The opening night of the Chaka Khan musical I'm Every Woman was thrown into chaos, starting with a 40-minute delay to the start time as the audience waited for the icon to take her seat.
The show, focusing on the life and career of the superstar, opened this week at the Troubadour Wembley Park Theatre, with Alexandra Burke in the starring role. However, the first performance didn't go without a hitch, as it began over half an hour later than originally planned.
Delayed start
According to reports, organisers decided to hold the curtain until the Ain't Nobody singer, 73, was ready. The launch did improve, as out of the celebrity guests invited to attend, BBC Breakfast's Naga Munchetty was spotted walking out at the interval.
It is claimed that the show was due to begin promptly at 7pm, with a run-time of two hours and 20 minutes, but proceedings were delayed until the musician had completed red carpet duties. The Daily Mail reports that the show eventually started at around 7:40pm, but guests were less than impressed by the wait.
Attendee reaction
“Chaka was really late arriving for the show. She kept everyone waiting. It was a nightmare for the organisers. They couldn't start the show without her, so they had to keep everyone waiting,” an attendee told the outlet.
“The crowd got very restless. Everyone was told to be seated by 7pm, so when the show didn't start, people got annoyed. After a while, some people got fed up with waiting and went back out to go to the loo. The whole event was chaotic. It was really insulting to the cast and crew.”
Naga's departure
The publication claims that BBC Breakfast star Naga was seen leaving the north London venue during the 20-minute intermission, but did not return before the second half started. “Naga's early departure is likely to ruffle feathers among the publicity team,” a source added. “The venue was at capacity for the performance, and they were only able to offer VIP tickets to a select number of celebs.”
I'm Every Woman: The Chaka Khan Musical is running until the end of September, with X Factor winner Alexandra nabbing the starring role. The show follows Chaka's journey to stardom, and showcases some of her greatest hits, including Higher Love and the titular I'm Every Woman.
The Mirror has contacted reps for I'm Every Woman: The Musical and Naga for a comment.
