Precautionary Evacuation Leaves Empty Chairs in Empty Theater of West End Les Misérables

An overheated generator caused the evacuation of the West End production of Les Misérables on January 3, and audience members found themselves on the street alongside cast members still in costume.

— Tamsin Dowsett (@TamsinDowsett) January 3, 2015

The evacuation came about a half hour into the matinee performance at the Queen's Theatre, when patrons and performers were escorted out as a safety precaution. The neighboring Gielgud Theatre, which houses the West End production of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, was also stopped mid-performance.

— sophieraworth (@sophieraworth) January 3, 2015

The matinee performance of Les Misérables was subsequently canceled, though the evening performance continued as scheduled. The event came just over a year after a much-publicized roof collapse at the neighboring Apollo Theatre, which has since reopened.