A British performance of The Bodyguard musical ended in unrequited love for some audience members who wouldn’t refrain from singing along to the anthemic finale.
The show at the Palace Theatre in Manchester screeched to a halt Friday when two unruly patrons were ejected for joining the lead in singing I Will Always Love You, the soaring, emotional ballad, which was written by Dolly Parton and made famous by Whitney Houston in the early 1990s film.
The musical was not supposed to be a singalong. 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, said Tash Kenyon, an audience member.
During the closing number, somebody shouted, “Does this mean we can start singing now?” Kenyon said. A tone-deaf voice projected from the balcony and competed with the vocals of Melody Thornton, a former member of the Pussycat Dolls.
Laughter then turned to anger and confusion, Karl Bradley told the Manchester Evening News.
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.
Completely ruined #TheBodyguard, singing over the actors, to the point of them cancelling the show & police being called 🤦♂️😢 #Manchester pic.twitter.com/6pacRPKdqs
‘Out, out, out’
“The stage then just went black again and that’s when it really started to kick off on the higher tier. You could really hear screams and audible gasps,” Bradley said. “Everyone starting standing up and looking over. There was chants of ‘out, out, out’ to get them gone.”
When the lights came up, the unwanted backup singers were being hauled out of their seats by theatre security and audience members began cheering.
But the music and show were over.
A spokesperson for the theatre said the show was cancelled because disruptive fans who refused to stay seated had spoiled the performance.
Thornton posted a video on Instagram thanking respectful fans and apologizing for those who weren’t.
Greater Manchester Police said it spoke with the two people who were removed by security and would review evidence before taking any action.
