(Credits: Dario Acosta / Lourdes Balduque)

The Royal Opera House Covent Garden has canceled the first part of its run of Puccini’s “Tosca” from Jan. 13 – Jan. 23 2021.

The opera was set to star Anna Netrebko and Saioa Hernández alternating in the title role, Yusif Eyvazov and Yonghoon Lee in the role of Mario Cavaradossi, and Gerald Finley and Kostas Smoriginas sharing in the role of Baron Scarpia. Dan Ettinger was signed on to conduct the production by Jonathan Kent.

The government of United Kingdom placed London in the Tier 4 category of the country’s COVID-19 protection system on Dec. 30, 2020. The Royal government warned that the new variant of COVID-19 is spreading rapidly, drying up the country’s ICU’s capacities and that the situation remains very concerning. The regulations will require the government to review the allocations at least every 14 days. The current regulations ban the presence of live audiences in the theaters and opera houses.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said that more drastic measures in the fight against the new COVID-19 variant are inevitable.

The production is slated to return to the stage in March, with Freddie di Tommaso in the role of Mario Cavaradossi, Michael Volle as Baron Scarpia, and Malin Byström in the title role.