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Tragic Comedy Festival Incident Revealed

BBG News

On Wednesday night at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival‘s grand opening, I found myself witnessing an unfortunate and heartbreaking event that left me deeply affected – the untimely passing of an attendee. The comedian Joel Creasey bravely shared this tragic tale.

The comedy extravaganza, The Opening Night Comedy Allstars Supershow, held at St Kilda’s Palais Theatre, had to be abruptly ended in the middle because of an unexpected medical incident in the theater’s upper section.

The show reportedly continued on for 15 minutes while the man was being treated.

On their radio show with Tim and Joel on Thursday, Joel, aged 34, shared some background information about why the show didn’t get cancelled earlier following the shocking event involving Rikki-Lee.

Initially, my condolences go out to the bereaved family of the individual who tragically died at the beginning of the performance held at the Palais Theatre’s dress circle last night. This was shared with my fellow hosts, Rikki-Lee Coulter and Tim Blackwell.

Moving forward, Joel shared that he had been quietly observing as UK comedian Amy Gledhill took her initial steps onto the Australian stage for her debut performance.

‘I was there. I was backstage waiting to go on,’ Joel shared.

In the midst of her performance, this charming comedian named Amy from the United Kingdom was on stage. The show had to be paused due to spectators in the upper tiers calling out to halt the performance.

As an over-the-moon enthusiast, I can share that we, the performers and festival crew, were first taken aback by a tumultuous hubbub emanating from our audience. Initially, we speculated that it could have been the work of protestors causing a ruckus.

Joel mentioned that there was a misunderstanding occurring among the crowd asking for the performance to halt and the organizers behind the scenes.

He stated that it seems there was some misunderstanding that started in the dress circle and cascaded through the audience to the stage and ultimately to the festival organizers, indicating that a genuine serious medical incident is unfolding here.

Susan Provan, the festival director, ascended the stage and disclosed that the performance was unfortunately canceled as a mark of reverence. Indeed, it turned out to be an unexpected evening.

‘I feel so sorry for the family and the people sitting around them.’ 

On Wednesday evening, ambulances could be spotted near the Palais Theatre in St Kilda, after an occurrence took place.

It’s understood the man suffered a suspected heart attack early on during the show.

The unidentified individual, who later regrettably succumbed to his injuries, was unable to be resuscitated and passed away on the spot, according to police confirmation.

Shocked patrons were informed the show would not continue during the unfolding medical emergency.

The organizers announced that the performance has been halted and called off. They plan to contact everyone who purchased tickets for the festival by tomorrow.

In the heat of a heart-pounding moment, I found myself rushing to grab the attention of the ushers, my pulse racing, as I witnessed an alarming situation unfold before me at the venue. Swiftly, they sprang into action, summoning emergency services to handle the escalating incident.

One spectator shared with Daily Mail Australia that the incident was extremely upsetting, and at first, bystanders performed CPR in the dark while the main performer, Michael Hing, remained oblivious to the ongoing medical emergency.

According to the audience member, it took at least 15 minutes for the performance to come to a halt, and this occurred only when spectators started shouting for them to cease their act.

Another attendee claimed that the show continued even after paramedics arrived.

He shared with Daily Mail Australia that as people began to depart, he noticed some weeping and offering consolation to one another.

The audience wasn’t chuckling due to genuine engagement with the stage; instead, they might have been merely waiting to see if anyone would emerge to halt the performance.

The situation unfolded when a small group of individuals, who were departing, stood up, spoke or quarreled rather vocally with a staff member, and then leaned towards the stage to shout at the performer, causing the performance to be halted.

For approximately 15-20 minutes, both the public and paramedics performed CPR in the darkness until the performance came to a halt.

It’s astonishing that the organizers apparently didn’t intervene from behind the scenes to pause the performance, and instead, it was the audience who had to shout at the comedian before any action was taken.

A different participant informed Daily Mail Australia that she was situated at a greater distance from the event, yet she managed to understand what was happening based on the audible sound of the defibrillator echoing in the darkness.

Upon their arrival, the distinct sounds of the defibrillator echoed throughout the dimly lit space. A woman and a man could be observed taking turns performing chest compressions in the semi-darkness, as reported by her.

Meanwhile, the performance continued uninterrupted until, from the balcony section, someone shouted to halt the show. This was immediately followed by another voice shouting, “There’s an emergency! Someone appears to be in distress.

Immediately following that moment, they began acting on stage and temporarily halted the performance.

frankly, the lack of timely responses from staff members is the aspect I find most disheartening. It significantly diminished a person’s sense of worth.

Contact was made with Victoria Ambulance, the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, and the Palais Theatre for their responses.

The first day of the month-long festival kicked off with the grand ‘Supershow’, an important milestone in Melbourne’s annual events schedule.

This year’s festival boasts an illustrious group of comedians, known as “comedy royalty,” hailing from various parts of the world, and is being hosted by Hing.

Well-known comedians took to social media late Wednesday night to share their shock and sadness.

‘All performers thoughts are with the family affected,’ Dave Hughes said.  

In my professional opinion, although it’s unfortunate news we’re dealing with, I must commend the exceptional handling of the situation. Kudos to everyone involved, your hard work shows. My heart goes out to those directly affected.

Other shocked patrons later took to social media to express their distress.

‘I was at the other end of the row and can’t stop thinking about it,’ one wrote.

Another added: ‘Awful to witness tonight.’

Others slammed the venue and event organisers on how the tragic incident was handled.

The event was incredibly upsetting for everyone present. It was regrettable that the performance persisted for 15 minutes, during which time CPR was performed on an individual, with the audience shouting to halt the show, while the crew tended to the affected person.

It would be beneficial for Palais to reevaluate their emergency response plans to ensure a more effective handling of such situations in the future.

An additional comment was made: ‘A large number of employees were present. However, the incident was mishandled, which I deeply regret for the man, his family, and companions who endured incompetent leadership during their most difficult time and his final hours.’

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2025-03-28 03:40

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