Lily Allen halts The Pillowman play after audience member ‘collapses’

Actor and singer plays a writer of disturbing short stories in revival of dark Martin McDonagh play

Lily Allen halted a performance of The Pillowman after an audience member collapsed, a report claims.

The actor ad former pop star is currently a principal character in the revival of the 2003 Martin McDonagh play at London’s Duke of York’s Theatre.

The “Smile” singer plays Katurian, a writer of twisted short stories, who finds herself being questioned by the police without knowing why.

During the performance on Tuesday evening (1 August), a person in the audience is said to have collapsed during Allen’s monologue.

Allen, 38, reportedly noticed the woman falling ill and raised the alarm.

An onlooker speaking to The Sun said: “About 30 minutes into The Pillowman, Lily was giving her monologue but suddenly stopped when she saw a woman fall ill.

“Lily was amazing and raised the alarm immediately and called for the play to be stopped. The woman was helped out of the theatre and appeared to be alright.”

The play was apparently halted for around 30 minutes before the action resumed.

The Independent has approached a representative of Lily Allen, and the Duke of York’s Theatre for comment.

Lily Allen stars in The Pillowman (Getty / Johan Persson)

Performing in The Pillowman is a significant undertaking for Allen, as her character is on stage for the full duration of the production.

She gave some insight into the play and her character during an appearance on This Morning last month.

“There’s a bit of violence in it,” she noted. “She’s an artist and writer and that’s something I relate to. She definitely pushes boundaries. There was a lot for me to tap into.”

Allen made her West End debut in 2021 in 2:22 A Ghost Story as Jenny, a stressed-out new mother who suspects paranormal activity in her new home. Her work in the spooky show was met with widespread acclaim, including from The Independent’s reviewer Annabel Nugent, who called her portrayal “superb”. Allen also earned her first Olivier nomination with the performance.

Though The Pillowman received four stars overall from The Independent, reviewer Jessie Thompson considered Allen’s performance as “one-note”, explaining: “Allen doesn’t give the role the same complexity as her more experienced castmates, which can feel frustrating.”

You can read the full review here.