Bolshoi performer killed in onstage accident during opera

[mahatmakanejeeves]

Europe

Bolshoi performer killed in onstage accident during opera

By Rachel Pannett
Today at 12:18 a.m. EDT

A performer was killed during an opera at Moscow’s famous Bolshoi Theater on Saturday in an accident that occurred during a scene change, the theater said.

The 37-year-old man was performing in “Sadko,” an opera by Russian composer Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, when he was reportedly crushed by a piece of scenery. He went in the wrong direction as a backdrop descended onto the stage during the performance, Russian media reported.

Videos circulating online appeared to show performers shouting “Stop!” and pleading with staff to lift the backdrop and call an ambulance. The orchestra stopped playing and several performers ran to the back of the stage before the curtains were drawn.

“The opera was immediately stopped and the audience was asked to leave,” the theater said in comments carried by the Interfax news agency.

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By Rachel Pannett
Rachel Pannett joined the Post's foreign desk in 2021 after more than a decade with The Wall Street Journal, where she was deputy bureau chief for Australia and New Zealand. Twitter https://twitter.com/rachelpannett

[Celerity]

1. What a tragedy. RIP

[PCIntern]

2. How horrifying...