SHERIDAN Smith has been hit by a fresh blow as 'bored' audiences walked out of her theatre comeback.
The 42-year-old actress has embarked on a 21-week stint in new musical Opening Night at the West End’s Gielgud Theatre — based on the 1977 film about an alcoholic Broadway star who is left traumatised by the death of a teenage fan.
But audience members were spotted walking out of the theatre while Sheridan was still on the stage.
One theatregoer said: "The entire row in front of me left during the interval. I wanted to, but I'm glad I didn't, as I would have missed the part of the show where Sheridan fights with a ghost while dubstep music is played.
"More people in the audience, sat quite near the front, got up and left in a huff during this moment too - while Sheridan was actually onstage."
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They continued: "During the interval and after the show, everyone around me was talking about how confused they were by the show, and found the screens dotted around the theatre extremely distracting.
"Sheridan put on an excellent show, but the material she and the rest of the cast had been given to work with was pretty shocking - with poor songs and a dull storyline.
"The show is still in previews, so hopefully there are some drastic re-writes before opening night. Otherwise it'll be Closing Night sooner than planned.
"Tellingly, there was no standing ovation - something extremely rare for a West End show, especially with a cast of this calibre."
Each night, Sheridan can be seen on her hands and knees outside the theatre as her character Myrtle Gordon turns up late to the first night of her show after hitting the bottle.
The moment is filmed live and transmitted on to a screen for the audience inside the theatre, capturing the real crowds in Soho spilling on to the pavement from the bar next door.
Sheridan has described the role as a “sign” after she also hit rock bottom in 2016 while starring in London’s West End as Fanny Brice in Funny Girl, cancelling one show 15 minutes into the performance.
Now, she has admitted that her life has come full circle as she revisits the demons of her past on stage.
Speaking backstage following her first show, she said: “It is kind of like therapy.”
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Breathing a sigh of relief, she added: “I love leaving it all on the stage. I have to say, it is quite fun doing that scene outside.
“I know my publicist doesn’t like it very much for safety reasons and she has a panic but I love it because it is live and so immersive.
“My knees have taken a bit of a knock but it all adds to the excitement.
“It will be different every night which keeps it fresh as people will be crossing to the shops — it will be interesting.”
