Giant dragons, magical monsters and dozens of schoolchildren were evacuated from the Grand Opera House in York - after the set caught fire.
A pyrotechnic display malfunctioned during a matinee performance of The Hobbit, igniting a small blaze at the city centre theatre.
As firefighters from the nearby Clifford Street station entered the building, audience members young and old were evacuated close to the River Ouse.
They were joined by cast members from the show, which is based on the JRR Tolkien novel, including elves, goblins and Bilbo Baggins himself, who signed autographs.
Andrew Calverley, head teacher of Park Grove Primary School, York, said 100 pupils from the school were evacuated mid-way through the second half of the performance.
He said the fire was an "uncanny coincidence" as yesterday was the six-year anniversary of a fire caused by an electrical fault that gutted his city centre school.
A spokesperson for North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service said the small fire had been extinguished before they arrived.
Updated: 10:54 Friday, February 28, 2003
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