Andrew Scott stopped a play because of someone sending emails – but there are more disgusting examples than that

Buckets of KFC being passed around, vomit and mobile phones – we actors know all too well the pain of a badly behaved audience, writes Andrea Lowe

If the formidable Andrew Scott has a punter sending emails on their laptop during the most famous soliloquy in history – Hamlet’s ‘To be or not to be’ – then what hope do the rest of us have? (Getty)

To continue or not to continue, that is the question. Or, to put it more succinctly: must the show always go on?

That’s what I found myself wondering after hearing of Andrew Scott’s experience at the Almeida Theatre in 2017. The actor, who was cast in the title role in Robert Icke’s production of Hamlet, was forced to pause his delivery of (arguably) the most famous soliloquy in history – “To be or not to be” – after noticing an audience member using his laptop. If this can happen to the formidable Scott, what hope do the rest of us have?

I know all too well the pain of a badly behaved audience. Food, phones and drink seem to be the biggest culprits for disrupting a production. A friend reminded me recently of a time when she was on stage in the West End, about to embark on a monologue, but could smell something really pungent. She looked down and the whole front row had huge buckets of KFC they were passing back and forth. As hideous (and also a little humorous) as this was for her, she carried on.