Urgent repairs aim to fix Theatre Royal roof in Portsmouth after leak forces show to be abandoned
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Paul Merton’s improv show had to be cancelled with 15 minutes to go due to a cascade of water
Vital repairs are continuing to be made to a historic Portsmouth theatre after a downpour of water forced a show to be abandoned.
Paul Merton and Suki Webster's Improv Show at the Theatre Royal in Portsmouth last night (September 30) had to be cancelled 15 minutes from the finish after water cascaded through the roof.
Works on the much-needed roof replacement were already under way before last night’s leak, with heavy rain showers at around 9.40pm leading to the cancellation - carried out as a precautionary measure.
Portsmouth Theatre’s CEO Richard Pearce said: “We are sorry that last night’s audience didn’t get to see the end of the show, and we’re enormously grateful to them for their patience and understanding.
“Nothing matters more to us than the safety of our audiences and our staff, and the team handled the situation brilliantly. This incident does highlight the criticality of the works and justifies the pace at which we are striving to recover from years of neglect, that could otherwise had resulted in the loss of our beautiful 170-year-old theatre.”
Loud hammering on the theatre roof signalled the start of the problems last night, with water beginning to come into the building. The performers hesitated and were then called off stage.
Dozens of members of the audience proceeded to abandon their seats on the right-hand side of the auditorium as the situation worsened. Water was seen coming through the ceiling. After around ten minutes, the performers announced an early end of the show, with Suki Webster saying it was “better that they were safe than electrocuted”.
Portsmouth Theatres later added that no one was injured, and Theatre Royal’s Box Office team is in contact with those affected.
Future shows will go ahead as planned, with singer Russell Watson due to perform on Saturday (October 3). This was the first time a leak has affected a live audience, though incidents have occurred in the past.
The roof of the much-loved Grade II* listed building has been a known problem for a number of years.
Following a condition survey after the merger of Portsmouth Theatres in 2025, it was confirmed that £1.5m worth of urgent capital works needed to be completed amid a total of £4.5m of works over the next 20 years.
Just over £1m worth of funding has been secured over the past 12 months to complete the repair to the roof, including a £450,000 grant from Arts Council England. Scaffolding has been put up around the building, signalling the start of the project. Additional measures are being put in place so performances and shows can carry on safely during the renovation works and afterwards.
Mr Pearce added: “The support of numerous organisations along with that of the community means that we can protect the Theatre Royal for generations of audiences to come. We are so very grateful for this support.”