EXCLUSIVE: Actor and dance star Adam Garcia is preparing to hit the stage in his own production for the first time – but he's not too bothered about phones in the crowd, something else irritates him19:20, 06 Aug 2026Updated 19:21, 06 Aug 2026Theatre etiquette has gone out of the window in recent years, with audiences pushing the boundaries and using their phones mid-performance. But this isn't something that bothers Adam Garcia too much. Ahead in his upcoming tour of Emerald Sunshine, the Australian star admits he welcomes the crowd to whip their smartphones out, only at the end of the performance, though.‌Going to the theatre often means grabbing a drink from the bar and stocking up on snacks before the performance, but for Adam, this is more distracting than people being on their phones. " D o you know what I find the most distracting? Crisp and sweet packets," the 53-year-old told the Mirror.‌He went on to add: " know the theatres sell them because it's part of the concession. I stared at a person in the front row last night who was eating something for a full 20 minutes." Adam, who is currently touring in The Bodyguard, said: "There's lots of really quiet parts, maybe it's a testament that they're so absorbed that they don't realise they're putting their hand in and out.‌"It's like a baby's cry, you can't not hear a crisp packet, but people are very oblivious to it. The theatres insist on selling them." He went on to add that during a recent performance, a woman squeezed a plastic bottle to get some of her drink, but because she was so consumed by the production, she had no idea how loud she had been – or that people were looking at her.Adam, who originally produced Emerald Storm, has never starred in his own production – until now. When Riverdance and Stomp collide, fans are certainly in for a treat. "I'm really excited," Adam said of starring in the show for the first time. However, he had never envisioned himself taking centre stage for it.‌But when the original lead male took on another contract, Adam instantly leapt at the chance to take on five weeks of being the star. " I'm really excited to get to dance something that I created," he said, adding: "I don't often get to publicly do my own stuff." Fans will also be aware that Adam was the mastermind choreographer behind Sky's Got To Dance.However, Adam hasn't engaged in tap dance since 2012. Instead, he's been busy teaching the younger cast over the years. "It'll be interesting," he laughed. However, he is more than excited to get back into tap dancing fully. While he's been in the industry for decades, Adam says performing does get easier as he's now "better" at preparing himself to take to the stage.‌Rather than taking on someone else's choreography, he's much more comfortable dancing his own routines and feels "pleasure" immediately afterwards. Although he's currently touring with The Bodyguard, playing Frank Farmer, he refused to watch the movie beforehand."I have my own concept of what he [Kevin Costner] did, but essentially no memory of the exactness," he admitted. Adam is stepping into "big shoes", but the show is "different" in that he is able to put his own spin on the former U.S. Secret Service agent who was hired to protect Rachel Marron [played by Whitney Houston].‌Speaking of theatre shows, he says that the production has to "answer questions and solve the problems", which he says The Bodyguard "does well". " I think it changes things up, making it its own theatrical experience," he added. Having initially launched his career in 1997, Adam admits his fondest memory is arriving in the UK from Australia and heading to the West End.At the time, he hadn't anticipated becoming a professional performer, but he was touring with Hot Shoe Shuffle and had been invited to perform in London.He commented: "I never really thought about the scale of London theatre, we did six months doing the show, and just walking around the West End and seeing the names on the on the on the billboards and going to the National and just the the incredible theatrical community that was enmeshed inside London's West End, I was like, 'If I ever get to be part of that community,' I've never had an ambition, but that's my ambition."‌In 2000, he was catapulted to global fame playing Kevin O'Donnell in Coyote Ugly. When he took on the role, though, Adam could never have imagined the legacy it would have over a quarter of a century later. "Maybe Jerry Bruckheimer [producer], who's done a few of those, had an idea," he said before adding that the film still resonates with audiences, which he says is "quite rare".‌He added: "Everyone has their handful of films that they'll always watch, and for Coyote Ugly to be a significant number of people's sort of go-to thing is amazing." At the time, Adam and the likes of Piper Perabo had worked much. "We had a really great time filming, I'm still dear friends with a lot of the cast," he said.Adam went on to say: "I'm not sure if that's the reason why it worked, because there was really good chemistry between people. But, you know, as I said, Jerry Bruckheimer has a pretty outstanding track record, and uh, and he wanted to make a Flashdance for that era, and he kind of, I think, even surpassed Flashdance."Adam Garcia's Emerald Storm, starring Adam and Tom Ball, hits the road on August 30, and tickets are available now.Article continues belowLike this story? 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