# Ceiling Collapse in Apollo Theatre in London -- more than 80 wounded, several seriously injured **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [December 19, 2013, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ceiling-collapse-in-apollo-theatre-in-london-more-than-80-wounded-several-seriously-injured/676767 "2013-12-19T23:04:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![JoseB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/joseb/32/1530_2.png) [@JoseB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JoseB)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2013, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ceiling-collapse-in-apollo-theatre-in-london-more-than-80-wounded-several-seriously-injured/676767/1 "2013-12-19T23:04:55Z")
The ceiling collapsed in the middle of a show in the Apollo Theatre in London, at 8PM local time. The place was packed, and the ceiling collapse also brought down part of a balcony. > **[Apollo theatre collapse injures more than 80 people in London's West End](https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2013/dec/19/apollo-theatre-london-balcony)** > > Seven people seriously hurt after part of Shaftesbury Avenue theatre ceiling collapses on to balcony during performance > **[Apollo Theatre: Ceiling collapses during show in London](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-25458009)** > > Seventy-six people have been injured, seven seriously, after part of a ceiling in London's Apollo Theatre collapsed during a show, police say. There appear to be more than 80 injured, several of them in “serious” condition (sources are saying either 4 or 7). I didn’t expect this kind of things to happen nowadays… I cannot conceive that there were structural troubles that had not been detected during check-ups (I think that they carry out periodic check-ups in this kind of venues, right?). What might have been the reason for this accident? It is terrible that so many people were hurt. Hopefully nobody will die. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2013, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ceiling-collapse-in-apollo-theatre-in-london-more-than-80-wounded-several-seriously-injured/676767/2 "2013-12-19T23:26:26Z")
Very early report but this may have started it. I’m glad there haven’t been any reported deaths. The fire rescue did a really good job getting people out quickly. more pictures here > **[Was downpour responsible for Apollo Theatre ceiling collapse?](https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2526644/Audience-members-trapped-balcony-Apollo-Theatre-collapses-performance.html)** > > The writer, who was at the performance with her son, uploaded a photo of her injury on Twitter (left) which doctors had to glue together. this is from the Guardian article > [@](#): > > Andrew Howard-Smith, 68, said: "I saw the edge of the balcony come down, that’s what I saw. We were on the balcony below. > > "In the production you had to hold on to the rail and lean over to see what was going on, and we were doing the same. > > “Everybody must have got hold of the brass rail and just pushed it over, and then the edge came off. That was the only bit that came off, just the edge. It wasn’t the whole of the balcony, just the front 2ft.” ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2013, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ceiling-collapse-in-apollo-theatre-in-london-more-than-80-wounded-several-seriously-injured/676767/3 "2013-12-19T23:34:51Z")
That is or was such a gorgeous theatre. I hope they can afford to repair the damage. [![](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/12/19/article-2526644-1A3623A100000578-269_634x410.jpg) ](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/12/19/article-2526644-1A3623A100000578-269_634x410.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2013, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ceiling-collapse-in-apollo-theatre-in-london-more-than-80-wounded-several-seriously-injured/676767/4 "2013-12-20T02:43:55Z")
> [@JoseB](#): > > I didn’t expect this kind of things to happen nowadays… I cannot conceive that there were structural troubles that had not been detected during check-ups (I think that they carry out periodic check-ups in this kind of venues, right?). It was built in 1901 so is 112 years old. The question is how do you do structural checkups if the structure is covered by decoration of some kind. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2013, 5:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ceiling-collapse-in-apollo-theatre-in-london-more-than-80-wounded-several-seriously-injured/676767/5 "2013-12-20T05:10:35Z")
I know they do fire checkups, but not so sure on structural ones. ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2013, 5:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ceiling-collapse-in-apollo-theatre-in-london-more-than-80-wounded-several-seriously-injured/676767/6 "2013-12-20T05:28:22Z")
Very sad. Seen some magnificent shows there. ---
**Author:** ![Simplicio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c37758/32.png) [@Simplicio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simplicio)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2013, 5:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ceiling-collapse-in-apollo-theatre-in-london-more-than-80-wounded-several-seriously-injured/676767/7 "2013-12-20T05:38:30Z")
I used to have a weird phobia of theater and Church balconies when I was a kid. When I was on them I just couldn’t get the thought of them collapsing, and how screwed I’d be if they did, out of my head. I got over it, but if I’d read about this when I was ten I probably wouldn’t have been able to go in a theater for a decade or two. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2013, 5:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ceiling-collapse-in-apollo-theatre-in-london-more-than-80-wounded-several-seriously-injured/676767/8 "2013-12-20T05:54:32Z")
Ironic that somebody cut a few corners a hundred years ago and the plaster ceiling comes down on Dec 19,2013. It may have been unstable for many years. But how could anyone tell with just a surface inspection? I wouldn’t want to be the inspector that went tap, tap, tap Crash!!! You broke it, you own it. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2013, 8:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ceiling-collapse-in-apollo-theatre-in-london-more-than-80-wounded-several-seriously-injured/676767/9 "2013-12-20T08:04:07Z")
Must have been a great play if they could bring down the house like that. ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2013, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ceiling-collapse-in-apollo-theatre-in-london-more-than-80-wounded-several-seriously-injured/676767/10 "2013-12-20T15:44:56Z")
