MANCHESTER, England (AP) — A British performance of the musical “The Bodyguard” ended with unrequited love for some audience members who couldn’t help but sing along with the final anthem.
The show at Manchester’s Palace Theater came to a halt on Friday when two unruly patrons were kicked out for joining the lead role in singing ‘I Will Always Love You’, the soulful and soulful ballad made famous by Whitney Houston.
It wasn’t meant to be a single. Ushers carried signs saying, “Please refrain from singing” and announcements were made in advance that patrons would be able to join in at the end but not sing during the show, said Tash Kenyon, a member of the public.
During the closing number, someone shouted, “Does that mean we can start singing now?” Kenion said. A muffled voice projected from the balcony and rivaled the voice of Melody Thornton, a former member of the Pussycat Dolls.
The laughter then turned to anger and confusion, Karl Bradley told the Manchester Evening News.
“The stage then went dark again and that’s when it really started to kick in on the upper level, you could really hear audible screams and gasps,” Bradley said. “Everyone started to stand up and stare. There were chants of ‘out, out, out’ to drive them away.
When the lights came on, the unwanted backing singers had been dragged out of their seats by theater security and the audience started cheering.
But the music and the show were over.
A theater spokesperson said the show was canceled because disruptive fans who refused to sit still spoiled the performance.
Thornton posted a video to Instagram thanking respectful fans and apologizing to those who weren’t.
Greater Manchester Police said they had spoken to the two people who were referred by security and would review the evidence before taking action.
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