The Only Fools And Horses musical had to be halted and the venue evacuated after somebody fell ill at a performance of the show in the Winter Gardens in Blackpool
A performance of the Only Fools And Horses stage show had to be stopped after a “medical emergency”.
Only Fools and Horses The Musical – which is based on actor David Jason’s hugely successful comedy – was under way at the Winter Gardens in Blackpool when there was an emergency involving an audience member in the stalls section of the venue. The performance was halted and the venue was evacuated, with theatre bosses then deciding to postpone the remainder of the show.
According to reports, the ambulance service attended the scene. The person who was unwell, reported to be a man, was then taken to hospital.
Winter Gardens later released a statement saying their thoughts were with the person and their family. They also shared details of what audience members could do regarding tickets for the show, which stars Paul Whitehouse as Grandad.
It said: “During last night’s performance of Only Fools and Horses The Musical, a medical emergency involving a member of the audience occurred during the interval in the front stalls area of the auditorium.
“Due to the nature of the incident and in accordance with venue protocols, the decision was taken to evacuate the theatre and postpone the remainder of the show. All affected ticket holders will receive an email today with full details on how to transfer their tickets to another performance this week, or how to request a refund if they are unable to attend an alternative date.”
It continued: “We would like to extend our sincere thanks to our staff, the visiting company, and the emergency services for their swift and professional response. Our thoughts and well wishes are with the individual involved and their family at this time.
“We thank everyone for their patience and understanding during these exceptional circumstances.” One person who was apparently in the audience addressed what happened on X, posting: “The staff handled the situation brilliantly.”
Another person commented on Facebook: “We were there and commend your staff for the professional way they dealt with this medical emergency. I’ve worked in a theatre and evacuating everyone is not a straightforward process. Sending our best wishes to the patient who we hope has a swift and full recovery.”
Only Fools And Horses aired from 1981 to 2003, with an army of fans tuning in to watch Del Boy (David) and Rodney Trotter (Nicholas Lyndhurst) and their latest wild scheme to get rich quick. The musical is based on the comedy, with Sam Lupton as Del Boy, Tom Major as Rodney and Paul as Grandad.
“The evacuation procedure seemed to work very well,” said someone else. “Every credit to your staff who reacted very professionally, especially the young lady who was guiding everyone outside and allowed emergency services to quickly make their way to the scene.”
“The show from what we saw was excellent,” they added. “Hopefully we’ll get another chance to see it.”
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
