West End star Amber Davies says she had a theatregoer thrown out of a performance of Legally Blonde in Dublin at the weekend after the woman spent the entire first act filming on her phone.
Davies, who plays Elle Woods on the UK and Ireland tour, said the incident had “ruined the morale of our wonderful eighth show on a Saturday night from selfish actions.”
In a video posted to her Instagram Story, the Strictly Come Dancing runner-up didn’t hold back: “This is your daily reminder not to film at the theatre!” She went on to explain that the woman's filming had “had us all distracted” during the entire first act at the Bord Gáis in Dublin.
And she’s not the only star drawing a line. Last month, Rosamund Pike stopped the curtain call at Wyndham’s Theatre to address a texting audience member during Inter Alia, telling the crowd: “You know who you are and I’m not going to single you out.”
Not everyone agrees a public dressing-down is the right approach – some argue a quiet word from an usher would do the job without embarrassing paying customers. But with Daniel Craig, Patti LuPone and Hugh Jackman among those who’ve also called out bad behaviour, the pressure on theatregoers to keep phones firmly away is growing.
So – should theatres ban phones from the auditorium altogether, or is a stern warning enough? Vote in our poll and have your say in the comments below.
