Faye Dunaway has been fired from a Broadway-bound play following claims about her behaviour behind the scenes. The Oscar-winning actress had been starring in Tea at Five, a one-woman show in which she played Katharine Hepburn.

The run ended in Boston earlier this month and, despite mixed reviews, producers had planned its transfer to Broadway and afterwards to London.

However, in a statement on Wednesday, they said: “The producers of Tea at Five announced today that they have terminated their relationship with Faye Dunaway. Plans are in development for the play to have its West End debut early next year with a new actress to play the role of Katharine Hepburn.”

The New York Post, which broke the story, likened Dunaway to the version of Joan Crawford that she played in the film Mommie Dearest, alleging that she had been abusive to crew.

The play, by Matthew Lombardo, had a three-week run in which a number of audience members noted that Ms Dunaway, 78, stumbled over her lines, according to reviews and theatre message boards. A production on July 10 was cancelled for unspecified reasons.

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Miss Dunaway was not available for comment Thursday. Paul Pearson, who is listed as her UK theatrical agent, said he had no knowledge of the allegations but “with certain artists there is always more drama off stage than on, which is unfortunate”. Tony Cloer, her US agent, said he had “discontinued working with Ms Dunaway in April of this year”.

It is not the first time that the actress has been abruptly dropped from a production. In 1994, Andrew Lloyd Webber closed down a run of Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles with an announcement that Miss Dunaway was unable to sing the part of Norma Desmond.

The closure was “to protect all concerned – including the ticket-buying public – from an embarrassment,” the producers said at the time. The actress promptly sued Lloyd Webber for £4 million and the case was later settled out of court, with the impresario saying: “I hope our paths cross one day in happier circumstances.”

Tea at Five writer Lombardo said only last month that he was thrilled to have cast a Hollywood icon. At their first meeting to discuss the role, the actress turned up to the restaurant dressed as Hepburn.

He said that Miss Dunaway had been “wonderful” to work with during early rehearsals, adding: “Faye goes really, really deep with that character. She is extremely smart, highly intellectual; what she brings to this process is invaluable.”

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