act III, up until Leo’s death, but there are only sketches of his ideas on how to finish the work.

His student, Franco Alfano, wrote a complementary work that reprized the famous Nessun Dorma song.