What happens when you show up but your voice doesn't? That scenario - any performer's worst nightmare - was borne out Sunday night at the New Players Theatre, where Broadway star Stephanie J Block cancelled the second of two back-to-back concert performances with 15 minutes to go before her 8.30 pm set was due to start.

Our ongoing series celebrating musicians’ birthdays. This week’s include Lou Reed, in action in a stupendous version of "Venus in Furs" with the Velvet Underground, Chopin played by the wonderful Martha Argerich, archive footage of Miriam Makeba, Brian Jones and bottle-neck blues maestro, Furry Lewis. Videos below.

It could so easily have been just another bit of God-slot box-ticking. But The Bible: A History, in which Channel 4 has invited guest presenters to mull over some aspect of the Good Book, has been exciting a lot of comment from viewers. Summoning Gerry Adams to present a film about the life of Christ won't have done anything to dampen audience ardour. Channel 4 have responded by organising a public discussion. It takes place at the British Library next week on Wednesday 3 March at 6.30pm. Roger Bolton chairs, and the panel consists of three of The Bible's presenters - historian Tom Holland, journalist Rageh Omaar and theologian Robert Beckford. For some reason the Sinn Fein president has not accepted the invitation which was doubtless issued. For more information visit the Channel 4 TV Show blog.

Busking is a broad church. From the dipsomaniac tin-whistler to the music college prodigy to the factory-model Dylanologist, pavements and pedestrian tunnels echo and thrum to freelance musical output of every stripe. The genuinely world-class performer tends to pass the cap around a little less often.

New York's Metropolitan Opera House firmly believes it's the centre of the universe. From a London perspective, it's not, but it does boast most of the big stars, and supremo Peter Gelb seems to be modernising a creaking rep, phasing out a number of well-loved productions to groans from diehard traditionalists and making sure the new shows reach a large audience by virtue of the hugely popular HD live screenings.

A performance of the current London revival of Philip Ridley’s play Mercury Fur was almost stopped by a police raid.

Police were ready to storm the stage last night following a 999 call made by a distressed resident living next door to Theatre Delicatessen’s latest pop-up theatre space, who believed that the production’s violent scenes in a disused office block were being played out for real.

Only the quick thinking of actors waiting off stage, and the intervention of Theatre Delicatessen’s producer, prevented the police bringing the performance to an abrupt end.

Featuring child-killings, horrific stories of murder and mutilation, and a torture scene involving a meat hook, the play is not for the faint-hearted.

Director Frances Loy commented, “The play explores how far people will go for the ones they love, and all the violence in the play is taken from events that happen all over the world. Combined with the claustrophobic setting, where the audience is literally part of the action, I’m not surprised audiences are reacting so emotionally. It’s a play that asks some very difficult questions about human nature.”

More information from Theatre Delicatessen's producer Jessica Brewster: jessica@theatredelicatessen.co.uk

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The Royal Opera House announced today that Plácido Domingo is withdrawing from next month's production of Tamerlano at Covent Garden. Domingo, who turned 69 in January, was due to sing the role of Bajazet in Handel's opera over seven performances between 5 and 20 March. But he has been suffering from lower abdominal pain while performing in Tokyo, and has returned to New York for preventive surgery. The hope is that he will be back performing in six weeks.