Veteran actor SIR Derek Jacobi's performance in a London production of King Lear was cut short on Monday (03Jan11) when a power cut plunged the theatre into darkness.
The sold-out Shakespeare play, starring Jacobi as the tortured monarch, was in full swing at the Donmar Warehouse in Covent Garden when the venue was hit by an electricity blackout.
Venue bosses failed to restore power to the theatre and were forced to send audience members home one hour into the show.
A spokeswoman for the Donmar Warehouse reveals every attendee would be individually contacted and offered a refund for the abruptly-halted performance.