Excerpt
An increasing number of theatre-goers are treating musicals like karaoke nights, belting out songs and ignoring basic etiquette. This blog explores how such behaviour disrupts performances, disrespects artists, and ruins the experience for everyone else in the auditorium.
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A sign at Manchester’s Palace Theatre asks audiences to “Please refrain from singing along” during a performance of The Bodyguard. Such warnings reflect a growing problem in live theatre.
Musicals are known for their catchy tunes, but lately some theatre-goers are treating shows like sing-along concerts – to the dismay of performers and fellow patrons. In the UK especially, there’s alarm over audience members belting out songs from their seats. Actors say this behavior is distracting and disruptive, noting how hard it is to stay in character when someone in the crowd is effectively doing karaoke mid-show. Other audience members, who paid to hear the cast, often find their experience spoiled by off-key crooning nearby. “The theatre is not your shower or a karaoke bar,” one theatre commentator quipped, calling the sing-along trend “disheartening” as it seems to worsen every season.
Several high-profile incidents have spotlighted the issue. In April 2023, a touring performance of The Bodyguard in Manchester had to be cut short when overenthusiastic fans refused to stop loudly singing “I Will Always Love You.” The lead actor, former Pussycat Doll Melody Thornton, was drowned out and unable to finish the song, and the final 10 minutes of the musical were axed as security guards removed two unruly women. Witnesses described “mini riots” in the aisles as other patrons scuffled with the offenders, and police were called amid the chaos. The incident made headlines and prompted an apology from TV presenter Alison Hammond, who days earlier had joked on air about audiences singing along being part of the fun. Theatre staff and performers pushed back, noting there’s a clear line between a fun atmosphere and ruining the show. In fact, some venues now post signs and make pre-show announcements explicitly forbidding sing-alongs, reminding audiences that “the professionals on stage are the only people entertaining us”.
Industry veterans say this is not an isolated case but part of a broader post-pandemic spike in bad spectator etiquette. Theatres across the UK report rising instances of aggressive or disruptive behavior – from drunken shouting to fights – often tied to audience members being told to quiet down. In one case, a brawl broke out during a performance of Jersey Boys in Edinburgh, leading to assault charges. Union surveys of theatre workers have noted a surge in anti-social incidents at shows, prompting some theatres to consider extra security and staff training. Performers point out that while some jukebox musicals encourage clapping and singing along at the finale, that invitation is limited to specific moments – not the entire show. Outside those moments, audiences are expected to listen, not perform.
I have unfortunately had a first hand experience with an unruly duet. The couple sat directly in the row behind me were singing along and talking throughout the entirety of Act 1. I, and other patrons around me occasionally turned our heads back with clear disbelief, but they didn’t seem to get the message. Then, during Act 2 I finally said something. I asked them to stop. Bad idea. I got a barrage of insults hurled my way - everything from “you’re too fat to be here” (okay then?) and “you’re allowed to sing along in musicals you c***”, proceed by a torrent of swearing, shouting, intermixed with how they know singing is “allowed”.
Aside from being the most disgusting people, that phrase—“you’re allowed to sing along” seems to capture the heart of the problem. Somewhere along the line, the boundary between participatory entertainment and live performance has blurred. Whether it’s social media normalising performative fandom, or the rise of immersive events where audience engagement is expected, there’s a growing entitlement among certain theatre-goers who treat musicals like a night out at a gig. But theatre has never been a free-for-all. It is a shared space built on mutual respect: for the artists, the story, and the strangers sitting beside you. When audiences assume permission where none exists, they not only disrupt the performance - they erode the very fabric of live theatre.
It’s not just a UK phenomenon. On Broadway and beyond, frustrated fans have taken to social media to vent about people singing over the actors. This March, one woman at a New York performance of Wicked made news after she demanded a nearby spectator stop singing along – and was met with cheers and applause from the rest of the audience. Theatre bloggers note the problem is especially common at shows built around popular songs (so-called “jukebox” musicals), where viewers know all the lyrics. Some U.S. productions have even experimented with designated sing-along nights or finale encores to let fans join in at appropriate times. But outside of those controlled instances, the consensus in the theatre community is clear: audience sing-alongs during the show are unwelcome. They distract performers, violate the unspoken contract of live theatre, and diminish the experience for paying customers who came to enjoy the professionals on stage. In other words, as excited as you might be to hear your favourite musical number live, most actors and audience members are begging you not to sing along – save it for the curtain call or the ride home.
References
- BBC News – “Theatre etiquette in the spotlight after The Bodyguard incident in Manchester” (Ian Youngs, 9 April 2023).
- The Guardian – “Bodyguard show stopped after audience members refuse to stop singing along” (Sophie Zeldin-O’Neill, 8 April 2023).
- The Independent – “Alison Hammond apologises for ‘making light’ of audience behaviour after The Bodyguard altercation” (Isobel Lewis, 10 April 2023).
- Newsweek – “Woman Who Demanded ‘Wicked’ Spectator Stop ‘Sing-Along’ Applauded” (Melissa Fleur Afshar, 6 March 2024).
- TDF Stages – “I Know You Love That Musical, But Please Don’t Sing Along” (Erika Gould, op-ed, 22 August 2018).
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