Beverley Knight has defended Alison Hammond after the This Morning host apologised for her comments about singing along in theatres.
Hammond came under fire last week after saying that she wasn’t going to go and see the touring musical production of The Bodyguard after Manchester’s Palace Theatre asked audiences not to sing along with the show due to “anti-social behaviour”.
However, after police had to be called when a “riot” broke out among audience members at the musical on Friday (7 April), Hammond released a statement apologising for “making light” of the issue.
“I had no idea the level of disruption audiences were causing and tried to make light of the topic on Wednesday’s show, and for that I’m truly sorry,” she said.
Musical theatre star Knight reshared Hammond’s apology, writing: “This lady right here [heart emoji].”
The actor, who last week won her first Olivier Award for her role in hip-hop Suffragette musical Sylvia, starred in The Bodyguard at the Adelphi Theatre in 2013 and 2016.
When one follower questioned the “damage” that had “already been done” by Hammond’s comments, Knight responded: “When someone screws up and owns it in an issue like this, they also own that harm may already be done. That is grace and decency. The bigger issue is what can be done to combat poor behaviour in theatres without wrecking it for the majority.”
However, Knight denied that the row over audience behaviour was simply a “storm in a teacup”.
Replying to another fan, she commented: “If only it was. On the same show in 2013 as I performed that role, the police were called to deal with drunken people fighting after a drunken person started to sing loudly.”
Friday night’s performance of The Bodyguard descended into chaos after “disruptive” ticket holders refused to stop singing along during the closing number of “I Will Always Love You”.
The show came to a halt 10 minutes early, with police called to the theatre in Manchester.
Hours after Hammond said sorry and promised to “do better in the future”, her This Morning co-host Dermot O’Leary shared an apology-free statement, which has been branded “disappointing” and “insincere” by fans.
