Manchester performance of Dolly Parton musical suspended due to homophobic abuse
A Dolly Parton-themed musical had to be suspended mid-show in Manchester due to homophobic abuse, an actor in the production has said.
Stevie Webb, who plays a superfan of the country music icon in Here You Come Again, said an incident at the Opera House last Wednesday resulted in the whole cast having to 'leave the stage, because a woman was so disgusted there was a gay character'.
He wrote on TikTok that the incident last Wednesday was followed by similar trouble over the weekend when a man had to be removed from the audience.
Webb said there had also been problems during the London run of the production. He described an incident involving a man shouting an offensive slur and adding: 'I just want to see Dolly Parton.'
Webb said the incidents had '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.'
ATG Entertainment, which runs the Manchester venue, told the BBC it took a 'zero tolerance' approach to such incidents.
The Opera House said such incidents were rare and that anyone engaging in abusive behaviour would be removed immediately.
Directed by Gabriel Barre, the musical comedy sees the country music singer appear like a fairy godmother to deliver life lessons in song to a stricken fan.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
27 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Annie Knight breaks down crying as she tearfully recalls horrific sexual assault ordeal: 'I started screaming'
Annie Knight broke down in tears on Tuesday as she recounted the horrifying moment she was allegedly assaulted by a male sex worker. The OnlyFans creator, 27, shared a video to TikTok explaining she was filming a collaboration video when her scene partner began to 'push her down'. Knight said the accused ignored the 'boundaries' she put in place before filming began, and would not allow her to get up when she tried to leave the situation. 'I literally can't believe what happened. Sorry. Give me a second, I'm just going to calm down,' Knight cried as she began her video. She went on to say she was filming a sex scene with someone who was a 'verified creator' but new and unknown in the industry. From A-list scandals and red carpet mishaps to exclusive pictures and viral moments, subscribe to the DailyMail's new showbiz newsletter to stay in the loop. 'We were filming the scene. I very clearly laid down my boundaries about what I'm okay with. I told him I didn't want restraining of any kind,' she said. 'We get down to filming and straight away he is doing things I told him I don't want to do. 'I've been in a similar position before where I was like enough is enough and I pushed him off me and left. 'This time was different because I asked him multiple times to stop and he didn't.' Knight broke down in tears again as she said: 'So I was trying to get him off me and the more I was pushing him, the more he kept pushing me down... I couldn't get up.' Thankfully, Knight said she had a security guard waiting in another room as she had hired a two-bedroom apartment to film the content in. The male content creator was apparently unaware Knight had security, so the alleged assault was stopped when Knight 'screamed' for help. 'Luckily I had a security guard next door because I am so scared of this exact situation happening,' she said. 'When I started screaming, thankfully, I had someone who came in and got this guy off me.' Knight went on to caution other sex workers to 'please be safe' and 'make sure you always have someone close by' for protection. 'I was so naive in thinking that because I've been doing this for so long now that this kind of thing doesn't happen,' Knight continued. 'It is so ridiculous that I thought that, but I am so lucky I still had a security guard close by just in case.' Daily Mail Australia has reached out to Knight for further comment. Knight shot to fame online in recent years for sharing videos detailing her experiences as a sex worker. She has also received a slew of media attention for her various sex challenges, the most recent of which left her hospitalised when she slept with 583 men in a day. Professionally dubbed as 'Australia's Most Sexually Active Woman', Knight has said she earns up to $3.5 million a year on OnlyFans for her X-rated content. She also recently announced her engagement to Henry Brayshaw, son of sports commentator James Brayshaw.
