A performance of Macbeth in London’s West End, starring David Tennant, was delayed after a cast member lost their voice in the middle of a scene, marking the play’s second disruption in a matter of days.
The production, currently being staged at the Harold Pinter Theatre, and also featuring Cush Jumbo, was previously halted mid-show for 15 minutes last week due to an audience disruption.
Macbeth has also been forced to cancel several shows over the last month due to “company illness”, in one instance just two hours before the curtain was due to go up, leaving ticketholders disappointed.
On Friday, 13 December, the production was briefly forced off stage during its penultimate performance after Rona Morison, who plays Lady Macduff, was unable to finish her monologue.
Per the London Standard, Tennant left the stage for five minutes while Morison was replaced by understudy Gemma Laurie in a last-minute change.
Theatregoers were quick to discuss the disruption on social media, with one person praising Laurie for doing a “great job” after taking over from Morison.
“She lost her voice at the end of a monologue - the last line came out very faint,” they explained. “So just before her next scene someone came in and told David to walk off stage and announced that Rona had lost her voice, so Gemma would be stepping in as Lady Macduff.”
It comes just days after the production paused for fifteen minutes due to an interruption by an audience member who had been told they couldn’t return immediately to their seat after visiting the bathroom.
The man was told he would need to wait for a break in the play before re-entering, but he objected to this request.
“He was insisting on getting back to his seat, and then lots of people kicked off about his disturbance,” one witness told The Times.
As the disruption continued, theatre staff raised the house lights, and Tennant was asked to leave the stage until the situation was resolved.
Reports indicate the man eventually left the theatre, allowing the performance to resume.
In a statement, a spokesperson for the production said: “We can confirm there was an incident at the theatre last night, which necessitated a request to stop the show.
“This is standard practice to handle the situation swiftly and effectively, allowing the rest of the performance to continue with minimal disruption to both the audience and the cast.”
