Deborah Voigt

London, March 8 (Reuters): A London opera house has given the lie to the adage “it ain’t over till the fat lady sings.”

The Royal Opera House in Covent Garden dropped top US soprano Deborah Voigt, a spokesman said on Monday, from a production that would have called for her to wear a little black dress.

Asked about newspaper claims that it was because of her weight, he said only: “She was not appropriate for the production.”

“Having made an initial approach to somebody, productions don’t necessarily take place in the way they were originally anticipated,” the spokesman added.

However, Voigt, one of the world’s top sopranos, told the Daily Telegraph newspaper: “I have big hips and Covent Garden has a problem with them.”

“Or at least their casting director, Peter Katona, has the problem and he’s made it clear that I won’t be singing in his house as long as he’s around. Which is sad,” Voigt added.

Voigt was to sing the lead in Richard Strauss’ Ariadne auf Naxos in June, but the role will now be filled by the slimmer Anne Schwanewilms.

The opera is normally performed in togas, but this production was in elegant evening wear.

“I can only say that if I were running an opera house I’d want the best singer for the role, whether they had hips or not. But there it is,” Voigt said.

However, casting director Katona said the opera house had to balance theatrical and musical concerns.