Red Velvet

This is the Tricycle production remounted at the Garrick, not a new version.

Ha! I know the sound designer on this. This shall be quite the convo starter next time I see him.

EDIT: Standard article is up: www.standard.co.uk/news/london/west-end-theatre-evacuated-after-strange-noises-from-the-speakers-a3165706.html

Interesting phrasings - you do make concessions for the acoustics not necessarily being the same across the whole house, but it really can't have been *that* obvious it was just sound issues not worth evacuating the theatre for, else the entire rest of the theatre wouldn't have left! I particularly like your note about the "many pages in the programme detailing the recent, extensive restoration work made to the Garrick theatre", as though everyone has not only bought an over-priced programme but also read it, like there's always time for that, or people don't save the programme for the train home, or they're more interested in the building than the cast they've come to see. Also I really fail to see how it's shocking or startling that an audience with genuine concern for safety manages to evacuate a theatre promptly and safely - I would go with "reassuring" or "heartening", personally. I'm a fire marshal, and I've read articles and seen videos on what to do in an emergency, and the experts always ALWAYS advise that a quick evacuation is the best thing you can do, and although it'd put a serious dampener on my journey home, I'd rather evacuate a theatre then feel silly afterwards than stay in my seat and wind up seriously injured. There's nothing "trivial" about people being sensible enough to ensure their safety, even when it turns out to be a false alarm.

There was a moment during The Winter's Tale when I thought I heard the same but being near a speaker, it definitely wasn't coming from there. Even saw some FOH staff looking anxious. It is a Nimax Theatre after all.

As one of the 'evacuees' I think it's only fair that I get to share my version of the events, too. 
I was sitting in the stalls in row K, that is, right underneath the front edge of the dress circle and probably about one row away from the speakers that triggered last night's events. 
 
During one of the first scenes of the play the speakers above our heads started to let out pretty loud noises that sounded not unlike cracks opening in a wood structure - it is perhaps not a case that these sounds have been described as "crackling".  What was slightly puzzling was that these noises went on for quite a and apparently not much was being made to make them stop.  I'm surprised to read that they couldn't be heard from the front row, since they were apparently loud enough for the cast to hear them and - to an extent - acknowledge them.  Indeed, several of the actors started to glance at the circle with every crackle, and this was in the middle of a scene which clearly did not require any staring out into the auditorium (as opposed to other scenes of the play, which do involve loads of that), and well before people made a move to leave. 

At one point some people just stood up and started to move towards the exits and the actors quite promptly left the stage.  At that point, the stage manager came out and invited everyone to "move away from the centre of the auditorium" and exit towards the foyer.  There was never a real sense of impending danger, probably because most of us could tell that those sounds were coming from the speakers, but the memory of the Apollo events must have played a role in all this, since last night's noises, their source and the cast's reaction did bear some similarity to those described at the time of the 'Curious' accident.  The fact that we were in another Nimax theatre probably didn't do much to reassure people.  I for one didn't buy the program and I honestly wouldn't have spent my time reading about the extensive restoration of the theatre... and to be fair, it's probably not what I would want to read about in a program (but then again, maybe there was maybe not enough to say about the play or the production).  Given the circumstances, I didn't find it that surprising that people were quick to move out of the auditorium at all... and I did move along, not so much because I was startled by the noises, but because the initial reaction from the cast on stage and the stage manager weren't necessarily reassuring.  
 
However, if there's any reason why the performers will have to work much harder to engage the audience's attention here is that they are left to deal with a text that is, IMHO, poorly written and includes some of the least inspired and most repetitive dialogues I've had to endure in a theatre.  While the themes and issues at the basis of the play are definitely relevant to this very day, and Ira Aldridge's story is a potentially very good material for a play, I found the production quite bland, and the scenes tended to drag on forever for no valid reason.  By the time Pierre told Ira for the fifth time (in the same 5-minute scene!) that he had warned him and suggested that he play his character with less intensity, even the malfunctioning speakers had got the proverbial point...

In all honesty, it is one of the very few times that I have considered leaving at intermission.  All in all, I found it all very underwhelming, and it was a very odd night at the theatre in many ways... there were people around me who were chatting to each other during the scenes and commenting (loud enough for me to hear them clearly from the row behind) on what was being said... one lady sitting right in front of me spent the most part of act two fidgeting with her mobile and very distinctly recording random videos of the play (FOH people, where are you?!).  So please, forgive me if I'll probably remember last night more for having almost evacuated a West End theatre than for the (disappointing) quality of what I saw on stage. 

I feel I should clarify, at no point in what I wrote did I suggest the audience did anything wrong by leaving the auditorium. I'm not suggesting anyone was foolish to put their safety first, and re the post that said they were surprised I said I couldn't hear the noises (I don't know how to quote more than one response) I said the front row DID hear the noises but they were VERY clearly coming from the speakers. 

Also, of course people aren't obligated to buy a programme (and for the record I don't find them that over-priced), but the restoration work on the Garrick has been very well publicised by Nimax, I only meant to suggest that there was no physical evidence in the theatre of any impending danger other than 'the noises'.

Yes it is reassuring that an audience is able to leave so quickly, but I still found it incredibly bizarre to witness as a British audience is usually reluctant enough to interrupt a performance for any reason, and here were three levels simultaneously exiting mid sentence. I was just making the point that theatregoers clearly don't feel as safe as they did before the Apollo incident.

Well I wish I'd been evacuated tonight. I really didn't like this one bit. In fact I went outside for some fresh air during the interval and decided not to return. An aching hip and the lure of an earlier train home was too invitingly. I can't quite put my finger on what I didn't like, I may have to think about this but if I'm honest I think it is the writing. I was debating about paying more money to get a better seat as my hip is dodgy (dodgy hipster) and I'm so glad I didn't as at least I only paid £15

Next time I need to get to my seat in the middle of the row and no-one stands up I'll just take a recording of a bit of a creak and a crack and they'll all be up and out of the row like lightning.

Perfect.

It might just be the standard, preview teething problems but I agree. I really enjoyed this at the Tricycle and it is shame to hear it isn't engaging people at the Garrick. 

Different audience. Tricycle had a following, mixed of all kinds, very open, very appreciative and supportive. Not the same in the West End. 

Quite enjoyed this from my cheapseat in the second row. Cracking cast putting loads in with lovely costumes.