David Tennant's Macbeth disrupted as things 'kicked off' in audience

By Tom McArdle

David Tennant's Macbeth performance was disrupted by an audience member who refused to wait for a break to return to his seat.

The Dr Who actor was told to leave the stage for 15 minutes as things "kicked off" in the West End between those watching.

Tennant is currently playing Macbeth at the Harold Pinter Theatre. The show is entering its final week, having opened in October.

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After about a quarter of an hour, the disruptive audience member is thought to have left the building.

An observer told The Times that the objector had been "insisting on getting back to his seat and then lots of people kicked off about his disturbance".

It is the latest in a string of incidents that have caused concern over the declining standards of behaviour in Britain's theatres. Audience etiquette has come under scrutiny in recent years following the reopening of theatres after the COVID-19 pandemic.

A performance of The Bodyguard at the Palace Theatre in Manchester required police attendance in April 2023, when theatregoers started singing over the lead during the final number and refused to pipe down in what was described as a "mini-riot".

'Netflix mindset'

Forty per cent of audience members have reported being disturbed by mobile phones during performances, according to a Ticketmaster survey. These disturbances have also been noticed by stars on the stage.

Andrew Scott, the Fleabag actor, revealed he had stopped mid-soliloquy while playing Hamlet because a man close to the stage was answering emails.

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Benedict Cumberbatch, Hugh Jackman, Daniel Craig and James McAvoy are just some of the other stage stars who have all previously had run-ins with distracted viewers.

Other West End actors have criticised audience members' "Netflix mindset", who watch football on their phones, ring friends and even open beers.

Imelda Staunton went one step further and suggested eating and drinking should be entirely banned in auditoriums after complaining about noisy crisp eaters.

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Tennant's Macbeth has been a big success and praised for offering a third of tickets for £35 (approx. $70) or less.

The theatre's webpage tells its audience members: "If you need to leave the auditorium during the show, there is no re-admittance."

A spokesman for the production said: "We can confirm there was an incident at the theatre last night, which made it necessary for the front of house team to request a show stop.

"This is standard practice, in order to deal with the situation as swiftly and effectively as possible, enabling the remainder of the production to continue with minimum impact to both the audience and company."

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