A small fire at the Queen’s Theatre in London caused 1,200 people to have to evacuate during a performance of Les Misérables.
The fire was spotted Saturday, Jan. 3, during a matinee performance of Les Misérables.
A spokeswoman for the London fire brigade said, “There was a small fire caused by a failing high voltage joint in what we understand was the boiler room. There were no injuries.”
The cast, who were performing a matinee of Les Misérables, are also believed to have left the theatre with the audience as a precaution. Since then, the problem has been fixed and the Saturday evening performance was scheduled as planned.
“Today’s matinee of Les Misérables had to be canceled after the theater was evacuated 30 minutes into the performance due to the overheating of a cable supplied by UK Power Network to a transformer under the theater, which caused a blackout on stage. Whilst the auditorium was not affected, the audience, cast, orchestra and crew were asked to leave the building by precaution. The fire brigade attended to ensure that the theater was safe to be re-entered and UK Power Network came on site to resolve the problem. Audience members affected by the cancellation of the matinee are invited to request a full refund at their original point of purchase. We are sorry for the inconvenience and disappointment caused and look forward to welcoming patrons to another performance of Les Misérables,” said a spokesman for Queen’s Theatre.
The Queen’s Theatre was not the only one affected. The neighboring Gielgud Theatre, currently showing the Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, is believed to have experienced a power cut as a result of the incident.
The London production of Les Misérables is one of the West End’s most popular attractions and the world’s longest-running musical. The show celebrates its 30th anniversary this year.
