Mayor apologizes for school play snooze

Parents said students at Vale First and Middle School in Worthing, England, were in tears during intermission after the guests of honor at their performance of "Bugsy Malone," Mayor Noel Atkins and his wife, Helena, fell asleep only a few minutes after the play started, The Daily Telegraph reported Friday.

Atkins said he had been fighting a cold and his wife had been prescribed medication that made her drowsy on the evening of the play.

"I would like to apologize if I have upset any of the children," he said. "A reviving cup of coffee did work wonders, and we were pleased to meet and chat with the children during the interval and enjoy their performance of 'Bugsy.'"

Copyright 2010 United Press International, Inc. (UPI).