It's not over until the tall man in the suit sings

LONDON (Reuters) - A packed performance of a West End opera was saved at the weekend when a member of the audience stepped in to sing the lead role after the star lost his voice.

Paul Whelan, 38, saved the English National Opera's production of Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor by singing the part of Raimondo from the wings while bass Clive Bayley, who suffered a chest infection, mimed the part on stage.

Whelan was able to carry off the feat as he had been studying the role and is due to take over from Bayley in a few weeks' time, although he hadn't had any chance to rehearse.

"It was an extraordinary experience and we had an extraordinary reaction," Whelan, who stands six feet four inches tall, said after receiving a standing ovation and taking his bow with the cast while wearing a smart suit and tie.

"I'm just so glad I was wearing my Armani tie," he said.

A spokesman for the ENO said it was not the first time such a late-minute replacement had occurred. He added it had gone off much more successfully than might otherwise have been the case.

"He got a huge cheer," he said.