Royal Opera abruptly ends Rape

The final performance in a short, acclaimed run of Britten’s troubling Rape of Lucretia was cancelled last night ‘due to illness’.

The show is a co-pro with Britten-Pears Arts. No further details have been given.

Here’s the statement.
Tuesday 22 November 2022 – With great regret we must cancel tonight’s performance of The Rape of Lucretia due to illness. Ticket buyers have been contacted and the value of your ticket(s) will be automatically credited to your account. We are very sorry for any inconvenience this may cause.

We, for our part, are very sorry for the lack of flexibility and transparency. Was there no understudy? The cast was drawn from young singers in the Jette Parker Artists Programme and starred Anne Marie Stanley in the title role.