Oh no, another theatrical revival: but this time it’s a repeat of bad behaviour in the auditorium rather than an old classic wheeled out on the stage. On Friday a “mini-riot” broke out at the Palace Theatre in Manchester. Police were called and a woman ushered out after refusing to stop singing over the closing number of the musical adaptation of The Bodyguard, even after the production was halted twice.
I wrote about audience conduct recently — and this isn’t just a problem for Manchester, or for musicals, but an industry-wide issue that touches on class, race, age and a general collapse in public civility. It’s also about the inability of some venues to balance the profit motive with safeguarding. A survey of theatre staff found nearly half of respondents had considered quitting due to abuse or aggression from the public.
