‘Wicked’s opening night at Academy of Music disrupted by alarms, evacuation

“I never asked for this or planned it in advance / I was merely blown here by the winds of chance.”

These lines from Wicked, the musical, rang true for the 1,800 people attending the show’s opening at Kimmel Cultural Campus’ Academy of Music Wednesday night. At around 10:02 p.m., halfway through the second act, the lights along the seats turned on.

“The actors kept performing, so we thought it was a false alarm. But soon after, the exit signs started flashing,” said audience member Jody Urielle of Northern Liberties. Urielle and her husband, both season ticket holders for Kimmel’s Broadway Series, then heard an announcement to locate the nearest exit and leave the building.

The couple left for home soon after.

“My friend was sitting right behind the orchestra when the conductor received a phone call and signaled the performers to stop,” said photographer and journalist Hugh E Dillon who tweeted about the incident.

A spokesperson from the Kimmel Cultural Campus confirmed that the evacuation was triggered by a false fire alarm, and that no one was hurt or injured in the process of exiting the venue. “The safety and security of our guests and staff is always our top priority. When the false fire alarm was activated during the performance of Wicked on Wednesday, Nov. 1, our onsite team expertly followed procedures to ensure the safety of everyone inside the Academy of Music,” a statement from the Kimmel Cultural Center read.

Dillon says he was relieved to know that the Kimmel Center’s evacuation plan was carried out efficiently. “They have obviously practiced this before and I feel very safe knowing that they have these plans in place,” he said.

“Once the building was determined by first responders to be safe, we welcomed guests back into the hall and the cast finished their spectacular performance. We appreciate the swift response of our staff and the Philadelphia Fire Department,” Kimmel’s statement said. All and all, the disruption lasted about 25 minutes.

The remaining of Wicked’s performances will continue as scheduled. The musical’s Philadelphia tour runs through Nov. 26.