Simon Lee had been slated to work as musical supervisor for the Toronto production, the same role he served for Webber's British revival.Simon Lee had been slated to work as musical supervisor for the Toronto production, the same role he served for Webber's British revival. (CBC)

Simon Lee, the longtime Andrew Lloyd Webber collaborator charged with assault in Toronto on Sunday, has been dropped from the production of The Sound of Music.

Webber's production company Really Useful Group has scrapped the 46-year-old Lee's engagement as musical supervisor for the musical's Toronto run, slated to begin in October.

"Simon is a very talented person who is extremely important to us. However, on this occasion we felt it was necessary to seek the termination of his engagement on 'The Sound of Music' in Toronto," said a statement issued by London-based communications firm Brown Lloyd James on behalf of Webber's group.

"The alleged events are subject to legal proceedings and, therefore, we can't comment further."

The veteran British conductor, who has performed with top orchestras around the globe, has served as the musical director or supervisor on projects ranging from the opening ceremony of the 1998 Nagano Olympics to both theatre and film versions of Webber's Jesus Christ Superstar.

Lee, listed as the musical supervisor for Webber's London production of The Sound of Music, was in Toronto this summer for CBC-TV's reality competition How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria?

He served as one of three judges and as Webber's proxy for the televised contest, which ultimately saw 23-year-old actress Elicia MacKenzie score the title role of Maria von Trapp for the Toronto version of the stage musical.

Lee missed the last two episodes this week after being arrested and charged with assault and forcible confinement after an incident at a Toronto hotel on Sunday morning.

He was released on bail and is scheduled to return to court on Aug. 27.

With files from the Canadian Press