When an opera singer lost his voice in the middle of a Coliseum performance, a bass-baritone from the audience stepped up to the task of finishing the opera.
"Is there a baritone in the house?" When bass-baritone Paul Whelen attended a performance of Lucia di Lammermoor at London's Coliseum on Saturday, Feb. 16, he probably expected to stay firmly put in his seat. Maybe he expected to pick up some tips on the role of the pastor Raimondo. After all, he was scheduled to play the same part himself in a month.
But on that particular evening, singer Clive Bayley was struggling with a chest infection. Though he valiently stuck out 40 minutes of his role as Raimondo, Bayley finally decided he couldn't continue. What was an opera company to do with this last minute cancellation?
Fortunately, they called on Whelen. The singer barely had time to run backstage for the second scene. However, there was no time left for costume changes. To avoid disrupting the 19th century world created on stage, Whelen stayed in his 21st century clothes off in the wings. He sang the part from there, while Bayley mimed the action onstage. Together, they brought a memorable performance to a successful close. The audience, of course, loved it.
For more information, please read the BBC article.
