Call for bans for 'rowdy' theatregoers after chaos at The Bodyguard show in Manchester
The moment audience members started singing over the performers.
The actress Debbie Arnold is calling for a lifetime ban for 'rowdy' theatregoers after a performance of The Bodyguard at Manchester's Palace Theatre was cut short after members of the audience started singing over the performers.
Police were called on Friday 7 April and removed two women from the building as fellow audience members looked out and applauded.
The show had asked the public to not sing during the performance, with signs installed around the auditorium.
However, after the musical was briefly paused during its first act on Friday evening to evict a handful of people who would not refrain from singing, the show was then forced to finish early after police were called 10 minutes before its finale.
Posting on Twitter, Karl Bradley said: "Seen a lot of reports about bad behaviour at the theatre lately, and wondered if they were a bit overblown.
"Anyway, at the Palace tonight and they had to stop the show during the first act to eject disruptive audience members.
"They’ve had to stop the show AGAIN during the finale because of people shouting out, screaming and being incredibly disruptive.
"Just unbelievably disrespectful to the actors. And they’re refusing to leave. This is horrendous.
"Never seen anything like it."
And, in a video posted on social media, at least two women can be seen being dragged out of the upper circle of the theatre.
The audience can be heard clapping as they are removed.
As part of a debate on Good Morning Britain on ITV1 on Monday 10 April, the actress Debbie Arnold said "During the show you've got to sit and watch, these people have trained for years, musical artists are, I think, the best in the world, they work so hard, they're like Olympic athletes."
Debbie went on to say people who disrupt these shows should get "a lifetime ban, unless they apologise."
The Palace Theatre tweeted its disappointment about what happened, and is asking for consideration from theatregoers at future performances.