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 their way through the anthem.
The show at Manchester’s Palace Theater came to an abrupt halt on Friday when two unruly patrons were ejected for singing along to the title song ‘I Will Always Love You’, the soaring and emotional ballad made famous by Whitney Houston.
It wasn’t supposed to be a song. Ushers carried signs that read “Please Do Not Sing,” and advance announcements were made that patrons would be able to join in at the end but would not sing during the show, audience member Tash Kenyon said.
During the closing number, someone called out, “Does that mean we can start singing now?” Kenon said. A muffled voice projected from the balcony and competed with 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 went black again and that’s when it really started to go to the next level, you could really hear the screaming and gasping,” Bradley said. “Everybody starts to stand up and watch. There were chants of ‘out, out, out’ to get them out.”
As the lights came up, unwanted choristers were ushered out of their seats by theater security and the audience began to applaud.
But the music and the show were over.
A theater spokesman said the show was canceled because disruptive fans who refused to be seated spoiled the show.
Thornton posted a video on Instagram thanking respectful fans and apologizing to those who weren’t.
Greater Manchester Police said they had spoken to the two people who were removed by security and would review the evidence before taking further action.
