Phantom of the Opera cast fear the show is ‘cursed’ after a string of mishaps – with main star hospitalised
STARS of The Phantom of the Opera fear the show could be cursed after a string of incidents have plagued performances - with one leaving the leading lady in hospital.
Stunning front woman Lucy St Louis is believed to have been knocked unconscious during last Saturday evening’s performance after being hit in the head by part of the set.
The West End beauty, who plays Christine Daaé, was rushed by ambulance to a central London hospital and the show was called off.
On Sunday’s show, with an understudy playing Christine, a technical fault is said to have stopped trap doors on set from closing correctly causing the performance to be paused again.
The Andrew Lloyd Webber classic, which has been running in the West End since 1986, was forced to make cuts following the Covid pandemic and some cast members are said to believe the performance is now “cursed” or being purposely “sabotaged”.
A source told The Sun: “There is a genuinely scary and eerie feeling behind the set at Phantom.
“Everyone left the set feeling very down and worried about Lucy on Saturday.
“The next day there was an issue with the trap doors, they weren’t closing so cast members are now very worried about that.
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“They think the set could be cursed, it is a bit of a joke but some are genuinely concerned that someone might be out to sabotage the show.”
A spokesperson from The Phantom of the Opera last night said: “During the evening performance of The Phantom of the Opera on Saturday 2nd October a member of the cast was unfortunately involved in an accident backstage.
“Due to the nature of the injury sustained, paramedics were required to attend.
“The subsequent delay meant that we were unable to complete the performance by a suitable hour, and a decision was made to cancel. The cast member received the best of care, and we are looking forward to them returning to the Production in a few days.
“During the performance on Sunday 3rd October, the performance was required to stop due to a technical issue.
“The performance was held and resumed three minutes later, when the issue was resolved.”
In April, Principal percussionist Matt Dickinson said he is one of 13 musicians who no longer had jobs on The Phantom of the Opera ahead of its return to the stage at Her Majesty’s Theatre, London.
All 27 members of the orchestra were released from their contracts while Her Majesty’s Theatre and the set was being refurbished, and they hoped they might be rehired for the show when it eventually returned.
But using the orchestrations from the touring show means that while previous musicians can re-audition, 13 are unable to do so as their jobs no longer exist.