Theatre bosses made a very unusual decision to make sure the show went on when a lead actor fell "very ill" during a performance.
The sold-out Blood Brothers musical at Derby Theatre was abruptly halted when Connor Bannister, who played the part of Mickey, darted off the stage resulting in the production being paused.
DerbyshireLive reported that the theatre was in a quandary as Connor was an understudy standing in for Alexander Patmore who had suffered a back inury.
But 10 minutes later a staff member came on stage and told the audience: “I do apologise. Connor, who has been on as Mickey this afternoon, has been taken very ill all of a sudden.
“But, we would love to give you the rest of the show. The only option for us to do that is to send one of our actors on with a script to read Mickey’s lines.”
“If you are happy for us to do that, we will do that.”
There was huge applause and the performance resumed minutes later, with McCourt doing an incredible job.
At the end of the performance, there was a huge standing ovation for McCourt and he was hugged and congratulated by fellow cast members.
Audience member Nicola Carruthers, 61, praised his performance.
She said: "I thought he was excellent. He really stepped up the challenge. He looked a bit emotional at the end and he deserved the standing ovation he got at the end."
Originally staged as a school play in Liverpool, Blood Brothers - the heart-breaking story of Mickey and Edward, two brothers separated at birth - was first seen in the West End in 1983 and is currently touring the UK.
Such is the award-winning musical’s popularity, all performances at Derby Theatre have been sold out.
