Cabaret: restrictions

The Gaiety Theatre has received a number of complaints from angry parents after the venue allowed underage teenagers into recent showings of hit musical Cabaret.

The parents have requested their money back after learning their teenagers attended the show, which has strict age limits due to scenes of nudity.

It is the first time the musical has received complaints in its European tour to date.

A spokeswoman for Bill Kenwright, the theatre and film production company which is taking the musical on tour said, "Due to the neglect of one of the Gaiety box office staff, some younger members of the show were offended by the nature of some of the scenes of nudity.

"We do have underage restrictions, but these teenagers got in somehow. It is unfortunate, but there is only so much we can do from our side.

"The show is meant for an adult audience. We have always made that clear. The musical has been shown to hundreds of thousands of people already and we have never had any complaints before."

According to one source who worked on the show, there have been verbal, as well as written, complaints from the Irish audience.

"I have worked on this set across a whole host of different countries, and I have never come across even one person who has complained about the content of the musical. I heard some of the audience members themselves complaining, so I'm very surprised," he said.

Parents of the underage teenagers are now hoping to have the costs of the tickets reimbursed. They were priced between €30 and €60.

A spokesperson for the Gaiety Theatre was unavailable for comment.