“A Cramp–My, er, Foot!”

What a trooper.

During the Royal Opera’s first performance of a revival of “The Barber of Seville,” American mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato (singing the role of Rosina) slipped during a scene change towards the end of Act One and broke her leg!  According to this report in “The Guardian” (UK), thinking that she’d merely sprained her ankle, DiDonato continued her performance with the aid of a “stick and a crutch,” the action only coming to a halt when she sang–in character–that she’d got a “cramp in her foot.”  The audience’s applause was a prelude to the standing ovation she received at the end of the evening.  Now, however, one wonders if it was the right thing…given the serious nature of her injury.  We understand that Joyce is determined to fulfill her contract, even if she does so in a wheelchair.

We wish her a quick, full, and safe recovery.  A Rosina with that much sass and gumption cannot be denied.

(Photo by Sheila Rock from musicalcriticism.com)

Suzanne Calvin, Assoc. Dir. of Marketing, The Dallas Opera