The Met cancels performances

An audience member at the Metropolitan Opera threw a white powdery substance into the orchestra pit on Saturday during an intermission of the afternoon performance of Rossini’s Guillaume Tell, officials said, prompting the company to cancel the rest of the show and that night’s performance of L’Italiana in Algeri while the police investigated.

No one was injured during the episode, the Met said, which occurred during the second intermission of the opera. “As a safety precaution, the Met canceled the remainder of the performance to err on the side of appropriate caution,” Sam Neuman, a Met spokesman, said.