I see it happened about 8pm. I was leaving work in London about 7.15pm and there was a thunderstorm with very heavy rain at the time. I wonder whether either a lightning strike (although that surely would have been noticed?) or water penetrating a leak in the roof could have been responsible? There was scaffolding up on the adjacent building so it is possible that works there had somehow caused damage to the external roof. ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2013, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ceiling-collapse-in-apollo-theatre-in-london-more-than-80-wounded-several-seriously-injured/676767/11 "2013-12-20T18:52:49Z")
Yes Colophon, Emergency Services has that theory about the rain: " Mark Field, the MP for the Cities of London and Westminster, which includes the West End, said he had been briefed by the emergency services and the working theory was that heavy rain caused the collapse. He said: “Probably what happened was that we had this flash flood-type thunderstorm and there may have been a problem with the drainage and water settled on the roof." > **[Apollo Theatre ceiling collapse 'caused by heavy downpour'](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/theatre/theatre-news/10531656/Apollo-Theatre-ceiling-collapse-caused-by-heavy-downpour.html)** > > Almost 15 per cent of December's average rainfall came down on London in just one hour before 100 sq ft of plaster suddenly dropped onto the audience on Thursday Still you would think the theatre has had very heavy rainstorms before in its 113 year history. ---
**Author:** ![mascaroni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/dc4da7/32.png) [@mascaroni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mascaroni)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2013, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ceiling-collapse-in-apollo-theatre-in-london-more-than-80-wounded-several-seriously-injured/676767/12 "2013-12-20T19:35:07Z")
> [@Colophon](#): > > I see it happened about 8pm. I was leaving work in London about 7.15pm and there was a thunderstorm with very heavy rain at the time. I wonder whether either a lightning strike (although that surely would have been noticed?) or water penetrating a leak in the roof could have been responsible? > > There was scaffolding up on the adjacent building so it is possible that works there had somehow caused damage to the external roof. This is pure speculation, but my first thoughts were a long standing roof leak that weakened the ornamental plaster but, due to the gilding, didn’t penetrate the rather ornate ceiling. The heavy rain might have been the straw that broke the camels back. ---
**Author:** ![Neidhart](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Neidhart](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Neidhart)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2013, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ceiling-collapse-in-apollo-theatre-in-london-more-than-80-wounded-several-seriously-injured/676767/13 "2013-12-20T22:23:54Z")
A thunderstorm in December?? Is that common in London these days ? ---
**Author:** ![Ximenean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/aca169/32.png) [@Ximenean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ximenean)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2013, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ceiling-collapse-in-apollo-theatre-in-london-more-than-80-wounded-several-seriously-injured/676767/14 "2013-12-20T22:41:34Z")
> [@Neidhart](#): > > A thunderstorm in December?? > > Is that common in London these days ? No. Thunderstorms are a summer thing. Unusual to have thunder and lightning in December. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2013, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ceiling-collapse-in-apollo-theatre-in-london-more-than-80-wounded-several-seriously-injured/676767/15 "2013-12-20T23:10:59Z")
Was it still showing “Wicked”? How ironic would it have been if it collapsed during [“Defying Gravity”](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Defying_Gravity_(song))? ---
**Author:** ![DeptfordX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@DeptfordX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DeptfordX)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2013, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ceiling-collapse-in-apollo-theatre-in-london-more-than-80-wounded-several-seriously-injured/676767/16 "2013-12-21T00:07:32Z")
Also it was more of a heavy rain thing. There was some thunder, but no much. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2013, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ceiling-collapse-in-apollo-theatre-in-london-more-than-80-wounded-several-seriously-injured/676767/17 "2013-12-21T00:11:13Z")
> [@bump](#): > > Was it still showing “Wicked”? > > How ironic would it have been if it collapsed during [“Defying Gravity”](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Defying_Gravity_(song))? Seems to have been [The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time](http://www.apollotheatrelondon.co.uk/the-curious-incident-of-the-dog-in-the-night-time/). ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2013, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ceiling-collapse-in-apollo-theatre-in-london-more-than-80-wounded-several-seriously-injured/676767/18 "2013-12-21T00:53:31Z")
I think I got the wrong Apollo… there’s the Apollo London and the Apollo Victoria London. The first was the one that had the issue, and the second one is the one that’s been showing Wicked for 7-8 years now. ---
**Author:** ![Count\_Blucher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Count\_Blucher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Count_Blucher)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2013, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ceiling-collapse-in-apollo-theatre-in-london-more-than-80-wounded-several-seriously-injured/676767/19 "2013-12-21T15:27:42Z")
Its a horrible tragedy. My heart goes out to the victims. If there is any good that can come of it, though, hopefully it can be found how this fault was not detected earlier, steps can be to improve the system going forward, and other buildings can be rapidly re inspected before there is another tragedy. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2013, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ceiling-collapse-in-apollo-theatre-in-london-more-than-80-wounded-several-seriously-injured/676767/20 "2013-12-21T17:09:06Z")
[Story here](http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/12/19/21971742-avalanche-of-debris-crashes-onto-audience-at-londons-apollo-theatre-76-hurt) That is very frightening. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ceiling-collapse-in-apollo-theatre-in-london-more-than-80-wounded-several-seriously-injured/676767.md?page=2)