THE opening night of a musical based on the ill-fated Titanic had to be abandoned amid "health and safety concerns" for the cast.
The show at the Mayflower Theatre in Southampton was halted after debris fell onto the stage on Thursday night.
Members of the audience watching 'Titanic the Musical' said the items began to fall shortly after the scene in which the ship hits the iceberg.
The second act of the show was cancelled after organisers said there were concerns for the safety of the cast but stressed it was "not a major structural issue".
The musical tells the story of real people on board the ship during its maiden voyage from Southampton to New York. The run in Southampton coincides with the 106th anniversary of Titanic's maiden voyage from the city in April 1912.
Work was underway at the theatre yesterday and last night's performance was due to go ahead as planned following the repairs.
In a statement, a theatre spokesman said "a small piece of plaster from the wall backstage fell onto the stage" during Thursday's performance.
"With the safety of the cast in mind we made the sensible decision to cancel the second act of the show," it said.
"We want to clarify the fact that this is not a structural issue, but there are some remedial works that are taking place this morning and we fully expect this evening’s performance to go ahead as planned.
"We would like to thank all of the customers last night who showed great understanding and support for the cast and crew of Titanic the Musical."
Audience members have been told their tickets can be refunded or exchanged
