Michael Flatley's Lord of the Dance troupe has cut short its latest tour of Johannesburg after an employee was murdered in a robbery in the South African city. Joe Humphreys reports.
Mr Darryl Kempster (39), a British merchandising executive working with the show, was shot dead in front of the cast and crew as he entered a hotel in which they were staying. His laptop and bag were stolen.
Two members of the cast, Dubliner Ms Lynn Henderson and Ms Dawn Tiernan from London, tried to resuscitate Mr Kempster at the scene without success.
The troupe had been returning to the hotel on Saturday night after a sell-out performance in a neighbouring venue. Its final two performances in Johannesburg, both due to take place yesterday, were cancelled.
A spokeswoman said the troupe was "extremely traumatised" by the incident. Mr Kempster, who had been working with the show for five months having previously toured with it in the US, had been following cast members into the foyer when an armed raider shot him three times.
Flatley, the former Riverdance star who set up Lord of the Dance in 1996, had been due in Dublin today for rehearsals for a new show. Instead, he flew out of London last night for South Africa.
The troupe had been in the country for just over a fortnight in what was its second six-week tour of South Africa in four months.