& Juliet performance halted at Opera House due to technical issues

A production of & Juliet at the Opera House had to be halted following a technical glitch on stage.

The 7.30pm show, which took place on the press night of the 2019 smash-hit jukebox musical on Thursday (July 11), was stopped around half an hour into the first act.

As Lara Denning (playing Shakespeare’s wife Anne Hathaway) was about to lead into the next scene, it all went quiet and the cast walked off stage. Within seconds the lights went up and director Luke Sheppard came on stage to inform the audience there was a minor technical glitch.

READ MORE: Review: & Juliet at the Opera House - the modern makeover of a Shakespearean tragedy

He added that the crew would try and rectify the situation, allowing for members of the audience to go to the toilet, nip to the bar and talk amongst themselves. Around 15 minutes later he came back on stage to let the audience know that unfortunately the glitch couldn’t be fixed during the show but the cast had been rehearsing on how to move forwards.

He then came on a third time a few minutes later, asking the audience: “Who has seen this production before?” He was met with a huge cheer, to which he explained that the parts of the show where the cast fly would not be happening due to a technical glitch.

He added: “We have done this show in the United States, Australia, Europe, but for the first time, Manchester will get a show nobody’s ever seen before.”

He was met with rapturous applause as he brought the cast back on stage and the show continued without any further issues. The production showed tenacity in continuing with the show despite the issues, and were supported by the Manchester crowd.

The show follows Shakespeare’s Juliet, and what her life would have been like if she hadn’t met her fated end.

The production received rave reviews from the Manchester Evening News, describing it as a celebration of queer joy, friendship and love - in all its forms.

The producers of & Juliet said “During last night’s performance of & Juliet in Manchester there was a problem with the flying system and so for the safety of the cast, the creative team decided to remove the performer flying elements from the show, of which there are only three.”