Customers refunded after oil soaks crowd during Cirque du Soleil's opening night

REDMOND, Wash. (KOMO) - It was a much-anticipated, private preview show for Cirque du Soleil's "Volta," but just 30 minutes into the show, audience members were caught off guard when oil started soaking them.

The mishap caused the show to get canceled mid-performance at Marymoor Park in Redmond, Washington.

Sitting in the front row, Chase Costello and his wife expected to see a spectacle at the Cirque du Soleil show, not be a part of it.

Thirty minutes into the "Volta" private preview show, liquid was seen spraying the crowd and soaking a lot of people.

Cirque du Soleil said a problem with the hydraulic system caused a hose to break loose and it sprayed a vegetable-based oil onto the stage and in the audience.

"It was everywhere. I mean, it was all over us, in our hair, on our clothes, on our shoes; it was nasty," Costello said. "We were watching it and, all of a sudden, this big spray comes over us and the guy who was sitting next to us, he was a mechanic or something and he said, 'This is oil.'"

Cirque du Soleil said in a statement: "No one was injured by the incident and the oil posed no risk for the health of the guests or the employees. We apologize for this incident and will automatically reimburse all guests who had purchased tickets for the cancelled show."

"All my clothes are ruined," Costello said. "Stuff happens and, you know, it is what it is. I would like them to at least reimburse me for the damages."

Still, Costello said judging from the first 30 minutes he got to watch, he'll give it another shot.

"I would definitely go back and maybe not sit so close, so it doesn’t happen again," said Costello.

Cirque du Soleil said people who went to the 8 p.m. show Friday will be refunded automatically within 48 hours. They will also be offered a 30 percent discount when rebooking their tickets to come see the show again in Seattle before Nov. 4.

The official opening premiere night of "Volta" will take place Sept. 11.

For the show schedule, click here.