A Broughty Ferry woman has described how an afternoon out at a musical stage show descended into chaos following a “medical emergency” during the performance.
Caroline Cluckie was at the Edinburgh Playhouse on Saturday afternoon with her friends Siobhan McLeod and Nicola Clifford from Perth.
The trio were in the capital to watch a matinee performance of The Bodyguard.
Caroline, 39, said: “We had arranged the day out as a birthday treat for Nicola.
“We thoroughly enjoyed the first half and were looking forward to the second.
“After the interval the crowd didn’t seem to be settling down and a commotion could be heard from the back of the theatre.
“The actors were on the stage and initially carrying on as if everything was fine, but there was increasing disruption, including raised voices.
“I turned to my friends and said it sounded like some kind of disturbance but we couldn’t really see what was going on.
“Eventually somebody appeared on the stage from behind the curtain and tapped the leading man on the shoulder.
“The actor stopped mid-sentence and they walked off the stage. It was bizarre.”
An abrupt end
The curtain promptly came down.
Caroline said: “There was then an announcement saying the show would be stopped due to a ‘medical emergency’.
“We could see something was happening on the balcony and then staff emerged with a folding screen and effectively sectioned off an area of the audience.
“People were asked to remain in their seats as the drama continued. We were all speculating as to what had happened.
“The show stopped at 4.05pm and it was 5.20pm before they announced the show would not restart and staff would be in touch to offer refunds”
Ambulances arrive at the scene
“At 4.30pm they announced that the emergency services had arrived and that a person was being tended to.
“Half an hour later a second ambulance arrived and we could see a stretcher being brought in.
“It really isn’t the kind of thing you expect to happen in a theatre – the whole experience was just surreal.
“I can’t fault the staff for the way they dealt with it but it was just very upsetting – I really hope everybody is okay,” Caroline added.
Shock among audience members
The incident led to much discussion online, with some initial rumours there had been a fight.
One social media user wrote: “What the hell is going on with the world? Looking forward to a baby free afternoon to see The Bodyguard and it was cancelled half way through due to a fight and someone being thrown down the stairs.
“What happened to kindness, compassion, politeness, basic human decency?”
Another said: “A poor lady fell quite a distance down the stairs in the balcony area.
“It was horrific. I really hope the lady is OK as it looked like it might be quite serious.”
The incident comes a month after a 51-year-old man and a 54-year-old woman were charged over a disturbance during a performance of Jersey Boys at the Playhouse.
At the time, theatre director Colin Marr said: “Enough is enough! I am disgusted and angry with the unacceptable audience behaviour that my team has had to endure in recent weeks.”
A spokesperson for Ambassador Theatre Group, who own the Edinburgh Playhouse, said: “Due to a serious medical emergency at the start of Act 2 during The Bodyguard matinee on Saturday 25 February there was a show stop.
“On assessment of the injury it became necessary to cancel the remainder of the performance.
“Any ticket holders who booked via ATG Tickets will be contacted directly.”
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