Theatre-goers attending a production of The Sound of Music in Cork Opera House were met with the sound of silence earlier this week, after a major technical issue meant the show had to be cancelled mid-performance.

The musical is currently in the middle of a sold-out 37-show run, with up to 1,000 people attending each night.

Speaking on RTÉ’s Morning Ireland, CEO of Cork Opera House Eibhlín Gleeson said cancelling the performance was a “really big decision”.

“I happened to be there with some friends and family,” Ms Gleeson said.

“About 20 minutes into the show, there was an announcement over the speaker to say that there was a technical issue and that we needed to pause the show.

“I went in front of the audience and let them know that we had a technical issue and that we were working very hard to fix it and that we would be back as soon as we could.

“But over the course of the next 40, 45 minutes, it became clear that the issue was actually insurmountable.

“It was a very interesting and very difficult experience for everybody involved.”

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Cast performs renditions of songs from musical in place of show

The old theatre saying “the show must go on” came to the fore, as the cast then took it upon themselves to sing the top songs from the musical for the audience in lieu of performing the entire show.

“We just really wanted the show to go on. We were conditioned and built for ‘the show must go on’, so we were doing everything we possibly could,” Ms Gleeson said.

“When it became clear to us that it couldn’t, and I made the decision that we couldn’t go ahead, the cast decided themselves that they wanted to go on the stage and sing the hits from the musical for the audience that were in.

“It made a very soft landing, I think, for the news that I had to deliver to the audience.

“Everybody stayed in their place and it actually transpired into this beautiful evening where we shared something very special.”

Ms Gleeson said that it was an “emotional” evening for all involved in the production.

“It’s a 1,000-seat venue. We have 45 in the cast and 16 in the band, so it’s an enourmous show,” she said.

“Everybody knows and loves the music of The Sound of Music. Even actually getting the experience of sitting there and listening to the songs that everybody knows and loves, it was very emotional for the cast.

“They were really devastated that they couldn’t go on. We worked really hard on this show. It’s a 37-show run, every single show has sold out.

“It’s a phenomenal success for us, but to get to the point where you’re pulling the show mid-show is a really, really horrible experience for everybody involved.

“It was lovely to come out of it at the end with a nice feeling of hope,” she added.

A matinee performance will take place for those who missed out on the show.