Cops storm the Bodyguard musical as “disgusting” audience “tried to sing over cast.” Following rowdy behavior during previous shows, attendees of The Bodyguard at the Palace Theatre in Manchester were instructed not to sing during the performance. Despite this warning, some individuals refused to comply and were eventually removed by police.
During a Friday performance of The Bodyguard at the Palace Theatre in Manchester, some audience members were singing loudly, resulting in the police being called to remove them. The disruption caused the show to end 10 minutes early.
Disruptive members of the audience were escorted out of the venue by the police, causing the show to be halted. Signs had been placed around the auditorium asking attendees to refrain from singing during the performance, as previous audiences had reportedly attempted to out-sing the actors and chat during the show.
A few individuals were reportedly removed during the first act of the performance for failing to comply with this request.
The police were summoned 10 minutes prior to the end of the show due to reports of “mini riots” and “fights” among audience members. The attendees had been informed that the remainder of the performance had been cancelled, which apparently led to the chaos.
Video footage captured the police escorting at least two women out of the upper circle of the theatre, with the audience applauding as they were being removed. The scene was attended by at least half a dozen police officers, with several police vehicles parked outside the venue.
A Twitter user wrote: “Cannot believe what I’ve just witnessed at the palace theatre watching the Bodyguard.
“A mini riot after the show was stopped because audience members were trying to sing over the cast. Police riot vans been called in. Chaos.”
After the incident, Melody Thornton, who played the lead role in the show and is a former member of the Pussycat Dolls, used her Instagram Stories to communicate a message to her 136,000 followers.
Speaking in a video, she said: “I wanted to send a really special message to people in Manchester who came to the show tonight to say thank you so much.
“I respect that you paid your money and I am so grateful to everyone who respects the people on stage, who want to give you a beautiful show.
“For everything that happened tonight, I don’t have all of the details, I’m just very, very sorry that we couldn’t finish the show.
“I fought really hard. It feels… awful, and I just hope that we will see you again. The Bodyguard is a great show, it’s a beautiful story, love story, and I know people were out to see a really beautiful show.
“I thank everyone who were respectful of the performers and very, very sorry for those who weren’t. I hope that we will see you soon.”
After the cancellation of the show, Ayden Callaghan, who portrays the character of Frank Farmer in the musical, used his Twitter account to express his thoughts.