Noises Off, a farcical 1982 British play that was staged recently by the Dallas Theater Center, had last minute cancellations due to injury and illness among the cast.
Garland resident Lindsey Fiegelman was en route to the Sunday show slated for 2:00 p.m., when she saw an email in her inbox that had been sent three hours prior.
“We regret to inform you that due to an illness in the cast we will not be able to continue with today’s performance,” read the email from the theater’s box office, which was obtained by The Dallas Morning News.
The theater presented ticketholders with four options: a refund, an exchange, a credit or donation.
Fiegelman chose a refund. She had been looking forward to seeing the play, which she discovered through a “funny” ad online.
On social media, some patrons vocalized their disappointment with the change of plans.
“Two weekends in a row … Yes ‘things happen’ but thank goodness I checked my email before leaving for the show!” one Facebook user wrote on Sunday.
It’s unclear how many shows were cancelled in total. The theater’s executive director Kevin Moriarty could not be immediately reached for comment by email or phone, but he apologized to patrons in a public statement issued on Monday.
“Because Noises Off is an intensely physical comedy that depends on precise timing and movement, even one missing performer made it impossible to safely continue certain performances,” Moriarty wrote.
“A cascading series of unrelated health issues meant that just as one performer recovered or was replaced, another became unable to perform. Despite every effort, we were unable to stay ahead of these challenges during the final days of the run.”
In the future, the Dallas Theater Center said in the statement it plans to roll out new SMS text alerts “in the rare event of a delay or cancellation.”
The statement also mentioned “planned coverage for key roles,” going forward to ensure future performances continue on without interruption.
Noises Off is chock full of mishaps and chaos. The play centers around a theater troupe whose touring production has gone awry off-stage and on-stage.
One Facebook user, who praised the Dallas production’s recent run, described the cancellations as life imitating art.
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