Over these past few years, Broadway has experienced some horrible incidents with rude and disruptive audience members. With this being out of control, we are New York Broadway Tours? has put together some of our favorite TOP 10 WORST AUDIENCE INTERRUPTIONS IN THEATRE

10. In 2009 during a preview performance A Steady Rain? on Broadway at the Gerald Schonefeld Theatre, Tony winning stage and screen star Hugh Jackman? stopped the show (breaking character) to call out an audience member whose phone was ringing in the middle of an intense scene. “You want to get that?”. Jackman asked and began to pace around the stage for a minute and then pleaded: “Come on, just turn it off” before the audience began to cheer. From there, the show continued. STOP YOUR RINGING YOU!!!

9. In 2005 and 2006 during performances of The History Boys? on Broadway at the Broadhurst Theatre and in the UK at the National Theatre London?, the late Richard Griffiths? would stop the show and start a scene over from the top every time a phone rang. In addition, he would throw a temper tantrum at the offender and throw him/her out of the Theatre. NO ONE MESSES WITH UNCLE VERNON DURSLEY!!

8. In 2012 during a performance of the revival of Death Of A Salesman Broadway? at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre, a cell phone went off during Linda Emond?’s intense monologue towards the end of the show. The rude patron was shamed via a letter by the company. WAKE UP CALL FOR YOU!! http://gothamist.com/2012/03/23/an_open_letter_to_the_owner_of_the.php

7. In 2014 during a performance of the returning engagement of Roundabout Theatre Company?’s 1998 revival of Cabaret the Musical? at Studio 54, actor Shia LaBeouf? made headlines for causing a scene and bad disturbance behavior during the show’s entire first act. He weirdly fed a woman a strawberry, smoked in the auditorium, and got a little handsy by slapping Tony winner Alan Cumming?’s butt everytime he passed by him in the aisles. When the cops arrived to arrest LaBeouf, he began to scream every bad name in the dictionary and spit at officers (before cops put a face mask on him). BAD BAD LOUIS STEVENS!!

6. In 2008 during a performance of the original production of Spring Awakening Broadway? at the Eugene O’Neill Theatre, a drunk middle aged man caused a scene and bad disturbance behavior during half of the first act. The man was running late to the show and had a seat in the show’s onstage audience seating. As the preshow announcement was happening, he blew-past 4 ushers and ran onto the stage to make it to his seat. He noticed he was on the wrong side and began to sit in the stairs right in the middle of the stage seats. He then noticed an empty chair (which was his seat) and began to run to it as the lights were dimming and as Alexandra Socha? (who was playing Wendla) began to sing the opening song MAMA WHO BORE ME. Next, the drunk man took his shoes off with everyone giving him a “WTF” look. He just whispered to the audience “I have blisters” and then fell asleep. During THE B**** OF LIVING, he woke up and everytime there was a “sexual reference” in the song or the following scenes, he began to poke and harass these 16 year old girls sitting next to him. Finally right after TOUCH ME, a security guard came to the rescue to take the drunk guy off. The security guard told him “You need to come with me!”. The drunk guy refused and began to fight with him screaming “You are ruining the show. Stop it you f****** c***sucker! Don’t touch me you motherf*****!” As the fight continues, the show has stopped and everyone (the cast, band, and audience) are all watching watching the drama in horror. Finally the security guard stopped the fight by hanging the drunk guy by his own tie. He escorted him off and the whole audience began to clap. In addition, the company manager brought everyone who was sitting on stage backstage to cry and share their thoughts on the drama. The Drunk man did get arrested. THAT DUDE WAS SURELY TOTALLY F*****!!

5. In 2015 last year before a performance of Hand To God Broadway? at the Booth Theatre, a man with a “soon to be dead” cell phone was looking for a place to charge it in the Theatre. He noticed an outlet THAT WAS FAKE on the stage and went up to charge it. Security guard came to yell at him. In addition, someone coincidentally took video of the guy jumping on stage and it went viral. Cast members took to twitter calling the guy out. WHAT AN ULTIMATE BROADWAY MORON!

4. In 2009 during a performance of the National Tour of WICKED The Musical? in Cleveland, Ohio, a drunken, obscenity-filled woman was causing a scene non-stop screaming during the show’s soft moment I’M NOT THAT GIRL. As the saying goes, THE SHOW MUST GO ON. Actress Merideth Kaye Clark (Official Fan Page)? who was the standby for the show’s heroine Elphaba (and on that night) kept on singing the song while the ushers and security grabbed the drunk woman, threw her out of the Theatre, and arrested her. Clark received a standing ovation afterwards for being a trooper and still being focused in song world. PEOPLE ARE CRAZY. YOU TRULY DID DEFY GRAVITY THAT NIGHT. NEVER LET ANYTHING LIKE THAT DISTRACT YOU. http://www.cleveland.com/onstage/index.ssf/2009/12/wicked_witch_wins_battle_of_ne.html

3. At a recent performance of Roundabout Theatre Company’s Tony nominated revival of She Loves Me at Studio 54?, Tony winner Laura Benanti? called out an audience member whose cell phone was ringing during the show’s soft moment WILL HE LIKE ME. As the ringing began, she whispered “Hello” before shouting out “I’ll wait and we’ll all wait” before continuing on with the number. After the show, Benanti took to Twitter to call the imbecile out. TELL EM LAURA!!! http://www.playbill.com/article/laura-benanti-calls-out-ringing-phone-during-she-loves-me

2. Tony Award winner Lin-Manuel Miranda? has experienced some multiple BAD BAD BAD situations with cell phones in the Theatre performing in his smash hit Hamilton: An American Musical? (both at The Public Theater? and the Richard Rodgers Theatre). Grammy winner Madonna? was on her phone texting the entire time during the Off Broadway run with Miranda and the team not letting her come backstage. #NoSelfieForYou Madonna!!! At the same time, Tony nominee Jonathan Groff? called the singer a “B****” in an interview for what she did. Last night, Miranda called out multiple rude audience members on Twitter and had the company manager call all the Ushers to grab the rude audience members to have them take the photos off their cameras. SHAME ON ALL OF THEM. YOU GO LIN & JONATHAN!

1. Tony winning Broadway legend Patti LuPone? is considered the officer of Theatre Etiquette. No one should ever mess with her. We first got introduced to LuPone’s dislike of electronics in the Theatre in 2009 during the 2nd to last day of the recent Broadway revival of Gypsy (the musical)? at the St James Theatre. An audience member was taking 3 illegal photos of LuPone while singing the show’s finale number ROSE’S TURN. She stopped the show to yell at the retards that were flashing nonstop “Stop Talking Pictures Right Now! You heard the announcement who do you think you are?! Get them out!!!!”. A group of Ushers came and threw the guys out and LuPone started the song all over again. It happened a few times during LuPone’s various concert tour stops calling the audience members out. Most recently while she was performing in SHOWS FOR DAYS at Lincoln Center Theater?, Patti heard nonstop ringing at the mattinae and then at the evening saw a woman texting during the first act. By the time she came to Act 2, she had enough! LuPone made an exit in character and grabbed woman’s cell phone. The phone returned to the woman at the end of the show. BE NICE OR YOU WILL GET LUPONEND!! !

What are your thoughts on these situations? What was the worst experiences you’ve noticed with Theatre Etiquette on Broadway?!

NYBroadwayTours
Author: NYBroadwayTours