A Dolly Parton-themed musical was suspended mid-show due to homophobic abuse hurled from the audience.
Actor Stevie Webb said there was an incident at the Opera House in Manchester, United Kingdom during Here You Come Again.
The incident caused the crew to “leave the stage, because a woman was so disgusted there was a gay character on the stage.”
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In a post on TikTok, Stevie said the incident happened last Wednesday, and was followed by another one over the weekend, when a man had to be removed from the audience. He said the man shouted an offensive slur at the stage, adding: “I’m not here to watch some f– talk about his boyfriend, I just want to see Dolly Parton!”
He added that there have been incidents “nearly every single week,” and they’ve continued to have to eject audience members. “This is a Dolly Parton musical, first of all. It’s just my character and Dolly Parton…London was the worst, which is crazy to me.”
Stevie added that the incidents “really opened [his] eyes.”
“We’re in such a bubble in this industry. But travelling the country and seeing how many people literally cannot bear to see a gay person depicted on stage – it’s wild,” he said.
ATG Entertainment, which runs the venue, said it took a “zero tolerance” approach to such incidents, while Manchester Opera House said any audience member engaging in abuse, harassment or bullying would be “immediately” rejected, via BBC.
The Opera House said such incidents were “rare” and that anyone engaging in abusive behavior would be removed “immediately.”
Here You Come Again follows “a diehard fan whose fantasy version of international icon Dolly Parton gets him through trying times.”
Dolly Parton is also bringing her life to Broadway in the upcoming show Dolly: An Original Musical. Get the details.
Watch the actor explain what happened…
