A theatre audience was left stunned when two acrobats plunged to the floor during a routine 30ft above the stage. The incident occurred on Friday night during a performance by the Circus of Horrors .
Audience members gasped when the performers crashed to the ground from ribbons suspended in the air at Victoria Hall in Hanley. The show was stopped and screens immediately put around the two performers, StokeonTrentLive reports.
Kayleigh Burton and partner Kev Coles, 43, were on the front row when the incident took place. They had paid had paid £90 to see the show which they described as ‘amazing’. Initially they thought the fall was part of the performance, but it soon became apparent it was not planned.
Kayleigh, aged 33, said: “We arrived around 6.45pm. We got our tickets scanned and went through. I bought a vest that I liked. The show was amazing. We immediately sat down. One of the girls who fell was the one who introduced the show in the beginning. She was funny and engaging. We really enjoyed the show.
“It was 10 minutes into the second bit of the act where they were doing a stunt. They seemed perfectly fine. They were both so talented. "We were sitting at the front and all of a sudden, without any pre-warning either, they both dropped to the floor. We could feel the bang when they dropped. They didn’t move.
“We had around 35 minutes of the show left. It seems like a freak accident. We could hear whimpering and crying - it was awful. Some of the other cast members ran over."
Customers were then asked to leave the auditorium, where they were told the show was cancelled.
Kayleigh added: "This was really bad. The venue staff told everyone to leave through the exits and go to the auditorium. Everyone left. We were told we would be contacted in the next few days to let us know what’s going to happen next."
The Circus of Horrors was formed in 1995 and first performed at the Glastonbury festival that year. It's website warns the show is not suitable for children or people of a nervous disposition.
The circus and theatre have also been contacted for comment.
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