Theatregoers subjected to sniffer canine searches in cocaine probe

Theatregoers in London‘s West End are being subjected to sniffer dog searches amid fears of cocaine being taken during shows.

The Sun claimed they saw a ticketholder — to a showing of the smash-hit musical Hamilton — have his bag searched at the entrance to the Victoria Palace Theatre recently. 

It comes as bad behaviour and rowdiness is reportedly on the rise at theatres across the UK. A survey conducted last year revealed 70 per cent of theatregoers said they had experienced disruption — from phone-using, to heckling and talking. 

Other customers also reported seeing sniffer dog searches at the Victoria Palace, as a source told The Sun it is ‘worrying’ that security feels they are necessary. 

They added: ‘These are becoming more important as audiences seem to be getting rowdier. It might be that some are just rude or drunk.

‘But management can’t ignore the possibility some may be under the influence of substances like.’

A survey by Ticketmaster last year revealed over two thirds of audience members had been irritated by phones and people talking or heckling during a performance.

The Sun claimed they saw a ticketholder — to a showing of the smash hit Hamilton — have his bag searched at the entrance to the Victoria Palace Theatre (pictured) recently

Victoria Palace Theatre is home to the smash-hit musical Hamilton (pictured)

Theatregoers in London ‘s West End are being subjected to sniffer dog searches amid fears of cocaine being taken during shows. Pictured: A file image of a sniffer dog at a venue in France 

According to the 3,000 people asked, mobile devices were the most common annoyance, with 41 per cent of people experiencing them being used during a show.

Meanwhile, 38 per cent said they had been disturbed by loud talking, laughter or inappropriate heckling.

There has also been a rise in audience incidents since theatres reopened after the pandemic, with some ticketholders having to be removed.

In November 2023, police were called to the Palace Theatre in Manchester after a fight broke out during a performance of Hamilton. No arrests were made.

In April 2023, police were called to a ‘mini riot’ at the Palace Theatre in Manchester, where The Bodyguard — a so-called ‘jukebox musical’ featuring the songs of Whitney Houston — was playing.

There was trouble from the off, when a handful of people who wouldn’t keep quiet had to be ejected during the first scene.

A performance of The Bodyguard was stopped early in April 2023 after audience members sparked chaos

There was trouble from the off at the performance last year, when a handful of people who wouldn’t keep quiet had to be ejected during the first scene 

A fight broke out later, because some of the audience were screaming the lyrics of I Will Always Love You, the show’s big number, so loudly that lead actress Melody Thornton, a former member of The Pussycat Dolls, could not be heard.

Videos of two women being ejected by security went viral and Thornton put out a message on Instagram the following day, apologising for having to abandon the performance and saying that she had ‘fought very hard’ to continue singing, but that it had been impossible. It was unsafe.

In August that year, theatregoers were escorted out of Grease at the Dominion Theatre in London by officers after an altercation in the aisles.

Marketing for West End shows was also toned down last year in a bid to prevent audience disturbances.

Ambassador Theatre Group, the largest theatre operator in the UK, previously said it was working with producers to ban phrases such as ‘dancing in the aisles’.

Police were called to a ‘mini riot’ at the Palace Theatre in Manchester, where The Bodyguard — a so-called ‘jukebox musical’ featuring the songs of Whitney Houston — was playing

A survey from the Broadcasting Entertainment Communications and Theatre Union (Bectu) previously revealed that almost 90 per cent of theatre staff have witnessed bad behaviour, with more than 70 per cent saying it had worsened since the pandemic lockdowns. 

Almost a third said their venue had been forced to call the police at least once. 

Theatre critic Jessica Honnor said she doesn’t see the ‘worst of it’ because she usually attends Press nights when the audience includes various critics and often the cast’s family and friends.

But, she said, ‘I go to the theatre frequently enough to know that crowd behaviour is often shockingly bad.’

She told MailOnline: ‘When I took my mother to see Jersey Boys for her birthday last year, Frankie Valli’s falsetto was drowned out by the audience’s tuneless howling. One star recently tweeted: ‘It’s hard enough trying to pitch the final word of My Eyes Adored You without 30 people trying to get in before me.’

‘And at an Oxford performance of Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, we moved seats to escape a man who was not only chattering throughout but also, inexplicably, playing air piano. I’m told that more and more ushers are wearing body cameras and having to learn de-escalation techniques, such as keeping their tone and body language neutral, as they deal with increasingly combative audiences and vile abuse.

She added: ‘I felt something had changed post-Covid when, at one of the first shows I saw after theatres were allowed to reopen, a theatregoer cornered an usher to yell about a minor point of dissatisfaction.

‘It struck me that people had lost their respect for normal social rules when it came to interacting with others after months of being stuck at home.’