French Rocker Booted from Canada Stage

A French rock star convicted of killing his girlfriend will not appear in Montreal and Ottawa theatrical productions after his casting provoked a public outcry, the Theatre du Nouveau Monde announced Friday.

Montreal's largest theatre company had invited Bertrand Cantat to appear in three plays by Sophocles directed by Wajdi Mouawad in its 2011-2012 season.

But TNM artistic director Lorraine Pintal told a press conference it would either cancel the shows or present them without Cantat.

This follows a public outcry this week over his casting, in which a government minister also vowed during an election campaign to refuse him entry into Canada if her Conservative Party is returned to power.

Cantat, the former lead singer of the rock band Noir Desir, was sentenced to eight years in jail after he beat his girlfriend Marie Trintignant to death in a Lithuanian hotel room in 2003.

He was paroled in 2007.

Theatre du Nouveau Monde had earlier defended its casting choice, saying Cantat paid for his crime.