PATRICK STEWART - STEWART'S LARYNGITIS CAUSES HAVOC AT LONDON THEATRE

Actor PATRICK STEWART has angered theatre-goers in London's West End after he was forced to pull out of a production of MACBETH with laryngitis. Stewart had to cancel his performance at the Gielgud Theatre on Thursday night (08Nov07) after he was diagnosed with an acute case of the illness - but fans who had forked out for tickets were not amused and immediately demanded refunds. But producer David Bownes refused to succumb to the pressure and insisted there was no need for refunds because the play still went ahead with an understudy in Stewart's place. He says, "We have (director) Rupert Goold's production, the cast is the same."