The Royal Opera House has bowed to pressure and toned down a rape scene in its production of William Tell.
Covent Garden bosses originally said they would not alter the scene, which was booed when the production had its premiere on Monday and went on to be widely criticised.
But Kasper Holten, director of opera, today confirmed director Damiano Michieletto had made a series of changes to his staging of Rossini’s Guillaume Tell following the row.
The sequence appeared to have been shortened for last night’s performance, and a tablecloth was used to shield actress Jessica Chamberlain, 28.
She plays a woman who is stripped and assaulted on a banqueting table by soldiers. A graphic section in which she is molested with the barrel of a gun was cut completely.
Audience members said the result was “less graphic than Game Of Thrones” and there was no repeat of the walk-outs and jeers that overshadowed the music at the opening night.
Mr Holten said: “The director himself has suggested a few smaller changes, which of course is his right and [it is] not uncommon for the director to make tweaks during a run of performances.
“We support the director in his right to make artistic judgments, including the changes he has suggested to the scene which caused concern to some members of the audience on the opening night. The scene still basically has the same outline and duration and makes the same point.”
The opera is being filmed and screened live at selected cinemas on Sunday. The performance has now been given a 15 certificate. Ticket-holders have also been alerted to the potential for offence with a letter warning that scenes contain “momentary nudity and violence of a threatening sexual nature”.
It continues: “Some audience members might not want to be exposed to a depiction of sexual violence in this way, and so we are writing to you to make sure you feel properly warned about this short scene in act three in advance of watching the production.”
The original staging was heavily criticised by some. The Stage gave the production one star. George Hall called it a “dire evening” in which the “gratuitous gang-rape” scene provoked “the noisiest and most sustained booing I can ever recall during any performance at this address”.
Director Michieletto had defended the scene as “10 seconds” of a four-hour performance, telling Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera: “I would like to meet the people of London to explain myself — I am convinced of my work.”
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