A PRODUCTION at the Lyric Theatre in Belfast was halted following alleged disruptive behaviour by audience members.
It is understood that the Northern Ireland Opera’s show, Into the Woods, was abandoned on Saturday night after complaints from cast members and front of house staff.
It is understood that the sold-out show was stopped at the interval.
It has been reported that those in the audience were attending a corporate night in support of a Belfast medical facility.
Into the Woods, which premiered on Broadway in 1987 and has received 10 Tony Awards and six Olivier Awards, is one of the late Stephen Sondheim’s most acclaimed musicals.
It opened earlier this month and received rave reviews.
Reports suggest that cast members at the Ridgeway Street theatre complained that audience members were repeatedly talking and moving about the theatre during the first part of the show.
There were also complaints from front of house staff as they asked some audience members to be quiet and to stop drinking in the auditorium.
At the interval, the cast and members of the orchestra were summoned to a meeting backstage and told by director Cameron Menzies that the show would not be continuing.
The show is running at the Lyric until February 27.
The Northern Ireland Opera and the Lyric Theatre have not commented on the incident.
