A cast member unfurled a Palestine flag during an encore for Il Trovatore at the Royal Opera House on Saturday (19 July), with staff immediately trying to snatch it away.
In a video published online, the performer resisted attempts to have the flag removed in what was described by one audience member as “extraordinary scenes”.
“During the curtain call for Il Trovatore one of the background artists came on stage waving a Palestine flag,” they wrote on X/Twitter: “Just stood there, no bowing or shouting. Someone off stage kept trying to take it off him. Incredible.”
A Royal Opera House spokesperson told The Independent: “The display of the flag was an unauthorised action by the artist. It was not approved by the Royal Ballet and Opera and is a wholly inappropriate act.”
The action took place on the closing night of the production, which had enjoyed an uneventful 11-night run in Covent Garden up until that point. The protestor appeared to be performing in the chorus of the show.
One person also in attendance hit out at the action, saying it displayed “discourtesy”.
“I was an audience member at tonight’s performance. The reaction did not seem positive.” However, others noted cheers from the crowd.
The protest follows a slew of public actions by artists and musicians disrupting creative spaces in an attempt to raise awareness about the surging death toll in Gaza. Irish hip-hop trio Kneecap were investigated by police for their statements at Glastonbury, before authorities decided “no further action” would be taken.
Punk rap act Bob Vylan remain under investigation for chants of “death to the IDF”. Glastonbury said in a statement: “Their chants very much crossed a line and we are urgently reminding everyone involved in the production of the festival that there is no place at Glastonbury for antisemitism, hate speech or incitement to violence.”
Composed by Giuseppe Verdi and described as an “opera of obsession and superstition”, Il Trovatore follows the fraught love triangle between a troubadour, noble woman and count against the backdrop of a civil war in 15th century Spain.
The ROH production was directed by Adele Thomas, with the cast led by conductors Giacomo Sagripanti and Carlo Rizzi “to bring Verdi’s dark and disturbing tale to energetic life”, according to the company’s website.
