Audience members reportedly booed and even threw things as the unfortunate Richard Hetherington was forced to replace French tenor Roberto Alagna in his role as Prince Calàf for the challenging Puccini opera, after Alagna fell ill following the second act. According to The Times, the performance on Tuesday resumed in the third act, but omitted Prince Calàf’s most famous aria, “Nessun Dorma”. While the performance did continue, some audience members reportedly booed and left, while one fan claimed that people threw things. During Turandot at Covent Garden, Roberto Alagna, playing Calàf, took ill and couldn’t come out for act III. A spokeswoman for the RBO said: “Roberto Alagna was taken unwell during yesterday evening’s performance of Turandot, which prevented him from completing Act III.

Source: The Times January 29, 2026 17:24 UTC