10 April 2023 , 08:28
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This Morning 's Alison Hammond has been slammed by Dame Arlene Phillip after she apologised for offending ITV viewers and theatre performers during a discussion on the show.
Alison, co-host Dermot O'Leary and guest Vanessa Feltz discussed the banning of singing at the Manchester production of The Bodyguard musical, which had to be stopped because of disruption last week.
As Dermot laughed at the new rules, Alison said: “I can’t believe it. I’d be devastated. I’m not even going to go to that show now.”
The ITV presenter shared a statement on Twitter after enraging the theatre community where she apologised and vowed to "do better in the future".
But Dame Arlene has responded to Alison Hammond to say "you have no idea" after her heartfelt apology.
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Arlene has responded to Alison Hammond to say 'you have no idea' (Ken McKay/ITV/REX/Shutterstock)Arlene, who has directed and choreographed many hit West End and Broadway musicals, responded to say: "Alison thank you for your apology but I would just like to say, you have no idea what it is really like for those performers in the shows where the songs are popular hits and certain members of the audience feel entitled to join in."
The former Strictly Come Dancing judge added: "Performers are unsure what to do. They are not trained when audiences get out of control and arguing with each other. It’s so distressing. Let’s hope this behaviour stops and normality returns."
Police officers rushed to Palace Theatre in Manchester last week after audience members began singing over the top of performers, despite signs around the auditorium asking the public not to sing.
Alison apologised and vowed to 'do better in the future' (ITV)The show was paused during its first act to evict a group of people who would not stop singing and it then had to be stopped early after police were called 10 minutes before its finale.
Two women were dragged out of the theatre by security staff after singing and screaming through the musical.
The theatre released a statement on Saturday, saying: "The performance of The Bodyguard at The Palace Theatre, Manchester was stopped at 9.40pm last night and not continued. We are disappointed that the last 10 minutes of the show needed to be cancelled due to disruptive customers refusing to stay seated and spoiling the performance for others.
"We are grateful to our venue teams for dealing with these difficult circumstances in a professional and calm way, and to Greater Manchester Police for their assistance. Future performances will continue as planned and we ask that customers are considerate towards the cast, fellow audience members and theatre team so that everyone can enjoy the wonderful entertainment on stage."