David Tennant forced off stage twice in a week amid West End production chaos

Scottish actor David Tennant had to leave the Macbeth stage twice this week due to two separate incidents which left audience members at Harold Pinter Theatre frustrated

David Tennant was forced off stage twice in the space of a week as the Macbeth show he performs in faced chaos on two different evenings.

Earlier this week, the Scottish actor, who plays Macbeth in the show at the Harold Pinter Theatre in London, was asked to leave the stage after an audience member caused disruption. The performance was paused for about 15 minutes on Tuesday when a person returning from the bathroom refused to wait for a break in the action before being allowed to return to his seat.

Another theatre-goer said he appeared to have been "insisting on getting back to his seat and then lots of people kicked off about his disturbance." At that point, the house lights were raised and David, 53, was asked to leave the stage by theatre staff until the situation was resolved.

The play resumed after around 15 minutes, when the audience member in question left the venue, The Times reported. Then on Friday night, problems continued as theatregoers were offered face masks and Covid tests as part of a health safety awareness campaign, according to The Standard.

At some point, David left the stage once again for five minutes, when Rona Morison, who stars as Lady Macduff, exited mid-show after losing her voice. Understudy Gemma Laurie stepped in for Rona and was praised for keeping the performance going.

But the last-minute changes left fans frustrated, with some discussing the issues on social media. One audience member wrote: "Gemma did a great job standing in for Rona mid-performance. So second time this week that David was asked to leave the stage.

"She lost her voice at the end of a monologue - the last line came out very faint. 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."

In response to the issues, Protect the Heart of the Arts, a grassroots advocacy campaign to sound the alarm on the Long Covid emergency in the performing arts community, held an appeal outside the Harold Pinter Theatre. The group's co-founder, Charles Waltz, said recent cancellations within the industry "could be a combination of factors - seasonal illnesses, occupational strain, or both."

He added: "Covid-19 infections can have lasting effects on the vocal apparatus, including inflammation and fatigue, which can impair a performer's ability to meet the demands of a production." Since audiences began returning to theatres following the Covid pandemic, there has been a rise in disruptions.

In April 2023, police were called to Manchester's Palace Theatre after a reported "riot" broke out among audience members during a performance of The Bodyguard. Other musicals including Grease provoked unrest due to some audience members allegedly singing too strongly.

The Mirror has contacted the Harold Pinter Theatre for comment.

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