A musical about the sinking of the Titanic had to be halted mid-way through its opening night after debris began falling onto the stage.
Titanic the Musical opened its ten-day run at Southampton’s Mayflower Theatre on Thursday evening.
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Audience member Anita De Kerckhove told the Echo that spectators were initially unsure if the disruption was part of the scene.
“I thought it would be tied into the show. Are the lifeboats going to be lowered?,” she said. “They shouted to clear the stage from the wings and even then you're thinking is it part of it?”
The curtain was brought down and the cast took shelter backstage while theatre staff investigated the rogue masonry.
Shortly after, a man appeared in front of the safety curtain to inform disappointed theatre-goers that the performance of the Tony-winning musical had been suspended for “health and safety reasons”.
“With the safety of the cast in mind we made the sensible decision to cancel the second act of the show,” a spokesman for the Mayflower said in a statement.
Luckily, many audience members were able to appreciate the irony:
The damaged plaster is now being repaired, and Friday’s show is expected to go ahead as planned, the BBC reports.
A special midnight performance is scheduled on Saturday, to coincide with the sinking of the ship in April 1912.
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