Panty-toss broke deal for diva
Opera diva Dame Kiri Te Kanawa testified Thursday that she pulled out of planned concerts with an Australian pop singer after she was shocked to learn that women flung underwear at him during performances and that he displayed it like a trophy.
Concert promoter Leading Edge Events is suing New Zealand-born Te Kanawa, 62, and her former manager, Nick Grace, for up to $1.5 million for alleged breach of contract after the soprano pulled out of a series of Australian concerts with veteran crooner John Farnham in 2005.
Te Kanawa told the New South Wales state Supreme Court she was concerned by footage of the 57-year-old singer’s reaction to female fans throwing underwear during a 2003 performance.
“How could I, in my classical form, perform in this way?” she asked.
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