The Peacock Theatre in Dublin city centre was forced to cancel three performances last week after workers on the Luas line accidentally burst an underground sewage pipe, theatre management confirmed yesterday. The incident occurred as workers on Marlborough Street were reinstating the road in preparation for Operation Freeflow.
During the work an old earthenware pipe which carries sewage from the Peacock, a below ground level auditorium, was fractured, causing considerable damage and inconvenience, according to the managing director of the Abbey Theatre, Mr Brian Jackson.
"I accept there was a need to make the streets clear for traffic over the Christmas period and we were an unfortunate casualty of that," he said.
Most Luas works have been suspended over the Christmas period to ensure the success of the traffic management programme, Operation Freeflow. "We couldn't expect patrons to pay good money to wade through water in a subterranean theatre," said Mr Jackson. "But the problem was dealt with as quickly as possible".
Performances of Henry IV Part One were cancelled on Thursday, Friday and Saturday afternoon, as staff mopped up the theatre.
A spokesman for the Rail Procurement Agency, in charge of the Luas work, said the pipe was repaired immediately, allowing the theatre to open for business again last Saturday night.
Ticket-holders unable to attend their chosen performance because of the flooding were refunded or given tickets for another night.