*BREAKING NEWS*
Angela Gheorghiu, royally pi$$ed for the loud ovations awarded by the audience to baritone Renato Bruson, and even more pi$$ed by the historic encore given by Bruson at their Traviata premiere last Friday, has left Rome.
Her commitment for last night's show has been fulfilled by one of her replacements, Irina Lungu.
Her latest tantrum is seen not only as disrespectful toward the audience, Rome's Opera and her colleagues, but especially as a slap in the face to her director, Franco Zeffirelli, who is said to be "appalled but not surprised" by her "childish" behavior.
Sources close to the Roman opera house -- who is spinning Angela's cancellation as due to an unspecified "illness" -- are ominously predicting a bleak future for Gheorghiu's -- and her husband Roberto Alagna's -- careers "if they keep up this primadonna act -- they just don't have the talent to support it".
The name of crash-and-burn Kathleen Battle is being mentioned quite often.
All hell, obviously, is breaking loose.
vvvUPDATE from excellent opera blogger PARSIFAL vvv
Parsifal's has published ruminations on the developing situation here. Also, the always erudite fignaz had mentioned the drop-out in comments here.