A man dressed in a gimp suit was allowed to attend a play at Shakespeare’s Globe in front of stunned theatregoers and children because the outfit “did not contain offensive slogans”.
The theatregoer attended a matinee show dressed in the head-to-toe latex outfit and mask, with one audience member describing it as a “very scary sight” as she made a formal complaint to the venue.
But he was allowed to stay at the popular theatre, on the south bank of the River Thames, because the body suit did not contain any offensive slogans, according to an internal staff report quoted by The Telegraph.
The Globe Theatre in London says it will consider complainant’s feedback for the future— (AFP/Getty)
The man dressed in the sexual fetish wear had a yard ticket – a cheaper standing ticket in front of the stage – for the performance of The Comedy of Errors on 24 May.
One complainant wrote to the theatre after the performance, saying she was “shocked” to see a man in a “full latex gimp suit”. She said she was even more shocked that he was allowed to stay at the theatre despite what he was wearing.
“Why was he allowed to stay in a venue that caters for the general public including children?” The Telegraph quotes her as saying.
“Even if a child doesn’t know what a latex suit is or the sexual connotations, it’s still a very scary sight and puts parents in a very uncomfortable position when it comes to explaining to their children what is going on.”
She added: “I found the whole thing extremely inappropriate and I wasn’t the only one – a lot of people were obviously uncomfortable with his presence.”
A manager is said to have responded to the woman saying: “As the outfit did not contain offensive or discriminatory slogans or wording, the decision was taken to permit the visitor to remain on site.”
A duty manager reportedly wrote in an internal staff memo - used to keep track of issues or report incidents - on the day the man attended: “Our only worry was that the patron might’ve overheated! No further action required.”
A spokesperson for Shakespeare’s Globe said it was the first time that someone had come to watch a performance in a gimp suit.
The theatre told The Telegraph: “We were aware of a couple of comments from staff at the time but are not aware of any formal complaints from staff. We received one email from an audience member after the event, whose feedback has been considered for the future.
“Our focus is to ensure all audience members are safe and able to enjoy their time at the Globe. We have security staff present 24/7.”