Daily Mirror
an hour ago
- Daily Mirror
Flight attendant explains why you should never swap seats on a flight
TikTok video creator and flight attendant Leanna Coy explained why she doesn't like to switch seats whens she is flying as a passenger, arguing that doing so is risky business A flight attendant has warned that seat switchers on planes are risking it all. Leanna Coy recently published a TikTok video titled ' Why you shouldn't switch seats on the plane' that explains exactly that. The commonly touted reason flight attendants typically tell off-seat switchers is that the plane's boarding plan is designed to put an even number of passengers on each side of the plane. Too many on one side, and the aircraft can be a little trickier for the pilot to fly. However, Leanna Coy has a whole different reason. The American flight attendant was recently asked to switch seats with a passenger on a United Airlines flight. "Normally, I am absolutely 100 per cent against changing seats. Your lack of planning should not constitute me having to move," Leanna explained. However, on this occasion, the flight attendant couldn't think of a good reason not to swap, so she obliged. She immediately began to have doubts about her decision. "I'm already on edge about it," she said. According to Leanna, if the person you've switched with does anything to "act up" on the plane, the behaviour would be associated with her seat number. That means any breach of the aircraft's rules, such as vaping in the bathroom or throwing snacks at fellow passengers, could wrongly be pinned on her. Leanna argued that such a thought was not as far-fetched as one might think. "I see what goes down on the plane. If this lady decides to go smoke in the bathroom or whatever, that could come back to me," the world-weary flight attendant explained. "I realised I'm flying United. If you know anything about United's service, if you want to buy drinks or anything, you have to put your card onto the app ahead of time, which I've done before." This means that the passenger who swapped with Leanna may be able to access her card to pay for items. The off-duty cabin crew member asked one of her colleagues if that was indeed the case, and they confirmed that it was. "'Now, do I think this lady was trying to scam me out of money on my card? No. But that's just something to be aware of. I fully support you if you don't want to switch seats. You are entitled to the seat that you chose," Leanna said. It is not a rare occurrence for chaos to break out on a flight or for passengers to indulge in a bit of bad behaviour. At the end of last year, a passenger caused chaos after allegedly attempting to open the emergency door mid-flight. The incident took place on a Copa Airlines flight on Tuesday night. Footage of the incident shows a man being restrained in a headlock while a crew member tried to attach plastic handcuffs to his wrists. Two passengers – Marcelo Ribeiro and Everaldo Torres – reportedly helped to restrain the man, according to local reports. Marcelo attempted to reason with the passenger when he noticed him trying to open the door, which ignited a brawl.
The Independent
3 hours ago
- The Independent
World's most popular TikTok star Khaby Lame leaves the U.S. after being detained by ICE
Khaby Lame, the world's most popular TikTok personality with millions of followers, has left the U.S. after being detained by immigration agents in Las Vegas for allegedly overstaying his visa. The Senegalese- Italian influencer, whose legal name is Seringe Khabane Lame, was detained Friday at Harry Reid International Airport but was allowed to leave the country without a deportation order, a spokesperson for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement confirmed in a statement. Lame arrived in the U.S. on April 30 and 'overstayed the terms of his visa,' the ICE spokesperson said. The Associated Press sent a message seeking comment Tuesday to the email address listed on Lame's Instagram account. He has not publicly commented on his detainment. His detainment and voluntary departure from the U.S. comes amid President Donald Trump's escalating crackdown on immigration, including raids in Los Angeles that sparked days of protests against ICE, as the president tests the bounds of his executive authority. A voluntary departure — which was granted to Lame — allows those facing removal from the U.S. to avoid a deportation order on their immigration record, which could prevent them from being allowed back into the U.S. for up to a decade. The 25-year-old rose to international fame during the pandemic without ever saying a word in his videos, which would show him reacting to absurdly complicated 'life hacks." He has over 162 million followers on TikTok alone. The Senegal-born influencer moved to Italy when he was an infant with his working class parents and has Italian citizenship. His internet fame quickly evolved. He signed a multi-year partnership with designer brand Hugo Boss in 2022. In January, he was appointed as a UNICEF goodwill ambassador. Last month, he attended the Met Gala in New York City, days after arriving in the U.S.
