Tenor Troubles

ANY GOOD CATHOLIC BOY knows: Thou shalt not cross the nuns. Placido Domingo should have remembered this tidbit from the schoolyard catechism before he backed out on an agreement to headline St. Paul’s centennial celebration. Less than six weeks before the July beneht, the famed tenor canceled, saying he needed extra rehearsal time for an upcoming “Three Tenors” concert with Luciano Pavarotti and Jose Carreras at Giants Stadium.

St. Paul Foundation is seeking an estimated $5 million in damages from Placido and from Hoffmann Concerts, as well as profits from theNewJersev concert. “He has given inconsistent stories about why there was a cancellation,” says Earl Hale, the attorney representing St. Paul. “On one hand, he claimed additional rehearsals for ’Three Tenors’ were necessary. On another report, he said there was a change in the ’Three Tenors’ tour. And then he claimed he did not have time to practice for the Dallas concert, We don’t know if any of these are true.”

Michael Sampliner, managing director of Hoffmann Concerts, did not return phone calls from D Magazine. Nor has a trial date been set. St. Paul, meanwhile, has rescheduled the event with a Domingo-less ticket featuring Linda Ronstadt on Nov. 30 at the Meyerson.