Overview
- Manville, who is starring in Les Liaisons Dangereuses at the National Theatre, told BBC Radio 4 that audiences should keep phones away during bows and called filming “insulting.”
- She said curtain-call recording is routine on Broadway and is now starting to spread to London’s West End.
- Responses were divided, with actor Hannah Waddingham backing Manville and figures like Oti Mabuse, Denise Welch, and Ali McGregor arguing photos can create lasting memories and help promote shows.
- Practices vary by production, as musicals such as Six invite filming in the finale while many plays keep stricter no-photo rules, and Manville’s show announces a ban on curtain-call pictures.
- The debate ties into wider concerns about theatre behavior, from past phone crackdowns by Richard Griffiths and by Hugh Jackman with Daniel Craig to recent worries about automatic standing ovations and alcohol-fueled disruptions.