SOUTHAMPTON, England (CelebrityAccess) The opening night of Titanic The Musical, staged at the Mayflower Theatre in Southampton, England, collapsed as literally as a boat hitting an iceberg.
As soon as the ship hit the iceberg, audience members began to see items falling from the ceiling, causing cast members to clear the stage. After an investigation, an announcer told the audience the show was halted for “health and safety reasons,” according to the BBC.
Southampton happens to be the city where the Titanic launched 106 years ago for its maiden voyage; the performance coincides with the anniversary of the April 1912 event.
A theatre spokesman told the BBC that plaster from a backstage wall had fallen onto the stage but it was “not a major structural issue,” adding, “With the safety of the cast in mind, we made the sensible decision to cancel the second act of the show.”
“It was quite frightening at first as we didn’t know what was going on but the Mayflower handled it very well and there was no panic,” audience member Clair Cleaver told the BBC. “It’s very ironic being the first showing of the Titanic musical and then the show itself sinking. It was a fantastic show. It was so disappointing.”
Audience members were told their tickets could be either refunded or exchanged. The musical debuted on Broadway in 1997 and has won Tony Awards including for best musical and best score.
The 10-day run includes a midnight performance tonight, Saturday, that coincides with the time the ship sank.
