WARNING: This show includes oranges – and sounds of eating

FIRST, we were warned about nudity and sex when we went to the theatre. Then it was violence. These days, it might be racism or politically incorrect language.

But now Sadler’s Wells, Britain’s most famous dance company, is going a stage further and warning audiences about... the sound of actors eating!

Would-be buyers of tickets for the two performances of OUT at London’s Lilian Baylis Studio this month are told: ‘The performance contains sounds of people eating so those with misophonia* might find some parts uncomfortable.’

And the dangers don’t end there. Potential customers are also

warned: ‘This production involves oranges and may not be suitable for those with citrus allergies.’

OUT is described as an ‘awardwinning duet that defiantly challenges homophobia and transphobia across our communities’ and celebrates ‘queerness amongst the bittersweet scent of oranges’. It is ‘an interdisciplinary performance inspired by ongoing global struggles for LGBTQIA+ rights’.

Not only that, but by ‘bravely embracing personal, political and cultural dissonance, this work smashes through our violent colonial histories to reimagine, reclaim and celebrate our delicious queer future’.

When casting for OUT earlier this year, advertisements offering dancers £1,000 a week stipulated that all the applicants must be ‘Queer, trans+ or gender nonconforming Black performers of Caribbean heritage’.

Sadler’s Wells was approached for comment but did not respond.

A spokesman for Allergy UK confirmed that, while uncommon, people can suffer a reaction to oranges from airborne particles: ‘Most people with citrus allergy will have skin reactions or irritation of the mouth and throat, but it can also cause more severe symptoms such as difficulty breathing and, in rare cases, anaphylaxis.’