Lily James was forced to leave the stage during her new West End show Lyonesse due to an iPad malfunction.
Just as her character was about to announce her pregnancy, in a pivotal scene, the understudy acting opposite her abruptly walked off.
Ms James waited in front of the audience at the Harold Pinter theatre for five minutes last Saturday, before she too left. Some time later, both women returned and understudy Nicola Blackman explained to the audience that the iPad that she had been reading lines from had stopped working.
One attendee of the show, for which standard tickets cost over £100, said: ‘It was the most bizarre scene… Nicola dashed off, leaving Lily sitting there. She didn’t appear to have any idea what was going on but sat there professionally and waited for something to happen.
‘However, nothing did. It felt like about five minutes and it seemed to be more and more uncomfortable for Lily so in the end she got up and left.
Lily James is starring in the West End show Lyonesse, which has been received to poor reviews
Ms James, seen here alongside co-stars Dame Kristin Scott Thomas and James Corrigan, was left bemused on stage at the Harold Pinter theatre after an iPad malfunction
‘A little while later things got back to normal and everyone carried on.’
At the end of the show, which has had a number of poor reviews, Ms James was seen patting the shoulder of Ms Blackman, who had been reading from an iPad because she was called up at such short notice.
Sonia Friedman Productions, which is putting on the play, was approached for comment
