A LIVE performance of musical Legally Blonde had to be halted when a canine cast member pooped centre stage.
And the bulldog’s performance stool the show, with the audience giving him a standing ovation and a huge cheer at the end.
The sell-out crowd at the musical comedy, which stars Strictly finalist Amber Davies as Elle Woods, erupted into laughter when the pooch walked to the front of the stage before turning and starting to do its business.
Onlookers said the actors nervously glanced around, unsure what to do next, before quickly leaving the stage.
The lights at Manchester’s Opera House, which seats 1,920, were turned down and two maintenance workers wearing gloves and armed with disinfectant spray rushed on stage from the wings.
They quickly dealt with the situation before dashing off so the show could go on — to huge applause and cheers.
One audience member said: “It was hilarious. The actors and audience were just like, ‘Oh my God, is this actually happening?’
“There was quite a lot of it, and the dog walked along as he was doing his business with his back end facing the audience.
“The show is brilliant, but that definitely got the biggest laugh. He stole the show. The actors were stood there looking at each other.
“It seemed to go on forever before they all went off laughing. But they recovered quickly, and once the mess was dealt with, they carried on the scene.”
The audience member added: “At the closing, the audience cheered and shouted when the dog was brought on stage, and they gave a standing ovation. It was all very funny.”
The bulldog in the show is called Rufus. He is character Paulette Bonafonte’s beloved pet, who becomes the centre of a custody battle with Paulette’s former boyfriend Dewey Newcombe.
The show, based on the 2001 comedy movie starring Reese Witherspoon, has been playing to packed-out audiences and finished its run in the city last night before continuing its UK tour.