Edinburgh Playhouse Releases Statement Addressing Audience Behaviour Following Fights at JERSEY BOYS

Following a performance of Jersey Boys where a fight erupted at the Edinburgh Playhouse, reulsting in the police being called, the venue has released a statement.

Theatre Director Colin Marr released a statement on Twitter writing:

Enough is enough! I am disgusted and angry with the unacceptable audience behaviour that my team has had to endure in recent weeks.

They have been verbally and physically assaulted by a small number of audience members while trying to do their job. Two weeks ago one of my staff was punched. This week one of them was pushed and spat on.

This is becoming far too regular an occurrence - not just in our theatre but in venues across the UK.

There is a very small minority of people who come to our theatre and choose to sing, dance and talk throughout the show in a manner that disturbs others. They either don't know, or don't care, how much this spoils their fellow audience members' experience.

When one of my team asks them politely to stop they become verbally abusive and, in some cases, physical. This is not acceptable.

am asking that when you come to our venue that you are considerate towards your fellow audience members and our members of staff so that we can all enjoy the wonderful entertainment on the stage.

Please be in no doubt that if you are abusive towards our staff you will be asked to leave, and if you are threatening, intimidating or physically abusive we will call the police and you will be banned from our theatre and all ATG Venues.

A full on fist fight reportedly broke out in the balcony toward the end of the evening, followed by another argument later in the stalls which resulted in a 20 minute pause for the musical.

Two men were arrested as a result of the altercations.

Recipient of Broadway's Tony, London's Olivier and Australia's Helpmann Awards for Best New Musical, Jersey Boys is the winner of 65 major awards and has been seen by over 27 million people worldwide.

JERSEY BOYS originally opened in New York on 6 November 2005 and, by the time it closed on 15 January 2017, it was the 12th longest running show in Broadway history. It returned to New York with a new production in November 2017. The Jersey Boys US National Tour is still breaking house records in cities across North America.

JERSEY BOYS first ran in London's West End from 18 March 2008 to 26 March 2017 - nine amazing years - and, at the time, was the sixth longest musical running in the West End. Last year, the musical returned to the West End, opening the new multi-million pound reinstated Trafalgar Theatre on 10 August 2021. Jersey Boys previously played two record-breaking UK and Ireland Tours from 2014 to 2016 and from 2017 to 2019.

Photo credit: Birgit + Ralf Brinkhoff