A performance of the Whitney Houston musical “The Bodyguard” was cut short in Manchester, England, Friday after two people in the audience refused to stop singing along to the show’s finale rendition of “I Will Always Love You.”
The musical, based on the hit 1992 film of the same name starring Houston and Kevin Costner, is currently performing at the Palace Theatre in Manchester. During the show’s finale on Friday, two women in the audience began loudly singing along to the song off-note, leading to actress Melody Thornton’s microphone being shut off and the show abruptly ending with about 10 minutes remaining as police were called to the theater.
“I’m new to the world of theatre. But sad and disappointed tonight at the state of some peoples arrogance and disrespect while at a show,” tweeted audience member Karl Bradley with videos of the disruptive theatergoers.
“Completely ruined #TheBodyguard, singing over the actors, to the point of them cancelling the show & police being called,” Bradley added.
Making matters worse, patrons were told prior to the show that singing along with the talent onstage was no permitted. “Ushers carried signs saying, ‘Please refrain from singing’ and announcements were made in advance that patrons would have a chance to join along at the end but not to sing during the show,” the AP reported.
On Instagram, Thornton, a former member of the Pussycat Dolls, apologized to those who were in attendance that night for the ruined show.
“I wanted to send a really special message to people in Manchester who came to the show tonight to say thank you so much,” she said. “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.”
Thornton added, “I fought really hard. It feels awful. I just hope that we see you again. ‘The Bodyguard’ is a great show. It’s a wonderful story, a love story, and I know people were out to see just a really beautiful show, and I thank everyone who was respectful of the performers and very, very sorry for those who weren’t. I hope that we see you soon.”
On Twitter, Thornton’s co-star Ayden Callaghan was much more biting in his condemnation:
“It’s not karaoke, we want people to enjoy themselves, and enjoy the performances they have paid to see. You don’t expect to go and have a kick about at Anfield when watching or a few rallies at Wimbledon as well as spectating. Respect the performers and fellow audience. Simple,” he tweeted.
In a statement to The Independent, a spokesperson for the Palace Theatre confirmed that police were called to the scene.
“We are disappointed that the last 10 minutes of the show needed to be cancelled due to disruptive customers refusing to stay seated and spoiling the performance for others,” the statement read.
“We are grateful to our venue teams for dealing with these difficult circumstances in a professional and calm way, and to Greater Manchester police for their assistance,” it continued. “Future performances will continue as planned and we ask that customers are considerate towards the cast, fellow audience members and theatre team so that everyone can enjoy the wonderful entertainment on stage.”
